Macao’s relations with mainland strong despite HK protests(2)

Although there was an unprecedented protest took place in May against a controversial bill to give generous retirement packages to the outgoing chief executive, Leng said the rally was still largely peaceful and calm.

Si Kalon, a Macao lawmaker believes the progress made in Macao's political and social system on the back of the Chinese mainland has ensured Macao's social stability.

"The Macao government led a political reform in 2012 to increase the numbers of nominating committee members. The number of directly elected lawmakers has also been increased since the handover," Si told the Global Times.

Improvements made in education, medical, housing and social security systems are also conducive in providing a stable environment in Macao. Since 2008, the Macao government even started handing out cash for its residents due to the huge surplus in government revenue.

A better legal framework and governance structure has been another important aspect of safeguarding Macao's stable development, said Mo Shijian, dean of its Faculty of Law with the University of Macao.

"There was not an established legal system in Macao until the handover, when a much more comprehensive framework of rules and regulations were set up. Education for training legal professionals was also absent before 1999," Mo told the Global Times.

Mo believes the longer history of legal education in Hong Kong has nurtured much more mature narrative and tactics used by the opposition leaders to instill the ideologies and values they believe into the public's mind.

Mo, however, believes these seemingly convincing values and principles are only excuses used by the Hong Kong protest leaders to keep Hong Kong from integrating with the mainland.

"Macao people have chosen cooperation instead of opposition, as majority of its gaming revenue comes from the Chinese mainland. As an SAR, we have to respect the country's sovereignty and systems, and try to strike a balance between regional interest and the whole country," said Mo.

The Macao government has also been more effective at managing opposition voices, and maintaining peace and social order, Mo added.

Hong Kong's recent Occupy protests was first raised by Benny Tai Yiu-ting, a law professor, to advocate that the list of candidates for Chief Executive in the 2017 election should be open rather than requiring approval from Beijing. A two-month long protest has paralyzed parts of Asia's financial heart since September 28, with occasional outbreaks of violence between protesters and the police.

Crowded streets

Days ahead of the imminent handover anniversary, streets in the city center of Macao has been crowded as usual with a mix of local residents, casino regulars and sightseeing visitors. Some local political parties have set up booths to rally people to join a protest they organized on Saturday to demand democracy and improvements in government policies, but they have attracted little attention as most of the commuters passed by the stalls without laying their eyes on them.

"Like Hong Kong, there has been some influence from Taiwan's recent politically-motivated "Sunflower Movement" in Macao. But most of Macao's people are still confident in the new government's ability in bringing new changes again to society. Macao is such a small place that it could not afford the damage brought by such mass scale protests like the one in Hong Kong," said lawmaker Si.

Macao's GDP fell 2.1 percent in real terms in the third quarter from a year earlier, shrinking for the first time since the global financial crisis five years ago, as a result of China's high-profile anti-corruption movement that deterred corrupt officials from visiting casinos in Macao. Gambling revenue has fallen for six straight months after a five-year winning streak without even a single down month.

The recent slowdown in Macao's gaming business has propelled the region into a new phase of closer exchange with the Chinese mainland to diversify its economy with new development plans.

Echoing a statement of Li Fei, a top Chinese official for Hong Kong and Macao affairs, earlier this month that Macao should "explore a fresh development plan," the SAR's tourism chief Fernandes said Macao has already been working to expand its exhibition and convention industry, as well as its cultural and innovation sector, and the Traditional Chinese Medicine industry.

For better economic exchange with its neighboring Hengqin Island in Guangdong Province, the border crossing between Macao and Hengqin Island has started from Thursday to operate on a 24-hour basis.

Ng said although the influx of mainland tourists has made life of Macao people more hectic and small shops are gradually giving way to big retail chains, plus the high rates of inflation, he would still prefer development and integration with the Chinese mainland for new opportunities.

"Macao people are less radical and more peaceful than Hong Kong people. We tend to consider the big picture and will think of how to balance relations between the SAR and the central government. Macao is not without problems, but most of us still lead a relatively comfortable life, and we are not used to complaining as much as Hongkongers," said Ng, the young resident.

"It is inevitable that we will have to eventually reach out from this small place to expand for wider prospect in development," he said.