Legislative Assembly (AL) President André Cheong Weng Chon pledged yesterday that the legislature will continue to firmly exercise its functions and powers conferred by the Macau Basic Law, while taking the initiative of upholding Macau’s executive-led governance, fully supporting the chief executive and the local government in exercising law-based governance, and enhancing positive interaction with the government.
Cheong also pledged that the local legislature will, through rational, pragmatic, and constructive oversight, help the government identify problems affecting Macau, improve policies and measures, and enhance governance effectiveness.
Cheong made the remarks in a speech during a Spring Festival luncheon hosted by the legislature for local journalists and correspondents working for media enterprises in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Portugal. Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) Acting Director Louie Wong Lok I also attended the luncheon held at MGM MACAU in Nape.
The current, eighth term of the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) Legislative Assembly commenced on October 16 last year.
Cheong is a newcomer to the legislature after serving as the MSAR’s secretary for administration and justice between December 20, 2019 and October 15 last year. Cheong is one of the seven members whom Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai appointed to the 33-member legislature. Cheong was unanimously elected by his peers as the hemicycle’s speaker during the new legislative term’s first plenary session on October 16 last year.
Consequently, yesterday’s annual Spring Festival media luncheon hosted by the legislature was the first one that Cheong addressed.
Cheong pointed out yesterday that during a seminar in Beijing late last month hosted by the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies (CAHKMS), Xia Baolong, the director of both the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office (HKMWO) of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO) of the State Council, noted in his speech that when hearing a work report from Sam in December last year, President Xi Jinping raised clear requirements for the MSAR to uphold and improve its executive-led governance.
Cheong noted that Xia’s speech last month comprehensively and systematically elaborated on the principle of executive-led governance and set clear requirements for the MSAR’s legislature and its members. In particular, Cheong noted, Xia urged the local legislature to take the initiative in upholding the MSAR’s executive-led governance, fully support the MSAR’s chief executive and government in exercising law-based governance, and jointly explore new pathways for positive interaction between the executive and legislative organs within the capitalist system.
Strengthening positive interaction b/w executive & legislative organs in 3 aspects
Cheong underlined that over the past four months since its operational start, the current-term legislature, with the aim of ensuring the implementation of the principle of executive-led governance and promoting positive interaction between the executive and legislative organs, has streamlined legislative procedures, strengthened communication with the government, and established closer liaison mechanisms with the government, fostering mutual understanding and cooperation through regular exchanges between both sides while consolidating a collaborative model based on mutual trust.
More specifically, Cheong said, the legislature has been implementing various new measures to streamline and improve its operations in terms of three aspects, namely, legislative duties, oversight duties, and internal management.
Concerning legislative duties, Cheong said, after assessing previous experience and discussing the matter with the government, the legislature has drawn up new guidelines and working procedures for the scrutiny and review of government-initiated bills, which more clearly define the mechanisms for collaboration between the legislature and the government and the schedules that both sides should comply with during the legislative scrutiny and review process, with the aim of ensuring that legislative tasks will proceed as scheduled and enhancing legislative efficiency and quality.
Concerning oversight duties, Cheong said, the legislature has refined the operating rules of its three follow-up committees and more clearly defined their functions and powers, according to which, he said, the three committees can set up specialised working groups, whenever necessary, for more in-depth monitoring of key issues.
Cheong noted that the three follow-up committees have set up six working groups. In addition to monitoring issues in Macau, Cheong said, the three follow-up committees are also following up key projects in the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, with the aim of contributing to its development.
Concerning internal management, Cheong said, with the aim of improving its operational effectiveness, the legislature has set up a new unit directly overseen by him, which is tasked with coordinating duties concerning legal technicalities and logistical support, drawing up the operating rules on the scrutiny and review of government-initiated bills and the three follow-up committees’ operating rules, and maintaining close communication with the respective government entities to tackle key and challenging issues.
Moreover, Cheong said, the legislature has optimised the allocation of its advisory team’s human resources, and is planning and preparing the setting-up of a new electronic platform for its work.
Legislative Assembly (AL) President André Cheong Weng Chon addresses yesterday’s Spring Festival luncheon hosted by the legislature at MGM MACAU in Nape. – Photo: AL
