Susana Chou: ‘It was the right time to step down’

MDT – After 10 years presiding over the Legislative Assembly (AL), you chose to step down around seven months ago. How is your daily life now?
S. C. – It’s absolutely normal. Where you sit is where I work now. This is a small foundation, totally private. I started moving here last year in October, when I finished my job as president. This foundation is not really that new. It was established four years ago. I always had the wish to do something after retiring from my post. As AL president I had a special role in my life. I had a special job. And… it was a job full of challenges.
It was not easy for me to leave it, such an intense work, and come to a very calm life. So, I had to find something to do. Of course, I could go back to Hong Kong or another country, because I’m a co-owner of a multinational company. But I don’t want to leave Macau. I haven’t managed my company for 11 years now, since I was elected.
Despite everybody saying I had to continue, I think that everyone has to go through different phases. So, it was the right time for me to step down, because I’m no younger and I had to leave some time for myself.
Of course, I was worried. I was leaving such an active life and such a sudden stop would bring hardship for me. Therefore, I started this foundation in a small and low profile way. I told my friend that my wish was to give 10-years of my salary as AL president to this foundation. As I said before, I’m very lucky and never had real problems in my life. I really didn’t need this salary for me to keep living well.

MDT - You mentioned that those years as AL president were full of challenges. What kind of challenges?
S.C. - I think I don’t need to explain that.  After the handover, the Assembly was totally new. No one had already practiced the ‘One country, two systems’. By that time, Hong Kong was already a Special Administrative Region for two and a half years, but we couldn’t just bring its experience over to this society. Hong Kong and Macau are very different. We are both SAR’s, but everything is different: history, culture and legal systems.

MDT – Are there any specific episodes or issues you would pick up from those years?
S.C. - Those are conclusions very easy to reach. Eleven years ago, the Assembly was working based in the Portuguese language. After that, most of the lawmakers use Chinese language. That was a big change. Before was the Portuguese constitution, after the implementation of the SAR was the Basic Law. Regarding laws and the its understanding, the Portuguese version of the law was the final one, no arguments. But in the Macau SAR, I couldn’t let this continue happening. We have to write our laws in proper Chinese, as well as in Portuguese.

MDT – Getting back to your present job, what is the mission of this foundation?
S.C. - What we want to do is to help the people who find themselves in urgent situations. It’s not because they are poor. Helping the poor is a Government responsibility. We want to help people who suddenly need help. For instance, a man was hurt in an accident and has lost the ability to support his family in the short term.
Another job we could do is to help people finish their studies or send them away so that they can continue their studies. However, our dedication is mostly in the Law area. We send graduates of the Law School, good ones with good Chinese, to learn Portuguese and Portuguese Law in Portugal.
What I would like to see are real bilingual people. I think that has to do with my 10-year job in the AL. It’s very important to use Portuguese language as a tool to really strengthen our local law, because it comes from Portugal. I’m not saying that every Macau people have to speak Portuguese. That’s not the issue. But we cannot forget that our laws have origins in Portugal. Lawmakers have to understand, before making decisions, what kind of law is really suitable to Macau and be able to analyse the existing ones.

Brief profile

Susana Chou was born in Shanghai in December 1941. She obtained her bachelor degree in physics at the University of Anhui, China and completed a French language course in Paris, France. She speaks fluent Chinese, English, French and Portuguese.
Prior to her political career, Chou was a garment and textile businesswoman in several companies. In 1976, she was elected to the first term of the Legislative Assembly of Macau (AL) by direct election.
A member of the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th terms of the AL from 1984 to 1999, she was also a member of the Working Committee of the AL and the Committee on Rules and Statutes of the 5th and 6th terms of the AL.  In 1999 Chou as elected president of the 1st term of the AL of the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR).  In 2001 and 2005, she was re-elected president of the 2nd and 3rd terms of the AL.
She was member of the 8th, 9th and 10th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC); member of the Standing Committee of the 11th National Committee of the CPPCC; member of the Drafting Committee of the Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region; and Vice-President of the Basic Law Promotional Association of Macau.
The Government of Portugal, France and Macau awarded Chou with various medals. Currently, she is running her foundation, Tong Chai Charity Association.