TNAG-1145-FCO40-1425-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau-1982 — Page 80

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2,000 men under a Portuguese commander.

7. There was clearly some discussion of Macau in the course

of the negotiations which led to the establishment of Sino-

Portuguese diplomatic relations in February 1979, although the

Communiqué on the establishment of relations made no

reference to Macau. According to some reports, Portugal

reached a private understanding with China at that time over

the status and future of Macau.

8. Since 1980 changes to the Statute have been proposed in

Lisbon, and by reformers in the Macau Assembly, which would

produce a majority of directly-elected members to the

Legislative Assembly and endow the Assembly with powers to

dismiss the Government. The proposals have been resisted by

the Chinese within and outside Macau. When a revised draft

Statute was considered by the Macau Legislative Assembly in mid-1980, the Chinese deputies (and two Portuguese deputies)

boycotted the debates and in the absence of a quorum, the

draft failed to be agreed. The present Governor spoke out

against the reforms in an interview given to the Portuguese

daily Diario de Noticias last February. He reaffirmed his

belief in the existing situation. Dual responsibility would

be a recipe for inefficiency, he said, as the Governor's job

would be liable to change hands with every change of Government. He admitted that there was not full democracy in the territory,

but it was unrealistic to expect it since the small number of

registered electors would elect a Portuguese-dominated Assembly:

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