The Law of Macau and its Language: A Glance at the Real 'Masters of the Law

• Author: Salvatore Casabona
• Pages: 225-254

CASABONA (DO NOT DELETE) 2012/8/29 9:40 AM

2012] MACANESE BILINGUALISM 225

THE LAW OF MACAU AND ITS LANGUAGE:

A GLANCE AT THE REAL “MASTERS OF THE LAW”

Salvatore Casabona

Abstract

This article discusses the biligualistic legal system in Macau. The discussion begins with the

outline of the history of the Macanese bilingualism. The author then examines the crucial

distinction between the language in the law and the law in the language. By analogy to

European Community and other bilingual legal systems, this article identies the characteristic

of Macanese mulitlingualism. This article concludes with suggestions about a new approach

and the role of universities in resolving the matter.

I. INTRODUCTION

My experience as a comparatist in Macau reminds me of the

“accommodation method” rooted in the Jesuit missionary activity, an

activity aimed at diffusing Christianity all over the world and

addressing complex religious and cultural challenges.

Matteo Ricci used to adapt himself (“accomodare”1) to the

Chinese context, dressing as a Confucian monk, learning Chinese

language and philosophy and overall finding similarities and

harmonies in classical Chinese texts with Christian teachings.

Similarly, this author attempts to consolidate a methodological

 Associate Professor of Comparative Law, Department of European Studies and International

Integration, University of Palermo.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude first and foremost to University of Macau, that provided

financial and logistic support for my research with a Short Term Visiting Fellowship for 2011/2012.

In writing this research I benefited a lot from the patience, suggestions and inspiration shown me by

many people. In particular I wish to express appreciation to Salvatore Mancuso, Associate Professor of

Comparative Law at University of Macau, who was m y supervisor during the period of the Short Term

Fellowship, to Professor Io Cheng Tong, Interim Associate Dean of the Faculty of Law – University of

Macau, for essential support that I found in his impressive scientific work on the Macanese legal

system, to Professor Wei Dan, Director of Institute Advanced Legal Studies – University of Macau,

who invited me to deliver an open lecture on 31 October 2011 for sharing my research work, and, last

but not least, to Jose Guilherme de Moura Leite da Costa, lawyer in Macau for his critical insights about

the Macanese legal system.

1 To be precise, Ricci’s application of Valignano’s “gentle way” in China has been referred to as

“accommodation method”. See M. Ricci, Lettere, Ricci to Girolamo Benci, Nanchang, 7 October

1595, in 2 LIBRI, FONTI RICCIANE: DOCUMENTI ORIGINALI CONCERNENTI MATTEO RICCI E LA STORIA

DELLE PRIME RELAZIONI TRA L'EUROPA E LA CINA (1579-1615) at 269 (Pasquale M. d'Elia ed., 1942-

1949) ; M. Ricci, Della entrata della Compagnia di Gesù e Cristianità in Cina, in STORIA

DELL’INTRODUZIONE DEL CRISTIANESIMO IN CINA, FONTI RICCIANE: DOCUMENTI ORIGINALI

CONCERNENTI MATTEO RICCI E LA STORIA DELLE PRIME RELAZIONI TRA L'EUROPA E LA CINA 482

(Pasquale M. d'Elia ed., 1942-1949).

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226 TSINGHUA CHINA LAW REVIEW [Vol. 4:223

approach to Macau, a jurisdiction which possesses a unique social

and historical context.

A foreign observer in Macau immediately has two impressions: a

multi-layered scaffolding of the society and of its legal system, and a

sense of a continuous and not always foreseeable movement of

change.

From a legal perspective, the new Macanese status of Special

Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China2

surely represents to a non-Chinese scholar something new in

comparison with the contemporary western legal landscape, but also

something difficult to thoroughly understand through the mere use of

the “conceptual lens” of the jurists.3

The Macau SAR stems from the principle “one country, two

systems”4 that allows two different systems to co-exist within one

nation: Macau (and Hong Kong) under the previous capitalist system

and the mainland China under its socialist system.5

2 XIANFA art. 31 (1982) (“The systems to be instituted in special a dministrative regions shall be

prescribed by law enacted by the National People's Congress in the light of the specific conditions.”)

(China). See IEONG WAN CHONG, “ONE COUNTRY TWO SYSTEMS” AND THE MODERN

CONSTITUTIONAL SCIENCE 199 (Ieong W. Chong ed., 1996); LIN FENG, CONSTITUTIONAL LAW IN

CHINA 145 ( 2d ed. 2000).

3 See Herbert S. Yee & Sonny S. H. Lo, Macau in transition: The Politics of Decolonization, 31

ASIAN SURVEY 905 (1991); MING K. CHAN & SHIU-HING LO, HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF THE HONG

KONG SAR AND THE MACAU SAR (2006); IGNAZIO CASTELLUCCI, LE GRANDI TRADIZIONI

GIURIDICHE DELL’ASIA [THE MAJOR LEGAL TRADITON IN ASIA] 1 65 (2009) (relation between the new

political environment after the handover of Macau to China and the Macanese legal system).

4 See WANG ZHEN-MIN, “UM PAÍS, DOIS SISTEMAS” E A LEI BÁSICA DE MACAU [“ONE

COUNTRY, TWO SY STEM” AND THE BASIC LAW OF MACAU] 33-34 ( 2008) (“O objectivo inicial do

príncipio “Um país, dois sistemas” era resolver a questão de Taiwan.”); IEONG WAN CHONG ET AL.,

“ONE COUNTRY, TWO SYSTEMS” AND THE MACAO SAR 259 (2004); Wang Yingjin, Estudos sobre “Um

país, dois sistemas” nos ultimos 20 anos retrospective e perspective [Retrospective and Perspective

Studies of “One Country, Two System” in the Last 20 Years], XVII ADMINISTRAÇÃO [ADMIN.] 449

(2004); Lok Wai Kin, A Propósito dos Factores Básicos da bem Sucedida Aplicação de “Um país,

Dois Sistemas” em Macau: Em celebração do 5° Aniversário da Região Administrativa Especial de

Macau [The Purpose of the Basic Elements for Successful Im plementation of "One Country, Two

Systems" in Macau: In Celebration of the 5th Anniversary of Macao SAR], XVII ADM INISTRAÇÃO

[ADMIN.] 1095 (2004); Ieong Wan Chong, “Um País, dois Sistemas”: Elevar Lível da Prática

Mediante a Prática [“One Country, Two Systems”: Raising the Level of Practice by Practice], XVIII

ADMINISTRAÇÃO [ADMIN.] 981 (2005); Qi Pengfei, A Vantagem Económica e a Vantagem Política da

“Nova Macau” e o “Modelo de Macau” de “Um país, Dois Sistemas”[The Advantage and Economic

Policy of “New Macau” and “Macau Model” of “One Country, Two Systems”], XVIII

ADMINISTRAÇÃO [ADMIN.] 1085 (2005).

5 See Deng Xiaoping (邓小平), Deng Xiaoping Lun Yiguo Liangzhi (邓小平论一国两制) [Deng

Xiaoping on “One Country, two Systems”] 74 (2004) (“People who advocate bourgeois liberalization

hope that the mainland will become capitalist or “totally westernized”. Our thinking on this question

should not be one-sided. If we don’t attach equal importance to b oth aspects, it will be i mpossible to

keep the policy of ‘one country, two systems’ unchanged for several decades.”).