澳门NGO欲效法香港举行全民公投

In the wake of an unofficial Hong Kong referendum demanding political reform, activists in nearby Macau are planning their own civil referendum to gauge citizen demand for democracy.

在香港举行要求政治改革的非正式投票之后不久，澳门的政治活动人士正计划举行全民公投以衡量市民的民主诉求。

The former Portuguese colony, a short ferry ride from Hong Kong, is governed by China and like Hong Kong is a special administrative region with its own political and economic systems. Since Macau returned to Chinese rule in 1999, like Hong Kong, it has been led by a Chief Executive selected by an election committee dominated by corporations and pro-Beijing interests. Currently, only 400 Macanese citizens are given a say in electing the top leader of the 30-square kilometer peninsula and archipelago. Fernando Chui, the current Chief Executive, is currently running unopposed in an election next month.

澳门曾为葡萄牙殖民地，与香港仅一水之隔。澳门现在由中国统治，与香港一样是拥有独立政治、经济体制的特别行政区。澳门于1999年回归中国，之后也像香港一样由行政长官领导，行政长官由一个企业界及亲北京人士主导的选举委员会选举产生。目前这个面积30多平方公里、由半岛和群岛组成的特别行政区内只有400名公民可参与行政长官选举投票。现任行政长官崔世安(Fernando Chui)在下个月的选举中暂无对手。

Macau's unofficial referendum, planned for August 24-30, echoes the public vote organized last month in Hong Kong by pro-democracy activists Occupy Central. According to Macau Conscience, the activist group sponsoring the vote in Macau, their plan did not take off until a local rally for democracy experienced higher-than-expected turnout in May.

上个月支持民主的维权组织“占领中环”(Occupy Central)在香港组织了公投后，澳门的非官方公投计划于8月24日至30日举行。据举办澳门投票的维权组织“澳门良心”(Macau Conscience)称，5月份澳门当地的一次民主集会参与人数超过预期，之后他们才萌生了公投的想法。

'It was a surprise to me to see 20,000 Macau residents at our rally,' Macau Conscience member Jason Chao told China Real Time. 'Not many citizens really understand how the Chief Executive has been elected, and we want to give them an experience to exercise their civil rights and fight for a democratic election system.'

“澳门良心”成员Jason Chao对“中国实时报”(China Real Time)栏目表示，看到两万澳门居民参加他们的集会让他感到很意外。他说：“很多市民并不真正了解行政长官是如何选举出来的，我们希望使他们有一次行使公民权利、为民主选举制度而战的经历。”

It's not the first time that Macanese democracy activists have sponsored a public vote. In April 2012, a similar effort drew limited participants, with only 2,600 Macau residents taking part. This year, organizers hope to replicate Occupy Central's unexpected success.

这并非澳门民主活动人士首次举行公众投票。2012年4月，一次类似的活动吸引了有限的参与者，只有2,600名澳门居民参加。今年，组织者希望能够复制“占领中环”的意外成功。

Macau Conscience's referendum will have two questions: whether residents support universal suffrage for Macau in 2019, and whether they have confidence in the current Chief Executive, Mr. Chui. If a challenger for the city's top office emerges in time for the vote by the city's election committee, which begins on August 24, it will ask respondents which candidate they prefer.

“澳门良心”的投票将包括两个问题：居民是否支持2019年澳门普选，以及对现任特区行政长官崔世安是否有信心。如果在8月24日澳门选举委员会开始投票前出现特首竞争人选，它将询问受访者更青睐哪位候选人。

The prospects for a democratic Macau, however, are tempered by legal and economic realities. One critical difference between the democratic demonstrations in Hong Kong and Macau lies in their constitutions: while the goal of one day establishing universal suffrage is enshrined in the Hong Kong's Basic Law, Macau's Basic Law does not include the words 'universal suffrage' at all.

不过，法律和经济现实抑制了澳门的民主化前景。香港和澳门民主示威活动的一个重要区别在于它们的制度不同：最终实现普选的目标就写在香港基本法中，而澳门的基本法中根本没有提到普选一词。

Macau, the 'Monte Carlo of the Orient,' is also heavily dependent on tourism from mainland China. Gambling tourism makes up about 50% of the city's economy and Macau remains the only place in China where Chinese citizens are legally allowed to gamble.

澳门有“东方蒙特卡洛”之称，仍然严重依赖中国大陆游客发展旅游业。博彩旅游占该地区经济活动的50%左右，澳门仍然是中国唯一一个博彩合法的地区。