Lawmaker Ma Io Fong has asked the government about the status of the new Central Library project, given the policy address for 2023 which referred to Macau as a “Reading City.” The lawmaker noted that the new library is to be built on the land plot of the former Hotel Estoril, “a building with important historical value for urban development and located in a core area for Macau.” Consequently, according to the lawmaker, it is necessary that the development pays attention to the surroundings and links the new building to the historical district. Ma also noted that besides books and other related services, the government needs to take care in the recruitment professionals from this field, as having competent librarians is important for libraries to meet the needs and expectations of the public.
Nick Lei calls on gov’t to respect the principle of hearing the people
Lawmaker Nick Lei urged the government to respect the principle of listening to the people as the main principle of governance. Lei’s inquiry was related to the recent case involving the “tire park” in Taipa, a project that was recently abandoned by the government before construction began. The lawmaker noted that the government received a total of 462 opinions from residents on the project that aims to replace the “tire park,” the large majority of which are against the construction of housing buildings in that area. These opinions have called on the government to keep the initial project or find a new one with a similar purpose. In Lei’s opinion, the government is disregarding these opinions and insisting on the construction of more housing buildings in an area already very densely populated, putting economic interests on top of the livelihood of citizens, which is a bad premise.
