Formal and Informal Politics in Macao Special Administrative Region Elections 2004-2005

Formal politics is defined as political participation under 'rules and institutions' while informal politics is a kind of 'conventions and codes behavior' in the political sphere, such as cronyism and guanxi networks. Both kinds of politics are interacting and functionally insepa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of contemporary China 2007-08, Vol.16 (52), p.417-441
Main Author: Yu, Eilo Wing-Yat
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Area studies
Case studies
Congresses and conventions
Corruption
Cronyism
Decision making
Democracy
Democratization
Elections
Federal government
Macao
Macau
Money
Policy analysis
Political conventions
Political institutions
Political opposition
Political participation
Political sociology
Political systems
Politics
Public Policy
Regional elections
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Summary:Formal politics is defined as political participation under 'rules and institutions' while informal politics is a kind of 'conventions and codes behavior' in the political sphere, such as cronyism and guanxi networks. Both kinds of politics are interacting and functionally inseparable in a political system. This article explores the interactive dynamics between formal and informal politics in the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR), with the August 2004 Chief Executive election and the September 2005 Legislative elections as illuminating case studies. It highlights the ways and means with which the Beijing and the MSAR authorities shaped the electoral institutions to undermine political opposition. It argues that formal politics possesses more than window-dressing functions to reveal the 'normal and orthodox form of politics' while the informal type is the real process for decision making. Formal and informal politics undermined the political input of the mass in Macao and triggered political irregularities involving money politics. It concludes that the dynamics of formal and informal politics did not possess enhancement but corruption in forging a genuinely democratic MSAR polity.
ISSN:1067-0564
1469-9400
DOI:10.1080/10670560701314248