Coutinho insists on a new consumption card

Reiterating his calls for greater government support, the Macau Civil Service Association (ATFPM) president José Pereira Coutinho insisted on the implementation of a new consumption card program worth MOP8,000, to be supplemented by an additional MOP6,000 from the Continuing Education Program.

Pereira Coutinho will present this proposal, along with a series of other requests, to Chief Executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai during their upcoming meeting.

Ahead of the scheduled meeting, Pereira Coutinho outlined several requests he intends to present to the CE, with the implementation of the new consumption card program being the most important.

Commenting on the new round of the citywide consumption boost, which includes lucky draws for each purchase, the lawmaker stated in a TDM report, “Many people find the online lucky draws unappealing—older adults struggle with mobile phones, and children do not benefit.”

The ATFPM president also called for increases in public sector salaries, pensions for the elderly, and other social support measures.

He stated that the government “must understand that those who suffer most are the unprotected, the disadvantaged, and it is in this aspect that the they must provide greater support.”

While Pereira Coutinho expressed some reservations about the likelihood of civil servant salary adjustments, he emphasized the pressing need to address the growing demands and responsibilities faced by public sector workers.

“It is increasingly difficult to be a public servant; the demands are greater, the responsibilities are greater, and it is not easy,” he concluded.

Pereira Coutinho’s remarks came on the sidelines of a seminar on the employment situation and youth development, organized by the Macau Civil Service Association. Victoria Chan