The Macau United Citizens Association (ACUM) has submitted its list of candidates and political platform to the Legislative Assembly Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) for the direct legislative election on 12 September.
ACUM’s electoral List comprises 13 candidates. Its first-ranked and second-ranked candidates are incumbent legislators Si Ka Lon and Becky Song Pek Kei.
In the 2017 direct election, Si was the first-ranked candidate of the ACUM List, while Song was the first-ranked candidate of the Macau Citizens Development Association List. Four years ago, both Lists had one candidate elected – Si and Song.
This year, Si and Song will run on the ACUM list.
Si said that his group has collected 5,000 opinions from residents about issues such as post-pandemic economic recovery, measures helping residents keep their jobs, public administration efficiency, housing, traffic and urban renewal.
Si said that his List’s political platform calls for the government to launch a round of applications for at least 5,000 subsidised home-ownership scheme (HOS) flats every year, and to set up a supervisory commission to ensure the implementation of an accountability system for senior officials.
Its political platform also calls for the government to set up an investment fund “for all residents” so as to share the government’s revenues with residents every year. Si said his electoral List calls for the government to allocate MOP 100 billion from its extraordinary reserves to this investment fund and give every permanent resident shares worth MOP 100,000 so that they could earn dividends every year in line with the fund’s revenues.
Si said that the upcoming direct election would be very competitive. He noted that four years ago two Lists, ACUM and the Macau Citizens Development Association, ran in the direct election based on the strategy of winning at least two seats in the legislature and with the hope of winning three seats.
Si said that after talking to ex-lawmakers Chan Meng Kam and Ung Choi Kun, he and Song have decided to run on the same ticket this time with the aim of ensuring that they can secure two seats. Chan did not seek re-election in the 2017 election.
In the 2013 direct election, the ACUM List garnered the highest number of votes at 26,426, getting three of its candidates (the first-, second- and third-ranked candidates) elected, namely Chan, Si and Song.
The Macau Post Daily reported that last week CAEAL announced that 22 Lists had submitted registered voters’ signatures endorsing their respective candidacies, and it had confirmed the validity of the candidacy of 16 of them. Two of the 22 Lists have since withdrawn from taking part in the direct election.
Each direct election List must have at least four and no more than 14 candidates.
In the direct election four years ago, 25 candidacy Lists vied for the 14 seats at stake.
Macao’s elections are based on the proportional representation system, which makes it rather difficult for one List to win more than two seats. There are no political parties in Macao. Groups running in the direct and indirect elections are known as “Lists”.
