Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said in an exclusive interview broadcast by state broadcaster CCTV earlier this week the aim of patriotism was to ensure the nation’s security.
Ho, who gave the interview on Sunday in Beijing where he attended the opening meeting of the annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on Friday, also said that Macau has to deal with “lot of interference by foreign countries,” adding that “if they dare” to interfere, “we dare to oppose them.”
Ho, a former member of the elite NPC Standing Committee, also said that “if there is no foundation of good education, Hong Kong and Macau in particular will be affected by external influences.”
Ho, who has been at the helm of the local government since December 20, 2019, also said that its patriotic education system has allowed the special administrative region to lay the foundations for “loving the country” and “loving Macau”.
Ho also pointed out that the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) enacted its own National Security Law in accordance with the MSAR Basic Law Article 23 back in 2009. “We have a legal system that puts the protection of national security first,” the 63-year-old former business community leader said.
Ho also underlined that President Xi Jinping described Macau as a “model” of the successful implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle “with local characteristics during his inspection visit to Macau for the SAR’s 20th anniversary in December 2019.
Ho took his oath as Macau’s third chief executive (after Edmund Ho Hau Wah and Fernando Chui Sai On) in Xi’s presence on December 20, 2019.
In the interview, Ho attributed Macau’s political stability to its patriotic education effort since its return to the motherland in 1999. He underlined that the local education system continues to be based on patriotism and the tradition of “loving Macau.”
Ho also said that foreign countries had “interfered too much” in Hong Kong, adding that consequently the electoral reform bill for Hong Kong currently under deliberation by the NPC “is very important at this moment of time.” He emphasised that the MSAR government immediately issued a statement last week to fully support the NPC’s proposed amendments with the aim of reforming Hong Kong’s election system. He stressed that the NPC has the responsibility and power to enact legislation regarding the political development of the two special administrative regions. He added that the electoral reform bill is an important decision by the NPC to ensure Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.
Ho also said that Macau must not deviate from its proven path of “doing a good job” for the further advancement of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
Ho’s interview was broadcast by CCTV yesterday morning. Ho has meanwhile returned to Macau.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng talks to a reporter during Sunday’s CCTV interview in Beijing. Video grab courtesy CCTV
