Ho praises English, Portuguese media as ‘bridge’ with communities, world

The Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said yesterday that he hopes that the Portuguese- and English-Language media “will continue to act as supervisors and bridges in order to support and to keep a close eye on” the MSAR’s administration, during the annual Spring luncheon with editors of local media outlets.

In the period of “dynamic adjustment of the epidemic-prevention measures,” he said that “the Portuguese- and English-language media were active in helping readers and speakers of Portuguese and readers and speakers of English – locally and overseas – to keep track of the latest developments in Macau.”

They also helped to convey key information to the government, including “the opinions of these communities during the acute phase of the adjustment, alleviating the information lag sometimes caused by language differences.”

In a politically-charged message, Ho said the MSAR Government “is committed to ensuring that the media can better perform their duties in accordance with the Basic Law and relevant laws, and support the continued development of the industry by strengthening positive interaction with journalists by actively supporting and assisting their reporting work.”

In accordance with the overall policy direction, the city’s government in the new year will pursue major goals such as “boosting the economy, fostering economic diversification, relieving livelihood hardships, preventing and controlling COVID-19, and promoting the steady overall development of Macau.”

Ho finally thanked the local Portuguese- and English-language press for having provided people overseas “with various perspectives on Macau, and helping them understand China in a comprehensive way via interviews, field trips, and other forms of coverage.” PC