Lawmaker-cum-building contractor Mak Soi Kun said yesterday he and fellow legislator Zheng Anting were confident of winning at least two seats in the September 17 direct legislative election, adding that as a lawmaker he had the responsibility to fight for grassroots residents’ interests.
Mak also said the government should pay senior citizens 10,000 patacas a month.
Mak, who has been a lawmaker since 2009, is the first-ranked candidate of the Macau-Guangdong Union (UMG) (No. 20), while Zheng, a one-term legislator and businessman, is the second-ranked candidate. Mak’s list comprises 13 candidates.
Speaking to The Macau Post Daily at the Macau Jiangmen Communal Society’s office in Zape, Mak, a vice-chairman of the society, said his group was confident of winning at least two seats in the legislature. “Macau people agree with [what we have done],” he said.
Mak said he believed his group’s support was mainly coming from the grassroots. Pointing out that he was born into a grassroots family in Praia do Manduco (Ha Van) district, he said he knew very well the difficulties underprivileged people are facing. He said his mother supported the family by selling congee.
Zheng said that as a second-ranked candidate on Mak’s list, he had a strong sense of urgency as the election was very competitive. He also said that he had been working very hard to make residents’ voices heard during his first term in the legislature.
Zheng said his group would urge the government to increase its old-age pension, annual cash handout and other subsidies so that each resident aged over 65 would get at least 10,000 patacas per month from the public coffers.
Meanwhile, Mak reported to the police on Wednesday that somebody had smeared him by releasing a raft of “parody photos” on the Web. According to Mak, the original photos were taken when he and other candidates on his list were helping with disaster relief efforts after Typhoon Hato hit Macau late last month.
Commenting on the “parody photos”, Mak said emphatically: “So many people were injured or died because of the typhoon. [How can you] smear others but not help Macau recover!”
Asked by The Macau Post Daily why he was a target of netizens but other people who also helped out were not, Mak said he had not thought about the motive, adding that he was just focused on how to help Macau recover.
Lawmakers Mak Soi Kun (right) and Zheng Anting, both running for re-election as candidates of the Macau-Guangdong Union (UGM), pose yesterday at the Macau Jiangmen Communal Society’s office in Zape. Photo: Debby Seng
