A report from the European Commission has called on Macau authorities to allow greater public involvement in the election of the SAR’s Chief Executive and the Legislative Assembly.
Issued yesterday [Macau time], the commission wrote that although civil liberties are protected by the SAR’s Basic Law, political opposition is “weak and civil society is not very vocal,” adding that other legislative acts do not allow for the introduction of universal suffrage.
Regarding political development, the report mentioned lawmaker Sulu Sou’s suspension from the Legislative Assembly, as well as Scott Chiang’s aggravated disobedience case.
It also cited the sacking of the veteran legal advisers Paulo Taipa and Paulo Cardinal, which raised concerns in civil society about “increasing efforts to sideline Portuguese/foreign expertise in favor of Chinese expertise.”
The annual report also stated that human trafficking remains a problem in Macau, calling for more stringent anti-trafficking law enforcement.
It said that the number of prosecutions and convictions for trafficking remains low despite a large number of complaints.
“The EU stands ready to renew exchanges and to cooperate with Macau to provide technical expertise on best practices to address this global challenge,” the report stated.
The commission believed that the city has not effectively enforced freedom of association and collective bargaining as enshrined in International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
Thus, the commission have encouraged Macau to take the necessary steps to comply with ILO conventions, also noting that Macau does not have a minimum wage, except for cleaning and security workers.
The commission added that the SAR has not established an independent human rights body despite the recommendation to do so issued by the UN Committee Against Torture in December 2015.
“The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had also urged Macau to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation.”
The report also mentioned that in 2018, local authorities undertook or announced several initiatives to strengthen national security, which brought the SAR’s policy more in line with the views of the mainland.
Last night, the local government issued a statement condemning the latest report of the EU.
“The European Union Report ignores facts, makes irresponsible and frivolous remarks about the MSAR. The MSAR government expresses its strong opposition and that there should be no interference by the European Union in the affairs of Macau,” the government said.
It called on the commission to “refrain from false statements and inappropriate actions on the domestic policy of the People’s Republic of China.”
No Comments