Éric Sautedé Political commentator | Gov’t assessment: ‘There is a big change when it comes to communication’

Éric Sautedé

Éric Sautedé, a political commentator and Times columnist, assessed the government’s performance over the past year. Sautedé, who was involved in a controversy relating to freedom of speech when he was sacked from the University of Saint Joseph in 2014 over alleged political motivations, stresses that the new government has brought with it a new style and comments on the recent events in Hong Kong. Here is an excerpt of what he told the Times:

Macau Daily Times – Can you give a brief assessment of the government’s performance in 2015? In your opinion, what were the biggest achievements and biggest failures from last year?
Éric Sautedé  (ES) – The biggest achievement for me is that the new government has managed to re-establish some kind of political bond between government and society, meaning that the government is now perceived as governing and not only managing the affairs of the state. The image of the previous government was more one of caretakers, and being on the job far too long had a lot to do with it. Now, goals have been set with priorities, and with the notable exception of the secretary for administration and justice, we now associate each and every secretary with some kind of reformative plan: quality healthcare for Alexis Tam, public transportation and land grants for Raimundo do Rosário, street security for Wong Sio Chak, and support to the SMEs for Lionel Leong. Overall, there has been a big change when it comes to communication with the public, with a lot more reactivity and sometimes proactivity, leading almost to a sense of competition between the secretaries as to who is going to be the most trigger-happy as far as reactivity is concerned when dealing with the public.

MDT – Do you think that lawmakers are paying close enough attention to the needs and demands of residents?
ES – Well, to me, unfortunately, most of the lawmakers are absolutely not up to the task of making this city a better place. The indirectly elected ones as well as the ones designated by the chief executive, with the exception of one or two, are caricatures of vested interests and do bear a lot of responsibly in dragging down the legal framework of this city. Too many legislators are in this assembly just as a reward for being successful businessmen and heading a vast network of supposedly grassroots associations. Most of them have been on the job far too long. […] The only ones who are a bit different are of course the ones directly elected, and out of those 14, a good 9 or 10 are doing a good job, although one can disagree with their choices, of course.

MDT – What should the government focus on this year?
ES – Starting to deliver on its promises made in early 2015 regarding healthcare, education, public transportation, housing, diversification, etc. Also, after the opening of communication, a new opening regarding solutions should be sought by bringing in new blood, and outsiders with new methods in terms of policy design.

MDT – What do you think about the Hong Kong riots that occurred last week? Are they more than what they seem or just a protest?
ES – They are much more than just a protest, and clearly it is a symptom of the stiffening of the relationship between Beijing and Hong Kong which has led to a growing sense of estrangement regarding the mainland. Up until 2014, nobody in Hong Kong was really talking seriously about real autonomy for Hong Kong or even some form of independence. It is a movement of resistance that has mainly grown from the inability of the present Hong Kong government to understand its own society. At the end of the day, this is more of a resistance (to salvage an identity) movement than a real search for independence. But the issue has changed, and now patriotism has taken a whole new meaning in Hong Kong. Attacks on the press and journalists, and then the kidnapping of booksellers have been triggering factors, translating into the Occupy and then Umbrella Movement, and then these so-called riots.

MDT – What is the state of residents’ political apathy in Macau? Why is it more muted than in Hong Kong?
ES – I would not call that apathy. That it is a word that was used for Hong Kong up until 2002/2003, and look at the results today. It is a far more traditional society, with a civil society that is very much channeled through very richly and conservative-thinking associations. On top of that, only 40pct of the population is born in Macau with less than 20pct having gone on to tertiary education: in Hong Kong, a majority of the population was born there as early as the 1960s, so today some form of ‘mainlandization’ is perceived as a threat, and of course people are much more educated (formally), politically savvy and aware of their own individual power. Staff reporter