Over 650 to attend political reform session

A total of 657 residents have applied to join today the only public consultation session on the political reform that is open to all citizens. Some 143 seats will not be occupied.
The session will take place at the grand auditorium of the Macau Cultural Centre at 8 pm. Several voices have been asking for more sessions open to all residents to be a, accusing the government of not giving importance to public opinion.
Yesterday, lawmaker and pan-democrat Paul Chan Wai Chi had the opportunity to share his concerns with secretary for Administration and Justice, Florinda Chan, at a plenary meeting at the Legislative Assembly.
However, Chan downplayed concerns saying that the public can always submit opinions by telephone, fax and e-mail. A total of 262 opinions were already submitted, she added.
“We have skilled staff to answer phone calls, and there’s no time limit. They can also share their opinions by e-mail. In the second and third consultation rounds we will hold wider public hearings,” she said, adding that associations from several sectors have already joined the sessions and they also convey the residents’ opinions.           

A.L.