Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, who is also the spokesman for the local government’s top advisory Executive Council, has announced that the local government has finished drafting amendments to its administrative regulation on the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR), according to which the committee will have a national security adviser, the post of which will be taken by the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR, and three national security technical advisers who will be other officials from the Liaison Office.
Cheong also said that the Committee will “soon” have its first meeting after the national security advisers join the Committee.
Cheong said that the amended administrative regulation will take effect on the day after its promulgation in the Official Gazette (BO).
Government-drafted administrative regulations (aka by-laws) do not require the local legislature’s approval.
Cheong made the announcement during a press conference at Government Headquarters on Friday.
Cheong did not say when the amended regulation will be promulgated. Observers speculate that it will be gazetted as early as today.
The local government’s announcement on Friday came after Xinhua reported on December 3 that the central government had decided to set up the posts of a national security affairs adviser and three national security technical advisers on the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR. The central government made the decision in a reply dated November 30 to the chief executive of the MSAR, concerning a report he filed on proposing that the central government set up the posts of national security affairs adviser and national security technical adviser on the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR.
In the reply, the central government said that it approved the report. The post of national security affairs adviser will be taken by the director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR. The national technical advisers will be personnel from the Liaison Office, according to the reply.
The national security affairs adviser will be tasked with supervising, guiding, coordinating, and supporting the MSAR in safeguarding national security, the reply added.
The duties of the national security technical advisers include assisting the national security affairs adviser and advising on matters pertaining to the duties and functions of the office of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR.
According to the reply, the national security affairs adviser will sit in on meetings of the committee, while the national security technical advisers will attend meetings of the office of the committee.
The reply also said that the chief executive of the MSAR shall revise relevant regulations of the MSAR in accordance with relevant provisions of the MSAR Basic Law and utilising the contents of the reply.
The Macau government set up its Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR in 2018, which is tasked with various duties and functions concerning the safeguarding of the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests, such as formulating local policies on the safeguarding of national security and promoting work on improving the local legal system on safeguarding national security.
The Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR is chaired by the chief executive, with the secretary for security as its vice-chairman. The office of the committee is headed by the secretary for security, with the director of the Judiciary Police (PJ) as its vice-director.
During Friday’s press conference, Cheong said that with the central government’s strong support since the establishment of the MSAR in December 1999, the MSAR government has been constantly improving its legal system on safeguarding national security, and carrying out various tasks concerning the safeguarding of national security in an effective way in line with the law.
Macau enacted its national security law – the Law on the Defence of National Security – back in 2009, based on the Article 23 requirement of the Macau Basic Law.
Cheong, who is also a member of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR, said that “with the increasingly complicated landscape on safeguarding national security”, there is a need for Macau to further improve its legal system on safeguarding national security and its mechanism on the respective law enforcements, because of which, Cheong said, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng had submitted a report to the central government, proposing that the central government set up the posts of national security affairs adviser and national security technical adviser on the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR.
Cheong noted that the central government has replied that it had approved Ho’s report. Cheong went on to say that “in order to get the central government’s reply off the ground, there is a need to amend relevant provisions of Administrative Regulation No. 22/2018 on the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR”.
Cheong also said that he believed that the central government would “soon” appoint the national security affairs adviser and the three national security technical adviser to the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the MSAR.
Cheong also reaffirmed that proposing amendments to the local national security law will be among the local government’s most important legislative tasks next year.
The local government said last month that it aimed for amendments to the local national security law to be enacted next year.
Amendments to laws must be passed by the Legislative Assembly (AL).
Liaison Office Director Fu Ziying is the highest-ranking central government official posted to Macau.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon addresses Friday’s Executive Council press conference at Government Headquarters. Photo courtesy of TDM
