The new Law on the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) Committee for Safeguarding National Security took effect yesterday after its promulgation in the Official Gazette (BO) on Monday.
The new law, with its final draft passed by the MSAR’s legislature on Thursday last week, regulates the duties, organisational structure, and operation of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security in the form of a law.
The duties, organisational structure, and operation of the MSAR’s Committee for Safeguarding National Security were previously governed by an administrative regulation, which came into force in 2018 when the committee was set up.
Government-drafted bills must be passed by the legislature to become law, while government-drafted administrative regulations, aka by-laws, do not require the legislature’s approval.
The new law, which took effect yesterday, has replaced the 2018 administrative regulation governing the Committee for Safeguarding National Security.
The new law formally defines the committee as an entity tasked with the MSAR’s affairs concerning the safeguarding of national security and assuming the MSAR’s primary responsibility for safeguarding national security, with its operation subject to the oversight and accountability of the Central People’s Government.
The committee is chaired by the MSAR’s chief executive.
According to the new law, the composition of the committee includes a secretariat, which is a standing administrative unit tasked with the committee’s daily operations and functioning. The secretariat is headed by the government’s secretary for security.
According to the new law, the organisational structure and operation of the committee’s secretariat shall be governed by an administrative regulation.
The new administrative regulation governing the committee’s secretariat also took effect yesterday after it was gazetted on Monday.
According to the new administrative regulation, the organisational structure of the committee’s secretariat consists of 34 personnel, comprising a secretary-general, two deputy secretaries-general, two assistant secretaries-general, the heads of five departments, and 24 other personnel.
This undated handout photo released by the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS) last week shows Government Headquarters in Nam Van.
