Macau is per choice, not per fate

Renato Marques

If there is a quotation or idiomatic expression that someone new to Macau learns quickly, it is the famous (or should I say infamous) “Macau is like this,” which has become especially popular due to Macau’s creole expression, “Macau Sâm Assi.”

While harmless in nature, this expression has indeed been very powerful, as it has been used (and abused) to justify anything that defies logic or common sense in a variety of situations.

It has become an easy “scapegoat” to (not) justify a certain attitude, to condone inaction, or to excuse the ways some people in positions of power fail to respect society, culture, values, and everything that comes with them.

Such facts have turned this idiomatic expression into something not only powerful but also dangerous, as it ultimately teaches the ways of being “mild” and the unnecessary need to avoid making “waves,” even in situations where public outrage would be perfectly justifiable.

“It has always been like this,” some will quickly say in the same tone.

I do not believe so, and that is not what the history books (or the daily news) of just a few years ago say about Macau.

Macau was never “peaceful”.

On the contrary, it was agitated, and even if internally people always had their groups, preferences, and interests, and always tried to exercise their power over the power of other groups with other interests, there was a certain sense of unity when it came to external aggression.

In rare cases, people from all nationalities and backgrounds in Macau joined together to “help Macau,” to help what they perceived as their home.

This sense of belonging has been lost, or perhaps been pushed deeper, generation after generation, ruled once again by the idea that being disruptive and creating unrest are bad, while we should seek harmony above all else.

I have nothing against harmony and peace – they’re great – but it’s indeed a good thing when this harmony comes from well-resolved disputes, fair agreements, and mutual benefits, and not when it comes from the rule of an iron fist.

In that case, it’s not harmony; it is a “gag order” established in the name of protecting an unknown “greater good.”

Macau always “took it to the streets.” Every time something was unfair, every time something was touching a sensitive spot. But it seems there aren’t any of those anymore, either. All sensitivities, all differences of opinion, and all different ideas have been replaced by fear, either the fear of consequences or simply the fear of being out of step.

The problem is that things like this lead to apathy, which leads to inertia, which leads to nonparticipation and disconnection. Ultimately, people are so disconnected that they have no opinions, ideas, or preferences.

All of this is clearly evident in the public consultations, where individual citizens refrain from offering opinions, expressing ideas, or even voicing concerns. All of it must go through groups and associations that “handle it” for us. How convenient…

Well, I say Macau “is not like this” or “like that,” and I also say it is about time the people of Macau take responsibility for the decisions made in their name. Macau is (must be) ultimately what the people of Macau want and decide it to be. Unless they choose not to participate; in that case, that is also their choice.

As the old saying goes, “Beggars can’t be choosers.” There is no fate for Macau; tomorrow is made today, every day.