Mediaboss Marketing

For pro-democracy activists in this former Portuguese colony turned Asias gambling mecca, 2014 the 15th anniversary of the territorys return to Chinese rule has been both the best and worst of times.

Over the summer, activists beat back a proposal for prosecutorial immunity and a rich pension plan for local leaders by mobilizing the territorys largest mass movement in a quarter-century. But around the same time, several academics who had criticized the government were demoted or fired from local colleges.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping and other VIPs came to town Friday and Saturday to mark the anniversary of the handover, Macao authorities restricted a protest march to one mile and refused entry to scores of Hong Kong democracy supporters who had arrived by ferry for the demonstration. The event ended up drawing just under 200 participants, one of the lowest turnouts in seven years.

Authorities are doing their best to block any glimpse by Xi of social actions in Macao. But people here don't appreciate the significance of their political rights, said Jason Chao, 25, a software developer and one of the leaders of the New Macau Assn., an activist group. Unlike in Hong Kong, we dont have a history of fighting for democracy.

In many ways, Hong Kong and Macao are fraternal twins born of colonialisms legacy in China. British-ruled Hong Kong reverted to Chinese rule in 1997, followed by Macao two years later. Both operate under a one country, two systems paradigm, have their own mini-constitutions, and enjoy freedoms and rights largely absent in mainland China.

But for reasons both historical and economic, the Macanese have been much less inclined to mobilize and push for democratic reforms. Many here seem to have drawn a cautionary message, rather than inspiration, from Hong Kongs recent 10-week-long demonstrations that saw tens of thousands pour into the streets in a mass civil disobedience movement.

Macao is destined to forge its own path of democratization, said Sonny Lo, a professor of social sciences at the Hong Kong Institute of Education who has researched the citys political development for the last two decades. The people in Macao see Hong Kong-ization as politically dangerous and socially disruptive.

With 580,000 people, Macao is a speck on Chinas map and is tiny even compared to Hong Kong, which has a population of 7.3 million. Its narrow, twisty streets, ornate tiled sidewalks and pastel-painted row-houses make some neighborhoods seem like sleepy European towns. In other districts, Las Vegas-style casinos fill the skyline.

While British-ruled Hong Kong was long a haven for dissidents fleeing the Chinese Communist Party, many residents of colonial Macao in the 1960s looked to the mainland for support in their struggles to gain more rights from Portuguese administrators. And pro-Beijing forces were able to score concessions from the colonial government.

When Beijing moved to station troops in Macao upon the 1999 handover, many saw it as a welcome move that could help restore law and order in a city infested with Triad gang activity.

See the original post here:
Taking few chances, Macao mildly protests Chinese visit