22 politics
Money matters
candidature may spend in the 2009 elec-
tions at MOP9 million. This is more than
double that of the last campaign when the
limit was at MOP4.3 million.
Later this year Macau residents will go to the polls
This change, which even took some
of those re-running legislators by sur-
to - partially - elect the Legislative assembly, and
prise, is directly linked to the MSAR
due to bulging public coffers, candidates will have
Budget. According to Article 94, number
much more money to persuade them
6, of the Legislative Assembly Electoral
Law, the limit of the expenses has to be
by Tiago azevedo and Island Ian
“inferior to 0.02 percent of the global
value of revenues for that years’ MSAR
General Budget”.
O
N September 20, 232,734 director of the Public Administration
registered voters will choose the and Civil Services, José Chu, the direc-
So, taking into consideration that
legislators they want to see seated tor of the Finances Bureau, Orieta Lau,
the MSAR Budget went from MOP21.6
in the Legislative Assembly. and the sub-director of the Social Com-
billion in 2005, to MOP44.7 billion
It’s a limited form of democracy be- munications Bureau, Isabel Ho. The only
patacas last year, the rise is in line with
cause they can only elect fewer than half new member is Raymond Tam, president
the article.
- 12 of the 29 members - who make up of the Institute for Civic and Municipal
the chamber. Ten members are elected Affairs, who takes over from Lau Si Io,
Moderation
indirectly and 7 are nominated by the the present Secretary for Transport and
chief executive. Public Works. Vasco Fong and José
Pereira Coutinho, who four years
The Commission for the Legisla- Chu also participate in the works of the
ago ensured a place for himself in the
tive Assembly’s Electoral Matters was Commission for the Chief Executive’s
Legislative Assembly through the list-
also appointed by the city’s leader and Electoral Matters.
ing New Hope, is one of those express-
unsurprisingly, the president of the
ing surprise at the amount of campaign
Base Judicial Court, Vasco Fong was Campaign cash
spending available. His campaign coor-
nominated as chairman, as he was four
dinator, Rita Santos, says expenses didn’t
years ago. In the third dispatch, Edmund Ho
much run over MOP250,000 in 2005, far
Also returning to the body is the Hau-wah set the expense limit that each
less than the authorised four million.
This year, considering the increase
in the number of registered voters -
20,000 more - expenses will be higher.
“We forecast expenses to amount to
MOP350,000,’’ Santos said, adding
that the shape of the campaign was yet
to be decided.
Also caught by surprise was New
Democratic Association’s Au Kam
San: “Four years ago we spent between
MOP140,000 and MOP150,000.’’
Even assuming expenses will be
higher than 2005, Au doesn’t believe that
setting a limit at MOP9 million will re-
sult in unfair campaigns. “The amount
each list invests in the electoral campaign
depends on the financial capacities it has’,
explained Au Kam San. “What is needed
is that they’ll spend in a moderate fash-
ion and within those same capacities,’’
he says.
His views are shared by Leong Iok
Wa, who in the last elections earned
a place in the Legislative Assembly
through listing of the Macau Workers
General Association. He says that all
candidates must “spend the money in a
conscientious manner. I believe the resi-
dents will vote on who has worked for the
population,’’ she said.
april 2009
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