José Pereira Coutinho: the Macanese legislator who leads the public servants association

José Pereira Coutinho (b. 1957) is a Macanese legislator and association leader. Since 1998 he has been president of the Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM), the territory's largest body defending the interests of public servants. First directly elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2005 and re-elected since, he is known for advocating the rights of civil servants and trade-union association.

A Macanese legislator who has, year after year, carried the demands of civil servants and ordinary working people into the chamber of Macau's Legislative Assembly.

José Pereira Coutinho is a Macanese legislator and leader of the public servants' association. Known for advocating the rights of civil servants and the freedom of trade-union association, he is a distinctive voice in Macau's directly elected politics.

Profile

• Chinese Name: 高天賜
• Portuguese Name: José Maria Pereira Coutinho
• Born: 22 July 1957 (Macau)
• Region: Macao
• Domains: Politics
• Subject type: Macanese · Legislator · Association leader

Background

The Macanese (土生葡人, Macaense) are a community that over centuries blended Portuguese and Chinese ancestry and culture in Macau. Pereira Coutinho was born in Macau in 1957, the son of a police officer. He earned a law degree from the University of Macau in 1990 and worked in public service, heading the Intellectual Property Department of the Economic Services Bureau from 1999 to 2001 — giving him close familiarity with the civil-service system.

Career

I. President of the Civil Servants Association (from 1998)

Since 1998, Pereira Coutinho has served as president of the board of the Macau Civil Servants Association (ATFPM), the largest organisation defending public servants' interests. Through the association he has long pressed for civil servants' pay and rights and spoken on public policy.

II. Legislator (from 2005)

He has contested legislative elections since 2001, was first directly elected in 2005, and has been re-elected since. In the Assembly he has consistently focused on civil-service, labour, and livelihood issues, making him one of the more enduring directly elected representatives in Macau.

Defining Moments

I. Advocating trade-union association law

Pereira Coutinho has introduced bills in the Assembly to regulate the right of trade-union association, reflecting his long-standing advocacy of labour and association rights. The handling of such proposals in the Legislative Assembly illustrates the range of positions in Macau's public-policy debate. This archive presents his public stance neutrally, without judgement.