“
FIRST they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me – And there was no one left to speak for me.”
(attributed to pastor Martin Niemöller)
There’s
definitely a somber and bitter tone in the new Legislative Assembly
(AL), particularly amongst the newcomers. First it was lawmaker Song Pek
Kei saying that “non-resident workers contribute to the increases in
rent and occupy public spaces.” Song Pek Kei, whose parents were born in
the mainland, continued his attack on migrant workers, saying that they
are “unprofessional” (here we have to ask if the residents described by
Ms Song are, per definition, more professional than the TNR).
This
populist and even xenophobic stance was not rejected by the other
lawmakers, but the people who really like Macau (like the Macanese)
expressed their indignation trough social networks and newspaper
columns.
Nevertheless the absurdities continue. Another rookie, Zheng
Anting, said in December that there should be buses specifically for
residents, and, with that scheme, a way to identify them when entering
the buses. This reminds me a bit of the yellow star, inscribed with the
word Jude, that the Jews had to sew on their outer garments during the
Middle Ages, and more recently in Nazi Germany. Or the “whites only”
policy in segregationist USA and during South Africa’s apartheid regime.
What surprises me even more is that nobody told Mr Zheng Anting,
reportedly a Macau resident since 2001, that this idea is not only
shameful and discriminatory, but that it is also obviously illegal. So,
post-Christmas, he continued with his insistence last Friday, stating
in the AL: “Would it be possible to provide carriers specifically for
residents? Would it be possible to find a way for residents to identify
themselves when entering the bus? Similar to what happens with the
housing policy, could we have a policy of ‘Macau buses for Macau
residents’?”
What’s next? “Macau food for Macau people,” as someone jokingly suggested.
These
sorts of ideas are making their way into the new AL. Another example
comes from Ho Ion Sang, who suggests that non-residents convicted by the
local judicial system should be repatriated to mainland China or to
their countries of origin “to reduce public spending.” But let’s wait
for a minute: Wouldn’t this hinder the independence of the local
judicial system, so crucial to the “one country, two systems” principle?
The
fact is that some lawmakers, and even the government, are increasingly
proposing things that are evidently illegal, even for a layman. We saw
the mess with the bus operation scheme, also noticed by the Commission
Against Corruption, who considered it “the most severe case of legal
breach” in MSAR’s history. Concerning the TV market, last week we
watched with awe as lawmakers continued to ignore court rulings by
trying to recommend the retention of the public antenna companies,
eventually travestied in a non-profitable organization paid by the
government. “Will it be possible to receive the channels via the public
antenna companies?” the veteran lawmaker Ng Kuok Cheong asked puerilely.
Here,
the same as anywhere else in the world, lawmakers should gather as much
information as they can before they speak at the assembly. They should
consider whether what they say has a legal basis and constitutes an
example of civility. If lawmakers constantly defy lawfulness or make
discriminatory remarks, what kind of example are they passing on to
society?
For me, that’s not what Macau is about. It would be tiresome
to explain the reasons why Macau is and always has been an open city.
That attitude has benefited the Chinese and all others that dropped
anchor in its harbor.
Those who want to reduce Macau to another
Chinese city or to a disposable instrument to make money are those who
misunderstand or even dislike Macau’s nature, as the re-elected House of
Portugal President, Ms Maria Amélia António, pointed out to TDM last
Friday.
(By PB,
published in MDT)
Etiquetas: Crónica, Macau