10
From The Publisher’s Desk
Equal rights
and obligations
ince the Hong Kong handover of 1997 and the Macau equivalent
S
two years later we have witnessed equal levels of commitment from
mainland China to both SAR’s. This seems to be changing.
It is true that from the outset Hong Kong has needed more help
than Macau using the principle of the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, Hong Kong required special relief
measures due to its larger size and the fact that it is a more complex society.
Still, that didn’t stop its then Chief Executive Tung Chee-Hua’s head from
rolling, following another serious crisis.
While supporting Hong Kong, the mainland authorities didn’t forget
Macau. The commitment was the same and in line with the Joint Declarations
and the Basic Laws which rule over both territories.
For reasons that are easily the target of speculation – which we have done
on several occassions - the central government has decided to tighten visa
restrictions on mainland people travelling to Macau, while leaving Hong
Kong alone.
Recently, a decision was made to allow two million permanent residents
of Shenzhen to get multiple-entry visas to Hong Kong but not to Macau. Not
long after that, it was announced that all 14 million Shenzhen inhabitants will
be able to use the same Individual Visitation Scheme to go to Hong Kong.
Once again, Macau was left out of the deal, regardless of the pledges of
help made by senior central and provincial government officials.
We all know that Macau is incapable of absorbing millions of visitors
the way Hong Kong can, but to shut off the main source of revenue cannot
be the best thing to do. The mainland has to realise that it must be part of
the solution, instead of being part of the problem. It has to help us plan and
to grow the city as fast and balanced as possible, instead of blocking our
development with measures that lack explanation.
Hong Kong and Macau have the same level of commitment and
responsibility towards their residents. We also have the same international
commitments written in law and the same promises from the highest officials
of the Chinese Nation. The rights and obligations of one SAR cannot be
different from the other and the sooner this basic and fundamental notion is
fully applied, the better.
april 2009
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