With the full implementation of the new Electoral Law for the Legislative Assembly, Chan Kin Sun believes the role of associations in Macau’s political system has undergone a “qualitative shift.” They have stopped being primarily a space for “demonstrating strength” and “distributing resources,” becoming instead a “touchstone” of associations’ governing capacity.
According to the academic, this transformation creates a “constructive reverse pressure,” pushing organizations to “strengthen their management, policy interpretation and social interest representation skills.”
The 2025 elections marked a shift from “competition over political positions” to “competition over governance outcomes and political discourse,” though he has reservations about whether there is truly a “homogenized competition.”
Traditional associations maintain distinct positions and interests, even when addressing the same issues: “For example, grassroots associations focus on worker welfare, while business associations pay attention to the business environment,” Chan Kin Sun tells PLATFORM.
In his reading, “public administration reform,” “e-government” and the optimization of “consultation mechanisms” are steering associations toward “competition based on effectiveness,” rather than “disputes centered solely on positions.” This evolution favors the “rationalization and professionalization of Macau’s politics,” Chan Kin Sun considers.
The academic also rules out the possibility of associations adopting a stance of “political inactivity.” The qualification selection process and support systems force them to move from “passive compliance” to “active updating,” should they wish to preserve “political influence and access to resources,” he says.
Pressure on governance
The funding system, centered on “legal oversight, risk-oriented guidance and increased quality and efficiency,” ties “the use of public funds to associations’ management capacity, pressuring them to improve internal governance.”
The “limitation of terms” and of “the accumulation of positions on advisory bodies” also demands the formation of “more professional representatives.” At the same time, tools such as the “Macau One Account” and the “Platform for Enterprises and Associations” require the digitalization of services and greater use of data.
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The emergence of new “patriotic and Macau-loving” associations is also “increasing the pressure on traditional organizations,” which will need to deliver “better results” in order to avoid “losing relevance.”
Modernization is also changing the internal mechanisms for selecting political elites. Chan Kin Sun observes that, “after the 2025 elections, the training and promotion of talent began moving away from a model” based on “seniority,” favoring “professionalism and discourse capacity” instead.
“To maintain their influence, associations must focus more on professional capabilities and political discourse skills when selecting elites. Although the system is difficult to perfect all at once, this trend is already clearly visible,” he explains to PLATFORM.
“Blind support”
Asked about the risk that professionalization might simply lead associations to adopt more academic language aimed at rubber-stamping government proposals, the academic points out that “there are different interests among associations, and there is no blind support for government proposals,” and that “this in itself is already an effective ‘warning’ mechanism.”
With the improvement of governance mechanisms, he adds, “associations can identify social contradictions at an earlier stage, without waiting for problems to reach the Legislative Assembly to be corrected.”
Chan Kin Sun also recalls that, “since the transfer of sovereignty, most political risks have been handled within the system,” and that Macau’s development remains tied to “support from the State.” He points to the “reform of the disaster prevention system after Typhoon Hato,” in 2017, promoted with “support from the Central Government,” as an example.
Under the principle of “Macau governed by patriots,” he concludes, a more “professional” associative network with greater “political discourse capacity” will be able to convey “social demands through institutional channels,” preventing “contradictions from being pushed outside the system.”
