Lawmaker Antonio Ng Kuok Cheong confirmed to reporters Monday that he and his fellow lawmakers Paul Chan Wai Chi and Au Kam San will run for re-election later this year.
Ng, Chan and Au are members of the grassroots New Macau Association (NMA) and are directly-elected legislators.
Ng said that the trio’s objective is to garner enough votes to bring a new candidate into the legislature so his group would have four elected members to serve the public.
But he conceded that he was still unsure of the strategies the trio would pursue in order to gain re-election to the legislature, only telling reporters that they hadn’t decided a specific platform as yet.
“We are all discussing how we shall stand in the election… we are still undecided as to whether we should run with two tickets or three tickets,” Ng was quoted by The Macau Post Daily as saying. “We shall try to finalise our list of candidates within a month or two, but in principle, we shall definitely run and the three of us are going to do our best to be re-elected and bring a new candidate in.”
The lawmaker did not give a concrete answer to whether or not NMA President Jason Chao Teng Hei will stand on the same ticket, only telling reporters that it was a possibility.
“We shall not prohibit any members from forming other groups… some of our members have also participated in other organisations,” said Ng. “… But there is still a chance that Jason will come with us.”
Ng and Chan ran as candidates in the 2009 elections under the banner New Prosperous Macau Association, while Au and Chao ran on another ticket called New Democratic Macau Association. Ng, Chan and Au secured their seats but Chao narrowly failed to receive enough votes to enter the legislature.
Meanwhile, directly-elected lawmakers Melinda Chan Mei Yi and Angela Leong On Kei reaffirmed to reporters their intentions of running for re-election.
Chan said that voters’ support was still needed, adding she hoped that the public will recognise her performance as a lawmaker. “I want to tell voters that not only shall I run for the election, but I also hope that I can count on their support,” said Chan.
Leong told reporters she still wants to “serve the public” and has faith that she will be re-elected. “I am certainly confident about it. If I wasn’t I wouldn’t consider running for re-election,” said Leong. “I hope that people will support me and I’ll do my best.”
Meanwhile, Legislative Assembly President Lau Cheok Va revealed that due to his age, he hoped that someone would take over his job and that he would be able to step down. However, due to the strong support he has from the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM, commonly known as Gung Luen), he feels that it would be irresponsible to unilaterally quit his current position.
As an indirectly-elected lawmaker, Lau said he would hold discussions with FAOM members before making a decision on whether or not he would stand for re-election.(macaunews)
