Wong Sio Chak: plans afoot to enhance SAR’s security

Hong Kong’s electoral reform is an “enlightenment” and a “learning opportunity” for the Macau SAR government, which is set to elevate legislation to better defend national security, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak disclosed yesterday.
“We are evaluating [the possibility as to] whether some abnormal events would arise from the revised electoral system of Hong Kong and whether these events would have any negative impacts on Macau,” Wong addressed the press following the opening ceremony of the National Security Education Exhibition yesterday.
To achieve this, the government will continue to garner and analyze intelligence, and prepare for a well-thought-out deployment of the police force.
Earlier in March, the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s top legislature, passed a resolution to overhaul Hong Kong’s electoral system to ensure the city is administered by patriots only.
Wong pointed out that the reform to Hong Kong’s electoral system is a forceful and effective move to clamp down on social unrest and other problems which cropped up after the introduction of the Extradition Bill by the Hong Kong government in 2019.
These problems, Wong stressed, were direct attacks on the national security and Hong Kong’s social order.
Safeguarding national security necessitates a wide-ranging plan involving various efforts, Wong said. The foremost focus now is to protect public health during the pandemic. The next focal point will be stepping up efforts to oppose foreign threats from external forces.
“The external threats [risking the nation’s safety] are still considered severe when considering many countries have been targeting China lately,” Wong said. He added that Macau, as a part of China, also bears the responsibility to safeguard national security.
Wong unveiled that a series of legislative undertakings, designed to complement Macau’s National Security Law passed in 2009 and ensure better protection of the nation’s security, are now afoot.
They include draft or proposed bills relating to immigration control, fire safety, the regulation of hazardous items, anti-terrorism measures, and more.