Lawmakers question plan’s real effects

Elsie Ao Ieong

The government plan that aims to revitalize six historical districts was the subject of a debate yesterday at the Legislative Assembly (AL).

The plan, which calls for the support of the six gaming concessionaires who will oversee the development and revitalization of a designated area, was questioned by several lawmakers regarding its actual impact.

In the initial inquiry from lawmaker Ella Lei, Lei noted that although the plan commenced last year, visible results and progress has been slow, particularly in terms of infrastructure improvements.

Deland Leong

“We can see that the progress and results of revitalization vary from zone to zone,” Lei said. “The government should periodically evaluate the results of the revitalization plans for the different zones so that the participating companies can adjust and optimize them according to reality.”

Lei also called on authorities to study the needs and degree of business participation in these areas, and define a timetable for the revitalization of each area so that residents and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can participate and take advantage of the economic development of community neighborhoods.

In response, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong, said that over the last year, these historic areas have held more than 750 artistic and cultural performances, which have “attracted more than 1.7 million visitors and contributed to a significant increase in the flow of people in the community districts.” She added that hosting these events created opportunities for more than 200 entities and companies in those areas.

Ella Lei

This response did not satisfy a large number of lawmakers, who questioned the effects beyond these statistics. Lei added that there are issues stemming from changes in the areas, and that these matters require significant coordination. As sufficient action has not been undertaken to address these challenges, it has been difficult to obtain the desired results.

Several other lawmakers also commented, including Leong Sun Iok, Che Sai Wang, Angela Leong, Leong Hong Sai, Lo Choi In, Ron Lam, and José Pereira Coutinho. Voicing similar concerns, they called on the government to provide greater clarity and transparency, and above all, to be more effective in their efforts to revitalize the broader economies of those areas and not just the specific venues and facilities.

Che remarked, “Despite these plans, more and more stores are closing. Even if tourists are returning, their spending is insufficient to sustain local businesses.”

He urged the government to create a more concrete plan to address the problem in the mid and long term, rather than relying on short-lived events and festivals that provide a temporary boost to visitor numbers without lasting economic benefits.

Angela Leong called for a designated calendar and timeline to provide visibility over the progress, and transparency as to when businesses could expect to see changes or improvements. Lo suggested that the government put the onus on the gaming concessionaires to make shuttle buses available to transport tourists to these old districts.

Lam and Pereira Coutinho expressed concerns about the investments made to date and the potential return on investment expected.

Lam noted that “it is important to know how much was spent to develop these areas. There is no information and feedback on this,” he said. “There is also no evaluation of the results, and people do not see any obvious changes in the areas from this revitalization plan.”

Lam criticized the lack of parking areas and transportation, adding that in the neighboring region of Hong Kong, a similar project had been undertaken with the support of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and suggested that the local government learn from that experience. Lam concluded by saying, “Something more concrete is needed beyond mere debating ideas or ambitions.”

In defense of the plan, government officials assured lawmakers that improvements are underway, but acknowledged that more time is needed for the full effects to be realized.

The Secretary advanced that the project to cover the Rua da Felicidade with a canopy is progressing and that several projects are also ongoing at the Inner Harbour piers.

The president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), Deland Leong, also added that the revitalization of the area of the Ruins of St Paul’s is also commencing, with plans for a new path connecting the monument to Mount Fortress set to launch next year, among other projects.

More time is also needed for the revitalization of the Inner Harbour’s Piers (14 to 16 and 23 and 25), the IC president noted, explaining that there is a lot to do to improve the environment to make the area more attractive to tourists. Nonetheless, he said that advancements would be seen in this area during the next year. 

This session, which will extend into today, marks the last Q&A session with the current government officials before the administration transitions Dec. 20.

Interpretation and translation not a concern for Ao Ieong

During the Q&A session at the Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday, the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong, expressed confidence that interpretation and translation were not an issue when dealing with international visitors.

Questioned on the topic of the tour guides and other tourism operators’ lack of language proficiency in the context of the government’s bid to revitalize six historic districts, the Secretary said that automatic machine translation could effectively address this issue. She added that several ongoing experiences and initiatives involving the machine translation system developed by the Macau Polytechnic University are underway within the government and at the AL.

In April this year, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) director, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, mentioned the idea of building a translation system for tour guides.

At the time, Senna Fernandes said that the idea was still in the preliminary stage, and it was unknown whether it was feasible.

The same official noted that implementing such a system was not an easy task as it would need appropriate equipment, software, and comprehensive testing prior to implementation.

The use of an automatic interpretation and translation system was tested historically during a press conference of an event organized by the tourism authorities. The results were disastrous, with MGTO staff having to provide human translation and audio-receiving devices to the non-Chinese-speaking media due to major failures in the machine translation that rendered the information unintelligible.

This is Ao Ieong’s final appearance at the AL in her current role as Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture. She is set to transition into a new position  in the upcoming government under Sam Hou Fai, where she will succeed Ho Veng On as Commissioner of Audit.