For the first time in nearly 30 years, Macau voters will not find the name of Antonio Ng Kuok-cheong on their ballot papers. Founder of the pandemocratic New Macau Association and member of the local Legislative Assembly since 1992, he is among 21 candidates in the elections on Sunday 12 September to have been disqualified by the Electoral Affairs Commission. Reason: Their actions, including posts posted on social media, showed a lack of support for the Basic Law of the Special Administrative Region. In essence, they did not appear loyal enough to the principle that Macau should be ruled by “patriots”. In fact, all the candidates of the pandemocratic camp (which in the last legislature occupied 4 of the 33 seats available) ended up out of the competition apart from José Pereira Coutinho, leader of the New Hope list. Until now, the political life of the former Portuguese colony, returned to China in 1999, had always been quiet but now the squeeze on the opposition already operated in Hong Kong seems to have arrived here as well. Beijing is increasingly integrating both territories into its gears. In recent days, a plan was announced to build a new Guangdong-Macao cooperation zone. Objective: to diversify the region’s economy, which has always been based on gambling. The focal point of the new project will be Hengqin, an island in the city of Zhuhai where advantageous tax relief will be applied for companies and Macao residents who will work in the area. A joint committee will be created between Guangdong and Macao officials, with the latter overseeing management and projects. An unprecedented move, as the South China Morning Post explains, in which for the first time a special administrative region takes over a continental zone.
The purpose of the Chinese Communist Party is to demonstrate the functioning of the “one country, two systems” model, which entered into crisis after the crackdown on Hong Kong. A model that would also be imposed on Taiwan, which in the meantime is moving away from Beijing not only on a political level, but also on an identity level. According to the latest surveys of the National Chengchi University, 67% of the population defines themselves only “Taiwanese” (8.5% more than a year ago), 27.5% “Taiwanese-Chinese” and 2.5% only “Chinese”. Tsai Ing-wen’s government is promoting an identity reconstruction that distances itself from the symbols of the past of the Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan. These include the national emblem, similar to that of the Guomindang (the Chinese nationalist opposition party) and the statues erected in honor of Chiang Kai-shek, the defeated of the Chinese civil war who fell back on Formosa, starting almost four decades of authoritarianism and martial law. The Transitional Justice Commission has proposed converting the memorial in Chiang, a popular tourist attraction in downtown Taipei, into a public park. The site will not be torn down but all the banners associated with the former leader will be removed, including a huge bronze statue, and exhibits will be hosted that breaking latest news (and celebrate) Taiwan’s transition from authoritarian regime to democracy.