TNAG-1145-FCO40-1425-Relations-between-Hong-Kong-and-Macau-1982 — Page 81

CONFIDENTIAL

DSR 11C

future,'

tuguese nat- ality can

ly be acquired descent from rtuguese ments.

the Governor's nominations were intended to redress this

balance in favour of the 97% Chinese population. The PRC

would be opposed to a fully democratic assembly, as it would

imply a different Portuguese perception of the territory.

The debate, however, continues in Portugal and Macau. Some

Portuguese parties believe that the Portuguese Government should

propose the Governor, whom the President would then appoint.

One of the Macau political parties, the Association for the Defence of the Interests of Macau still apparently favours

reforms under which the Governor would lose the right to

appoint the five members of the Legislative Assembly and the

Assembly would no longer need a 2/3rds majority to overcome

the Government's veto.

9. In the same interview, the Governor said that there were

now 10,000 registered electors out of a total population of

400,000. In the last elections (September 1980), however,

only 2400 (mostly Portuguese) exercised their vote out of a

registered electorate of 4,000.

10.

Until the passage of the recent Portuguese Nationality bill persons born in Macau acquired Portuguese nationality automatically. Providing they had registered, they could

obtain a Portuguese passport with unrestricted access to the

metropolitan country. They could also vote in Portuguese elections. Naturalisation for those not born in Macauwas a

difficult process. The applicant had to demonstrate an

ability to speak Portuguese and a connection with Portugal.

It is unlikely that many new arrivals from China acquired

Portuguese citizenship in this way.

CONFIDENTIAL

/Macau's