Macau pro-democracy website suspends vote on universal suffrage

Sulu Sou Ka-hou, leader of the New Macau Association, told the South China Morning Post that members of his group had been insulted and physically attacked while raising awareness of the poll – which was launched on August 11 – on the streets of Macau.

“Since August 14, some unknown local people have harassed our street station, surrounded, insulted and even attacked our members,” Sou, who is also a lawmaker, said.

In a statement, the group said that the threats had grown stronger over time, reaching a crescendo last Thursday. “The New Macau Association received specific information indicating that the … situation would likely intensify, which could pose a risk to the safety of [our] members,” it said. Sou said he could not elaborate further.

These threats, coupled with unspecified “abnormalities” the online voting platform experienced, led the group to halt the poll on Friday after making a risk assessment, the statement said.

“The vote has been carried out peacefully in full accordance with the law,” it said. “However, it continuously experienced technological and political threats and attacks, which constitute a naked violation of the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.”

Jason Chao Teng-hei, a former president of the group who was responsible for running the website, said he was caught by surprise when voting was suddenly suspended on Friday.

“When I was talking to them on the phone, I could sense that they were under some kind of pressure to bring the vote to an abrupt halt … [but] they insisted that it was just a ‘technical issue,’” said Chao, who is currently based in London.

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“The circumstances were blurry and spooky. I cannot think of a technical issue that the New Macau Association could not share with the person – me – who has supplied the technology,” he said.

“Regarding the source of the threat, both the Macau government and the Chinese central government have an interest in [thwarting] the vote. From my analysis of the data, I can tell that the origin of the cyberattack was mainland China,” he said.

“Probably, they resorted to other means to bring the vote to a halt after failed cyberattack attempts. However, it is just my best guess.”

Chao noted that the data of those who voted had not been compromised.

The New Macau Association organised a similar unofficial referendum five years ago on the streets of Macau. They ran into problems that time too, with five activists being detained and police shutting down polling stations.

The 2014 poll results were similar to those published this year. About 95 per cent of the 8,688 residents who voted supported the use of universal suffrage for the chief executive’s election. Currently, the city’s leader is elected by a 400-member election committee, comprising business leaders, professionals and representatives of other sectors.

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The event, which was set to be held on August 19, was cancelled after the three Macau residents behind it received an objection letter from the police. Despite this, dozens of people at the proposed site of the protest had their identification checked on the evening it was planned, with seven being taken to a police station.

Afterwards, the New Macau Association – which was not involved in the planned protest – called a halt to the distribution of fliers promoting the online poll, Chao, the group’s former president, said.

“Although the result of the vote is not legally binding, the New Macau Association emphasises its hope that such result will serve as an important reference for the coming government, which should strive to restart political reform,” the statement read.

The group also called for a timetable to be set up in the next five years “towards the common society goal of universal suffrage for the chief executive election”.