Observers uncertain about accountability system effectiveness

Pereira Coutinho
‘There was no need to enact new laws since those rules of conduct existed earlier’

How will the new senior official’s accountability system be implemented? How can the Government ensure that decisions will be taken fairly and impartially? Is this really what people want? These were a few of many questions raised by local observers regarding the bylaw and norms of good conduct that came into effect on Tuesday.
Both political commentators and lawmakers pointed to the lack of mechanisms that could ensure the norms’ implementation and enforcement. Social work professor and political commentator, Larry So Man Yum, believes the new senior officials’ accountability system is more administrative-oriented than politically-oriented.
“This is not enough. There should be mechanisms for monitoring and to show how the system can be enforced,” he told the Macau Daily Times.
On Tuesday, secretary for Administration and Justice Florinda Chan said there would be no sanction mechanism and only the Chief Executive will hold the power to make senior officials politically accountable. The senior official admitted that the two documents bring no big surprises, but stressed that the Government’s goal is to emphasise the senior officials’ duties, in order to set up a transparent and clean Government.
“There is no genuine political accountability in these rules or regulations,” the commentator pointed out. He continued: “If officials have to directly respond to the Chief Executive, this is more administrative-oriented.”
Political Science expert Eric Sautedé agrees with So’s views. According to the scholar it does not make much sense to talk about political accountability in Macau, considering it did not go through a drastic political reform yet.

“We have already a system fully headed by the Chief Executive, so Chui has already all the elements to make secretaries politically accountable to him,” he said.
In truth, he added, people have been asking for an accountability system for a while because they want to get more involved in the political scene. That’s why Sautedé thinks the new accountability system is a “non-event”.
Sautedé said that the multiplication of codes and regulations will hardly provide more accountability. What is really important is to audit and try to figure out what is wrong in the Administration. “It’s always good to have laws, but what needs to be done is its total implementation,” he said.

‘No results’

Lawmaker Pereira Coutinho said that the new by-law and norms of good conduct are unnecessary.
“There was no need to enact new laws since those rules of conduct existed earlier. Currently, secretaries have to obey their rules, of which some are included in the Basic Law,” he emphasised.
According to the lawmaker, the residents were expecting much more from the new system. “People want action, one ruler to measure officials’ responsibility and to prevent negligence and wrongdoing. We need a system that could introduce some freedom to undertake penalties. It [the new system] will have no results,” he said.

To make his point, Coutinho recalled the mega-graft of former secretary Ao Man Long. “[Considering] it is true that these rules existed in the past, how does the Government explain the Ao Man Long case, which is a classic case of arrogance, lack of responsibility and rules?” he questioned.