Sulu Sou denies New Macau Association divergences

The newly elected New Macau Association (ANM) president, Sulu Sou Ka Hou, said during a media gathering last Friday that it is normal to have different opinions within the association. Nevertheless, he does not think that the ANM is disunited.
Sulu Sou claimed that diverging opinions within the association have to recognize and to treasure one another. “As I mentioned in the [ANM] general meeting, the pro-democratic camp needs to unite and does not have the capital to divide.”
The president reiterated that there is no overlap between his presidency in ANM and the roles he has previously taken on in other organizations. Furthermore, he promised to devote most of his time to ANM’s work during his two-year tenure.
Sulu Sou said that the ANM council would discuss how to take part in the civil referendum on the Chief Executive. “I believe that ANM and [our lawmakers] have shown a supportive attitude towards the referendum. However, it will depend on the decision of the council to see in what way we are participating in the event.”
Lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong, an ANM councilmember, said that since ANM’s establishment over two decades ago, the association has always focused on government policy and local politics such as democratic reform and the protection of human rights, rather than being a civil group.
However, given the fact that around 85 percent of secondary school students attend tertiary education institutions after they graduate from high school, Ng Kuok Cheong thinks that ANM has to change its direction and pay more attention to the issues that are directly related to the public. However, he believes that the association should focus on government policies simultaneously. JPL