SCMP first report on case | Sou ready to retake his seat

Sulu Sou

Suspended lawmaker Sulu Sou has told the South China Morning Post that he is ready to return to his seat.

“I am ready to return to my seat,” he told the newspaper on the weekend. “I hope to be able to continue pressing on issues like greater government transparency, civil rights, human rights and freedoms.”

Sou was found guilty of unlawful assembly last week and has been ordered to pay a fine of MOP40,800. The verdict and sentencing was somewhat controversial, with some observers accusing the court of making an example out of Sou and others praising its restraint in not sentencing the young democrat to prison.

A prison sentence of more than 30 days would likely have meant Sou’s permanent expulsion from the Legislative Assembly.

It is not clear whether Sou will automatically have his suspension lifted as soon as a 20-day appeal period expires, or whether his peers in the Legislative Assembly will need to vote on his return.

After the appeal deadline expires, Sou expects to begin the process of returning to the legislature. He suspects that this may take several months, but told the SCMP, he was hopeful it could be completed by mid-August.

“I am confident that I can return before the summer holidays,” he said.

The Hong Kong-based newspaper, which was reporting on the case of Sulu Sou for the first time, also noted the opinion of political analysts who compared the young democrat to his Hong Kong counterparts; the controversial Joshua Wong and Nathan Law.

One analyst, Leung Kai Yin, told the newspaper that the Liaison Office of Macau would play a critical role in determining whether the MSAR government continues to press the case against Sou. That might involve an appeal of the sentence and the opening of several other cases pending against the New Macau Association member.

“[The Liaison Office] feel[s] that the sort of social actions organized by the New Macau Association disturb the harmony of society,” he said. “They are very sensitive about this and they worry that the young people will learn from them.”