May Cheong, a student from Hou Kong Secondary School, struggled as a Caucasian child asked her about the Macau Basic Law. 'How do I say 'constitution' in English?' she panicked. 'How do I explain that?' Soon, May gave up and pointed to the comic strips on display - the winning entries of a competition on the Macau Basic Law - hoping the child might learn more from the pictures than her words. 'I'm glad that even foreign children want to learn about the Macau Basic Law,' she said. May was among dozens of volunteers at the 12th anniversary celebrations of the Macau Basic Law at Senado Square on April 3. She had studied the Macau Basic Law in preparation for the fair. 'I want to learn more about it,' she said. 'I want to know why it matters to Macau citizens.' It matters, because the mini-constitution says that both Chinese and Portuguese will remain the official languages of Macau, as May has learned. The security forces, although most of them are Chinese, still march to Portuguese instructions. Macau's legal system follows Continental Law, and Portuguese is used in courts, making it difficult for a majority of citizens to understand the trials. Interpretation services are provided in most court cases. Unlike Hong Kong's Basic Law, Macau's version does not stipulate 'universal suffrage' as the ultimate goal to choose the chief executive or the legislature, according to a United States Macau Policy Report dated April 2003. At a nearby coffee shop, 17-year-old Choi Jing-jing was trying to study. But it was noisy - the Basic Law fair featured dance, singing and a magic show. There are too many fairs and carnivals at Senado Square, she complained. 'The Basic Law is just a document,' she said. 'What is there to celebrate?' To a certain extent, Jing-jing's irritation was justified. The elaborate fair was largely a reflection of Macau's political climate. Organised by three government departments and the Macau Basic Law Promotion Association, the fair allocated funds to 13 other associations which provided resources and manpower to ensure that the event was run smoothly. On a Sunday afternoon, there are usually more tourists than locals at Senado Square. So who's celebrating the Basic Law here? What is written in the Macau Basic Law is perhaps too vague for May, or for anyone else, to explain to children. But one child who was colouring a picture of St Paul's Ruins with a red crayon seemed to have learned something. 'I colour it red because red is the colour of China,' he said.