4 direct-election lists submit political programmes
Four more electoral lists have submitted their lists of candidates and political platforms to the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) for the upcoming direct legislative election.
The four lists are Alliance for a Happy Home, Power of Political Thought, New Macau Progressive Association, and Dialogue Power, which respectively comprise 11, 12, five and nine candidates for the upcoming direct election.
The direct and indirect legislative elections will take place on September 12.
Each direct election list must have at least four and no more than 14 candidates.
A total of 19 electoral lists will run in the upcoming direct election. Four years ago, 25 candidacy lists vied for the 14 seats at stake.
Except the New Macau Progressive Association list and the Dialogue Power list which both will run in the direct election for the first time, the Alliance for a Happy Home list and the Power of Political Thought list ran in the legislature’s direct election four years ago.
While none of the candidates of the Power of Political Thought electoral list were elected in the 2017 direct election, the first-ranked candidate of the Alliance for a Happy Home list was elected – incumbent lawmaker Wong Kit Cheng.
For the upcoming direct election, the Alliance for a Happy Home list will continue to be headed by Wong – i.e. she will seek re-election.
Wong, a nurse by profession, is a senior board member of the Macau Women’s General Association (commonly known as a Fu Luen in Cantonese) – one of the city’s biggest community associations.
The legislature’s 14 directly-elected members are chosen by universal suffrage, based on the proportional representation system.
The Alliance for a Happy Home list garnered 9,496 votes in the 2017 direct election, ranked 11th in terms of the number of votes obtained.
Nelson Kot Man Kam, who had previously worked as an inspector in the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), headed the Power of Political Thought list in the 2017 direct election, when it merely got 672 votes. For the upcoming direct election, the list will continue to be headed by Kot, who has appeared frequently in the media as a current affairs commentator since his failed bid for a directly-elected seat four years ago.
While the New Macau Progressive Association electoral list will run in the direct election for the first time, it will be headed by former lawmaker Paul Chan Wai Chi, making him the number-one candidate for the first time since he took part in the direct legislative election in 2005 for the first time.
Chan won in the 2009 direct election, when he was the second-ranked candidate of the Democratic Prosperous Macau Association list which was then headed by veteran lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong.
Chan sought re-election in 2013 and 2017, but each time failed in his bid to return to the legislature’s hemicycle.
In the 2013 direct election, Chan continued to be the number-two candidate on Ng’s list, while in the 2017 direct election he was the second-ranked candidate of the New Macau Progressives electoral list which was then headed by Sulu Sou Ka Hou, who was elected as a lawmaker for the first time.
Sou will seek re-election – i.e. he continues to head the New Macau Progressives list for the upcoming direct election.
The Dialogue Power list will be headed by Choi Man Cheng, who currently works in the new media design sector.
Choi became president of the Macau Youth Federation – one of the city’s biggest community associations – last year, of which Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long is the chairman.
Issues covered by the 4 lists
Wong, Kot, Chan and Choi spoke to reporters separately after submitting their respective lists of candidates and political platforms at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo on Friday.
Wong said that her electoral list would focus on safeguarding the rights and benefits of women and children and campaigning for family-friendly workplace policies.
Kot said that his electoral list would focus on issues such as public administration reform and the implementation of an accountability system for senior officials.
Chan said that his electoral list would focus on issues such as the safeguarding of residents’ rights and benefits, measures improving residents’ daily lives and improved urban planning.
Choi said that his electoral list would focus on issues such career planning and development for young people and housing issues, apart from urging the government to get sandwich class housing projects off the ground.
(From left to right) Wong Chi Cheng, Nelson Kot Man Kam, Paul Chan Wai Chi, and Choi Man Cheng, the number-one candidates of electoral lists Alliance for a Happy Home, Power of Political Thought, New Macau Progressive Association, and Dialogue Power respectively, speak reporters at the Public Administration Building in Rua do Campo on Friday after their lists submitted their respective political platforms to the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL). Photos: Maria Cheang Ut Meng
