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Vice-chairman of the Macau Legislative Assembly, Tsui Tak-kei, told Commercial Radio-C that during the transition period, both the Portuguese and Chinese governments should make efforts to develop Macau's economy as well as participating in the drafting of the Basic Law for the territory.
Mr Tsui stressed that the major task during the transition was to encourage the official use of Chinese language and the localisation of the civil service.
His views were shared by newly appointed CPPCC delegate Tao Kai-yue.
Chairman of Macau's Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Chinese NPC Standing Committee member Ma Man-kei told reporters that the agreement had taken into account the interests of various sectors of the enclave, as well as history and tradition.
Mr Ma said the agreement should be welcomed by Macau residents and it would also dismiss the fear among Macau-born Portuguese nationals.
He said holders of Portuguese passports were now given a choice to whether stay in Macau or return to Portugal after the territory reverted to China. Anyone who should choose to stay then would be regarded as local residents.
Another Legislative Assembly member Alexandre Ho said that the passport arrangement had made ethnic Chinese living in Macau feel more at ease because the agreement had to a certain extent secured their travel "facilities”.
Mr Ho felt that education programme in Macau should be strengthened in the transition period and that the Macau government should absorb more local Chinese people into the administration.
He said, however, that as only part of the future legislature would be returned by elections, the development of a political system in Macau would be affected.
Mr Ho's view was echoed by a lecturer in the University of East Asia, Wun Kin-wah.
Mr Wun also called on the Macau government to train more bilingual officers. But he quickly pointed out that English should not be ignored because it was so widely used internationally.
Chancellor of the University of East Asia, Lam Tat-kwong, said the agreement was a good one. He felt the principle of Macau people ruling Macau would stimulate the development of education in the territory.
Mr Lam said that for the first time, education would be the primary concern of the people of Macau as they would be more closely associated with developments in the enclave.
A Catholic priest Lam Ka-chun said that since the agreement had been worked out over a long period of time, people should view it with confidence.
As the agreement had guaranteed religious freedom after 1999, he felt that it should be taken at face value.
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