Ho Iat Seng boasts e-governance as his achievement in office

Changes in e-governance have made public services more convenient and accessible during his past years in office, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has said in response to questions about the completion of his own electoral promises.

At Tuesday’s Policy Address Press Conference, the official was asked if he sees areas that require further effort to meet his electoral promises.

He was also asked for comments about the fulfilment of his electoral pledges to improve public governance, progressing economic diversification, and enhancing the construction of livelihood factors, as well as cultivating talented people.

Ho said the current situation is very different from when he took office. He discussed the Macao One Account app, comparing the number of registered users then and now.

“How many people still need to obtain or submit documents at government counters now?” Ho asked. “There are over 300 types of service on the app now, much more than on similar apps in the mainland.”

He said interdepartmental cooperation was responsible for the achievement, adding that it is difficult to get all bureaus to share their data, and that he had never ordered that data be shared.

Moreover, the official said Macau is overtaking its mainland counterparts by providing virtual services targeting business users.

“We will be launching these services next year,” he said.

He said the work of departmental integration or mergers was not easy either.

“When it comes to mergers, there will be personnel difficulties,” he said. “We need to take into account [our workers’] willingness to be relocated and concerns over the continuation of existing welfare and interests.”

He said society should understand that Rome was not built in a day but should give time for things to happen.

“It’s not like what some people think that nothing has changed,” the official said. “What other changes do they want? Do they want an anarchy?”

External promotions  to be core to luring  foreign visitors

Macau’s tactics to attract foreign visitors will differ from Hong Kong’s, Ho said, and will focus on reaching out to source market.

Ho said the MOP236 million allotted for tourism promotion next year will not be used to provide buy-one-get-one air tickets or similar campaigns. On the contrary, “we will join hands with a significant number of travel agencies from our source markets to promote Macau,” Ho said.

MICE will also be a way to attract visitors, he said. Details will only be disclosed when the local tourism authority is ready, he added.

He said the government has “suggested” local flag-carrier Air Macau acquire wide-body aircraft to reach more destinations. Air Macau has accepted the “suggestion,” he said.

The government directly or indirectly holds a 21.5% stake in the airline company, according to the Public Assets Supervision and Planning Office.

When asked about the local airport’s capacity, Ho said it was designed to serve 9.6 million passengers per year. Currently, only 60% of its designed capacity has been reached.

He reiterated that both Northeast and Southeast Asia are key markets to Macau.

The official has also pledged to transform Macau into a “City of Shows and Sports” in his Policy Address. Ho said the concept of a city of sports arose because Macau would have a role in the organization of the National Games in 2025.

He said shows held this year in Macau garnered worldwide applause. Although Macau has no venues to accommodate audiences reaching 50,000 or more, it is the hardware and software that count.

The title of City of Shows will be accredited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, which will scrutinize both hardware and software before confirming any accreditations.

He also said that even UNESCO was satisfied with Macau’s efforts in hosting artistic or classical concerts at world heritage sites.