First batch of valuable properties to be added to city’s heritage list

The Cultural Heritage Committee held its first plenary meeting of 2015 yesterday, where members took a look at the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC)’s tasks and its process of cultural heritage conservation.
Besides providing information on a series of historic building restorations and a year-long survey in search of neglected relics, the bureau also released its findings on the future management plan of the city’s historic center for public consultation.
Since last May, the IC has examined about a hundred properties that are considered valuable. It has been revealed that 70 of them are likely to be listed as part of the city’s cultural heritage. Next month, the bureau will announce the first batch of relics to be added to the current 128-item heritage list.
Head of the IC’s Cultural Heritage Department, Cheong Cheok Kio, told reporters that the first batch will include about ten real-­estate properties, and will be further discussed during a public consultation; and that assessment of more properties will soon be rolled out in batches.
Some members of the committee have raised concerns that several valuable old buildings were demolished because the heritage list wasn’t being updated quickly enough. Some also urged that property investors are awaiting the survey result, as they want to know the value of surrounding buildings.
In response, Cheong explained that the assessment of relics takes a lot of time as there is a large amount of material to review; however, an assessment will not take longer than one year, as the new law stipulates.
Regarding the recent controversy over the government’s intent to relax the planning conditions of Fisherman’s Wharf, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, assured that the government’s heritage conservation work hasn’t felt pressure from developers, as both sides understand the significance of the city’s cultural heritage.
“The cultural heritage we have is Macau’s unique cultural and tourism recourse. Amongst the some 600 cities in China, even Hong Kong, only our Macau has these [types of heritage]. For this reason, we must well protect and manage our cultural heritage,” he stated to reporters after hosting yesterday’s meeting.
The secretary also stressed that, “the Cultural Institute and the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture must do their job according to the law.” He recognized that the IC has met its obligation within its limits of authority, by delivering its non-binding opinion as a reference for the decision-­maker.
Supervising construction and reparation works under the Cultural Heritage Law, the IC also issued a total of 1,100 binding opinions last year, regarding planning conditions, construction plans and the installation of signboards. The bureau’s inspections found a total of 37 breaches of the new law.
As for this year’s focus, the IC president Ung Vai Meng announced that the bureau is trying to complete several restoration projects within the year, and is in the progress of formulating a complete plan for the Historical Centre’s conservation and management.
The bureau’s framework for the area’s conservation planning collected 756 valid responses during a two-month consultation period last year, where the public expressed their attitude towards eight principles of future conservation. The result shows a consensus in those conservation directions, but on the other hand calls for specific measures. Notably, some opinions also called for stricter and broader heritage protection, as well as more attention being paid to pieces of intangible heritage.

Chao Son U dismissed by Alexis Tam

One of the members of the executive committee that deals with public funds for the cultural industry, Chao Son U, was removed from the board yesterday by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam. Mr Tam said that he would appoint a new official to temporarily take over the position. Describing the industry fund committee as an “important organ” within the government that required “stringent,” “transparent” and “impartial” management, the secretary’s office revealed in a press release that the move was meant to strengthen the external and internal credibility of the management of the committee and “bring new energy to the fund management.” According to TDM, Chao Son U is being investigated for graft.

IC teaches relic restoration skills to former drug users

The IC president recognized that its project to introduce youths currently completing drug rehabilitation programs to relics, book restoration and backstage work has had a positive effect. Ung said that some relics have been repaired in the project, and some participants have been trained as new personnel. The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture also endorsed the project. He indicated the difficulty of hiring new staff for relic restoration, and said that such a project is good not only for the young people in question, but also the government and the community.