The outlines of two government sponsored bills requiring all officials and public servants to swear allegiance to the Macao SAR – and uphold the Basic Law, as Macao’s constitution is known – were unanimously passed by legislators yesterday.
The two bills will now be passed to a legislative standing committee for review, Macau Post Daily reports, after which they will be resubmitted to the chamber for a second reading, final debate and vote.
Under current legislation, oaths of allegiance are presently required from the chief executive, principal officials, the president of the Legislative Assembly, the president of the Court of Final Appeal, the public prosecutor-general, members of the Executive Council, legislators, judges, prosecutors and members of the Chief Executive Election Committee.
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The proposed legislation will widen the requirement to cover all public servants. Failure to take the oath, or intentionally taking the oath in an improper or insincere manner, will lead to dismissal.
It is expected that the conditions will apply to civil servants who hold Portuguese nationality. The local government has intensified efforts to safeguard national security over the past couple of years, with incoming Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai expected to take a hard line on the issue.
