Election Committee voices opinions over the five-year plan

A special session with the Chief Executive Election Committee for the collection of opinions over the draft of the first five-year plan of MSAR was held yesterday at the Macau East Asian Games Dome. Approximately 160 people from different fields attended the event.
Lao Pun Lap, coordinator of the Policy Research Office, introduced the draft, which is divided into four sections: “strategy,” “people’s life,” “development,” and “administration.” The four sections  ultimately aim to transform Macau into a “World Centre for Tourism and Leisure” (WCTL).
The draft projects an annual increase in the number of vehicles of between 3.5 to 3.8 percent by 2020. Regarding the city’s development, there have been consistent discussions concerning the diversification of Macau’s economy, and it is planned that the region will rely more on non-gaming activities by 2020.
Developing Macau as a smart city was another topic of discussion among audience members. Several speakers observed that internet in the city should be improved. Suggestions to achieve this included “installing underwater cables, increasing the overall speed of the networks, and adjusting the prices of telecommunication services.”
A member of the audience, who identified himself as being from the labor sector, expressed his disappointment with the draft, whereas most speakers praised it. Twenty-five people in total gave their opinions during the two-hour session.