Wong Sio Chak says HK, Macau elections affect each other

Wong Sio Chak (right)

The Secretariat for Security has not ruled out “risks” which may impede the smooth running next year of the election of the Legislative Assembly (AL), according to Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak.
On the sideline of yesterday’s meeting of the Second Standing Committee of AL, Secretary Wong Sio Chak responded to a media question on the subject, saying that his sector will ensure next year’s AL election is carried out in an orderly manner.
The official linked Macau’s AL election to next year’s election for the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
“There are risks for every event. When two events [elections] are organized together, they affect one another,” said Wong, who went on to explain that “you can judge what the illegal activities regarding various ceremonies and activities consist of, and of course, risks are not necessarily crimes.”
Over previous years, the Macau SAR has banned the entry of some individuals, particularly activists, lawmakers and other individuals from Hong Kong who oppose the establishment, including solicitor Alver Ho, former Hong Kong lawmaker Leung Kwok-hung, as well as some student activists.
“We are not banning everybody who is coming to the city,” Wong elaborated.
According to the official, the city’s security force has been communicating with the security authority of Hong Kong regarding collaboration on security across the two regions.
As of today, Macau’s security force has not yet discussed the 2021 Macau election with its Hong Kong counterpart.
Macau didn’t report incidents concerning any kind of attack to the city during the previous 2017 AL election.
However, Wong stated that if anyone attempts to prevent Macau’s AL election from happening in an orderly fashion, the local security authority will take action to enforce the law.
Asked whether the security force is worried about creating unnecessary fear within the local community by publicly anticipating risks in the upcoming election, Wong said “our law enforcement is done in accordance with the law. If we don’t enforce the law, we are being negligent.”
The Secretary claims that the security force is only taking precautionary measures, implying that it is not trying to suppress political dissidents.
Wong says that the security force of Macau takes prudent security measures in all large-scale activities, including the election. Meanwhile, as to “who to choose” to be the lawmaker, Wong explicitly said that it is up to the voters.