Prisca Tang
When Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng was asked by reporters yesterday whether fewer people would dare to speak out against the government since the so-called “pro-democrats” were barred from standing in this year’s Legislative Assembly (AL) election, Ho told reporters that the voices of opposition would not wane as all members of the Legislative Assembly voice their concerns depending on the issue at stake.
Ho made the remarks yesterday after he cast his vote yesterday morning at Instituto Salesiano.
Ho said that in his opinion, politicians are not divided based on whether they are “pro-democrats” or not but they are representatives of their respective sectors, adding he believed the members of the new Legislative Assembly would use their own analysis concerning a particular issue or a situation and voice their concerns accordingly. He stressed that he had been part of the Legislative Assembly for 10 years and, based on his experience, the legislature’s opposition voices would not be diminished just because some candidates were disqualified. He reaffirmed that lawmakers should be able to point out their opposition on any matter in order to reflect the worries of their respective sectors.
Meanwhile, reporters asked Ho about the lifting of mandatory quarantine for arrivals from Hong Kong, Ho underlined that Macau has to be aligned with the mainland, i.e., Macau can only lift the quarantine rule if the mainland also lifts the rule as well. He noted that only 50 percent of the Macau population are vaccinated, which is relatively low, pointing out that in order to loosen Macau’s entry restrictions on foreigners, more residents should get inoculated.
Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng puts his ballot paper into the ballot box yesterday at the Instituto Salesiano polling station. Photo: Prisca Tang
