New Hope (NE) members yesterday urged the government to increase its annual cash handout to 12,000 patacas next year as residents have to cope with the constantly rising prices of daily necessities.
New Hope (No. 6 on the ballot paper) is led by current lawmaker-cum-unionist Jose Maria Pereira Coutinho, who has been a legislator since 2005. The group is vying with 23 other groups for 14 directly-elected seats in the Legislative Assembly.
The group’s second-ranked candidate Leong Veng Chai won a seat in the legislature four years ago. Both Coutinho and Leong are board members of the Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM).
Coutinho’s list comprises 11 candidates, seven of whom attended yesterday’s press conference at the ATFPM headquarters that announced the about 40 items on the group’s political platform.
The annual “wealth-sharing” handout for permanent and non-permanent residents stood at 9,000 patacas and 5,400 patacas respectively this year.
Coutinho said his group was urging the government to increase its cash handout to 12,000 patacas next year, to help relieve residents’ burden of inflation. Concerning the handout, he did not distinguish between permanent and non-permanent residents.
Coutinho also said the government performed “poorly” in its response to the Typhoon Hato disaster last month, adding that therefore the government should give residents another 9,000 pataca handout as “compensation” this year.
Coutinho said his group was calling for the construction of 80,000 public housing units as there was a considerable need for public housing, adding that it was just a matter of will for the government to build the number of flats proposed by his group.
Coutinho also said his group’s political platform in 2013 called for the government to build 40,000 public housing units, adding that eventually more than 40,000 residents applied for subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) flats when the government launched a round of applications for 1,900 HOS flats at the end of that year.
The government’s public housing programme comprises HOS flats and social rental housing.
Coutinho also called for Portuguese-language classes in all local school from the primary school level.
Coutinho said his group was facing extra challenges of getting elected in the September 17 election, as a record number of groups are running for directly-elected seats. He said his group aimed to win one seat.
New Hope (NE) first-ranked candidate Jose Pereira Coutinho (right) speaks during yesterday’s press conference to announce details of his group’s political platform, while the group’s second-ranked candidate Leong Veng Chai looks on, at the headquarters of the Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM) in Zape. Photo: Tony Wong
