Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong revealed that the government had no plan to start specific legislation the governs leisure and theme park facilities.
In his oral inquiry, lawmaker Ron Lam urged the government to make specific laws to govern leisure and theme park facilities, considering the fact that Macau will see more of them as it further develops into a tourism destination.
“I don’t think we need specific legislations for leisure facilities,” he told the parliament, adding that there are the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), Sports Bureau (ID) and the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), among other bureaus, handling various aspects of such facilities.
With that said, as well as recapping precedents, different government bodies will have authorities over different facility in a particular setting, such as an integrated resort. The ID, for example, has authority over the swimming pool of a particular resort, besides the Health Bureau (SSM) or the IAM has authority over aquatic hygiene in such facility.
Lawmaker Pereira Coutinho did not agree with this. He pointed out that in many European countries, specific laws are made to govern different types of leisure facilities. For example, he said, different laws can be made to govern children’s playground, swimming pools, water theme parks, as well as other leisure facilities.
He added that the city does not even have specific laws that govern the import of toys for children, meaning that it cannot determine prior to importation for which age group a particular toy is suitable.
Cheong is confident about the effectiveness of the existing system. He stressed that the lack of a specific law does not equate to the evasion from responsibilities. “Operators will still be held responsible for accidents that happen in their properties [if they’re proved so],” Cheong said. “They don’t want accident to take place, because it will affect their image.”
Lawmaker Ella Lei pointed out that although the competent government entities are authorized to issue guidelines, but operators can merely neglect it. The means to do so is by posting a signboard that indicates the absence of lifeguard service in the facility. This waiver has led Lei to consider if the guidelines from the government is actually effective.
This somewhat loophole will inaugurate a bad image of Macau because, as Lei and some of her colleagues pointed out, tourists visiting Macau may not be familiar with this, hinting that they may use habits from their hometowns to fill the puzzle.
In response, Cheong emphasized that if accidents happen, the victim or their families can file complaints against the properties in question. It will not leave the operators at large.
He also said that even if insurance companies are not legally required to pay compensations, the complainants can still pursue civil liabilities against the facility operators in question.
Lawmaker Che Sai Wang and Lo Choi In raised concerns over insurance coverage, with the former mentioning that the industry may not be willing to insure theme parks.
As to theme park facilities, the secretary highlighted that the Land and Urban Construction Bureau (DSSCU) has the Mechanical and Electrical Facility Department to monitor these.
However, several lawmakers recapped Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raimundo do Rosário for saying that the workforce in the department is tight and will only be able to monitor elevator and escalator regular checks. Hence, they doubted if the department will be able to handle an extra task.
In his final reply, the secretary promised that the government would consider the direction of specific legislation.
