Although not present at the 15th anniversary celebration of the Macau Portuguese and English Press Association held yesterday, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng sent his written regards to the association, praising it for its contributions to the harmony and stability of the city.
José Carlos Matias, President of the association, described 2020 as a difficult year. However, he praised all English and Portuguese journalists for remaining strong in their ability to cope with the pandemic.
In an interview with the Times on the sidelines of the event, Matias expressed his optimism in the industry in the coming year, although he refrained from making further predictions because he will be concluding his presidency soon.
“I need to abide to the association’s charter, which has a restriction on the number of terms of presidency,” he explained.
He recalled that the association has defended journalism rights in the past year, adding that he is satisfied overall with the association board’s performance.
Inês Chan, director of the Government Information Bureau, was present at the celebratory cocktail party on behalf of the government head. Representatives from the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macau SAR and the Macao Office of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Republic of China were also present at the ceremony, which was held at the Macau Military Club.
In addition, the consuls-general of the Portuguese Republic, the Republic of Mozambique and the Republic of Angola also attended the ceremony.
Matias also thanked the Government Information Bureau, the Forum Macau, the Macao Foundation and the Rui Cunha Foundation for their consistent support. AL
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