Legislative Assembly (AL) President Ho Iat Seng said on Tuesday that the operation of the legislature has become more “mature” and “healthy”.
According to The Macau Post Daily, Ho made the remarks at the end of a plenary session which coincided with the last day of the legislature’s four-year term (2013-2017). The direct and indirect legislative elections will be held on September 17.
Ho said that the five lawmakers who are not seeking re-election for the upcoming legislative term – Leonel Alves, Kwan Tsui Hang, Cheang Chi Keong, Lam Heong Sang and Chan Meng Kam – had made great contributions to the work of the legislature, adding that the legislature will miss them.
Ho also said that the lawmakers over the past four years had been more confident about expressing their opinions and having their own political positions, adding it showed that the operation of the legislature had become more “mature” and “healthy”. Ho noted that the lawmakers engaged in lively discussions during several plenary sessions last week when a raft of bills were debated and submitted to article-by-article votes.
“If all bills are passed by the legislature easily, civil society will label our operation as too simple”, Ho said.
Ho also said that during the outgoing term lawmakers had engaged in rational discussions instead of “pursuing a personal agenda without taking facts into account”, adding this was beneficial to Macau’s civil society, the legislative work and government’s administration in accordance with the law.
