The Macau United Citizens Association (ACUM) electoral list yesterday submitted its list of candidates and political platform to the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) for the upcoming direct legislative election.
The direct and indirect legislative elections will take place on September 12.
The Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission told reporters last week that 22 lists had submitted registered voters’ signatures endorsing their respective candidacies in the upcoming direct election to the commission, which at that time had confirmed the validity of the candidacy of 16 of them. Two of the 22 groups have meanwhile withdrawn from taking part in the direct election.
Each direct election list must have at least four and no more than 14 candidates.
In the direct election four years ago, 25 candidacy lists vied for the 14 seats at stake.
The Macau United Citizens Association electoral list comprises 13 candidates for the upcoming direct election. Its first-ranked and second ranked candidates are incumbent legislators Si Ka Lon and Becky Song Pek Kei.
In the 2017 direct election, Si was the first-ranked candidate of the Macau United Citizens Association list, while Song was the first-ranked candidate of the Macau Citizens Development Association list. Four years ago, both lists had one candidate elected – Si and Song.
This time, Si and Song will run on the Macau United Citizens Association list.
Speaking to reporters at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo after submitting the list of candidates and its political platform, Si said that his group has collected 5,000 opinions from residents about issues such as post-pandemic economic recovery, measures helping residents keep their jobs, public administration efficiency, housing, traffic, and urban renewal.
According to Si, his list’s political platform calls for the government to launch a round of applications for at least 5,000 subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) flats every year, and to set up a supervisory commission to ensure the implementation of an accountability system for senior officials.
Its political platform also calls for the government to set up an investment fund company “for all residents” so as to share the government’s revenues with local residents every year. According to Si, his electoral list calls for the government to allocate 100 billion patacas from its extraordinary reserves to this investment fund company and give every permanent resident shares worth 100,000 patacas of the company so that they could earn dividends every year in line with the fund’s revenues.
Si said that the upcoming direct election could be expected to be very competitive. Si noted that four years ago two lists, the Macau United Citizens Association and the Macau Citizens Development Association, ran in the direct election based on the strategy of winning at least two seats in the legislature with the hope of winning three seats.
Si that after talking to ex-lawmakers Chan Meng Kam and Ung Choi Kun, he and Song have decided to run on the same ticket this time with the aim of ensuring that they can secure two seats this time. Si said that he and Song were confident of each winning a seat for the list.
Chan did not seek re-election in the 2017 election.
In the 2013 direct election, the Macau United Citizens Association list garnered the highest number of votes at 26,426, getting three of its candidates (the first-, second- and third-ranked candidates) elected, namely Chan, Si and Song.
Macau’s elections are based on the proportional representation system, which makes it rather difficult for one list to win more than two seats.
There are no political parties in Macau. Groups running in the direct and indirect elections are known as “lists”.
Current lawmakers Si Ka Lon (third from right, back row), Becky Song Pek Kei (second from left, back row), their 11 fellow candidates of the Macau United Citizens Association list, and ex-legislators Chan Meng Kam (centre, back row) and Ung Choi Kun (third from left, back row) pose yesterday at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo. Photo: Prisca Tang
