lau cheok va, doctor of law honoris causa
in the 1980s, mr. lau cheok va worked as a representative of the macao federation of trade unions. he took issue with the former portugal's administration of macao about the working and living problems of local residents. therefore he was welcomed by the public and was successfully elected member of the legislative assembly of macau. further, he set an example for chinese members to hand in legal drafts by cooperating with two other members on the drafts for protecting the rights of customers and owners of small businesses and companies. in addition to this, he devoted all his energies to the protection of the workers’ interests by urging the government to improve the labor law, the social welfare systems and working conditions. all this earned him a good reputation among the public.
with the local people’s support as the fundamental reason behind his work, he shouldered more social responsibilities over time. before the handover in 1999, he was appointed member of the preparatory committee for the macao special administrative region. in 2002, he was deputy to the national people’s congress of the people’s republic of china and later became a member of the presidium. between 1999 and 2009, he was an elected member of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd terms of the legislative assembly of macao sar. in 2009, he was elected president of the 4th term of the legislative assembly of macao sar.
“people should know their responsibilities and goals, and try to be the best.” this has been mr. lau’s motto for the past 20 years as a statesman, which also led to his award of the honorable medal of the golden lotus flower by the government of the macao sar.
we offer our warmest congratulations and welcome to mr. lau cheok va, the president of the legislative assembly of macao sar, on receiving the honorary doctorate degree from macao university of science and technology.