Alan Kelly
The second visit from an Irish minister in just three months is a testament to the European country’s willingness to forge deeper relations with Macau. A new strategy of sharing experiences on a wide range of issues emerged when the new Irish consul-general to Hong Kong and Macau, Peter Ryan, took office. On Friday, Alan Kelly, Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, told reporters that Macau should start planning long-
term environmental policies.
If Ireland is known for endless green landscapes, Macau is regarded more as a concrete jungle. As it is growing at such a fast pace, Macau “needs to plan for the future (…) so that in a generation or two, you can see the gradual [progress],” said Mr Kelly, ahead of a meeting with the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, on Friday.
Mr Kelly acknowledged that Macau could learn from a very environmentally friendly country like Ireland. “One thing that Macau can learn from Ireland is that we have very green brands… but it comes [down] to policies and regulations, and a change in minds, which don’t happen overnight. We have millions living in Dublin; yet it’s a reasonably green environment because of policy changes throughout the years,” he recalled.
Proper planning is key, in Mr Kelly’s opinion, as well as environmental control regulations. However, in a city like Macau, where construction took place at such a rapid rate and planning measures were at times neglected, how can the government begin to tackle long-
standing environmental issues?
“You’ve got to retroplan. You can’t change the fact that you are where you are; what you really need to do is to start thinking about how to retroplan within the environment that has been created… you can re-sustain and refine it. It has happened in many different places around the world, and many Irish companies have been involved in that,” he stressed.
He added, “You may need to change some forms of planning; you may need to restructure. And I think that’s what the Secretary wants to talk to me about: [to discuss,] from our own experiences, how [the government here] can do that.”
Furthermore, the minister believes that designing new long-term and sustainable policies is crucial, as “there’s never a wrong time to start doing the right thing.”
According to Mr Kelly, the Macau government must reflect upon – in the transportation area, for instance – “what policy initiatives you can make that can [promote] a more sustainable environment and obviously [allow] better movement of people.” Moreover, local authorities need to ask, “What changes can you make that can have an immediate effect?”
Betting on green policies does not mean damaging economic growth, the Irish minister concluded. “I think it’s possible that both go hand in hand. I have to say that, across my whole visit to China and Hong Kong, environmental issues have been the number one topic of conversation,” he said, adding that “air quality is one of the big issues we are facing, [in addition to] water quality, soil quality for food production, and waste management.”
Mr Kelly stressed that addressing environmental issues cannot be postponed and that governments need to tackle them. Otherwise, coming generations will invariably pay a higher price.
In this context, Mr Kelly believes that Ireland has vast experience in dealing with environmental matters and has developed the most appropriate technologies, which could be useful to a city like Macau.
Gov’t should change urban regulations
The Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly, has suggested that the Macau government first tackle issues related to the built environment, and the process through which it is being planned. “I would change regulations as to how that’s done, and quickly,” he told reporters on Friday.
More visits on the horizon
The Irish Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Alan Kelly, was in town last Friday, marking the second visit to Macau by an Irish government minister since January. Visits from Irish government officials to Macau do not end here, Mr Kelly hinted.
“I’ve spent the last week and a half in China, and now Hong Kong and Macau. In particular relation to Macau, we see great potential here – potential for sharing experiences, but also potential from an enterprise side of things, where there are companies that can offer a huge amount of services,” he acknowledged.
He added that, “Macau is changing at a rapid rate, and we would like to share our experiences. So, yes, you will see more government officials from Ireland visiting. You might even see me again here in a few months.”
In addition to meeting the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, whose portfolio includes environment-related issues, Mr Kelly also met with Irish business community members, namely Niall Murray, chairman of the Irish Chamber of Commerce of Macau (ICCM).
Last January, the Irish Minister of State at the Department of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Simon Harris, visited Macau on a similar mission.
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