MSAR 15TH ANNIVERSARY | Is the ‘El Dorado’ effect over?

While the region keeps on exceeding world records, with many praising the economic growth made possible by the gaming industry, some residents claim that the ‘El Dorado’ period is over for Macau due to rising inflation, the overflow of visitors, the pollution and aggravated social tension.
The historian Jorge Cavalheiro, sociologist Hao Zhidong and economist José Isaac Duarte are unanimous in the view that Gross Domestic Product can’t be the single factor responsible for the region’s development. They claim that  quality of life has been worsening over the years.
“Local people have not benefited at all from the growth in Macau,” Jorge Cavalheiro bemoans. The scholar at the Portuguese Department of the University of Macau, who specialises in Macau History, says that the fact that the territory’s per capita wealth stands fourth in the world ranking, ahead of Switzerland, means little to most of the residents.
According to him, there are several factors that contribute to a worsening quality of life, namely traffic, an increase in the local population and in visitors, bad food quality and decaying cultural heritage. He also says that even economically there are no advantages to living in Macau. “The housing prices, either to buy or to rent, are exorbitant and the government uses the pretext that Macau is a free economy to abstain itself from interfering.” Mr Cavalheiro also complains about the effects of inflation: “We go to the market and everything is much more expensive, there are items that have gone up 100, 200 or 300 percent.”
José Isaac Duarte, on the other hand, is not so pessimistic, admitting that “there was a significant rise in salaries due to the lack of local manpower.” But those wage increases, he says, have been consumed by inflation and surges in housing prices.
“The local SMEs have been degrading, which means that Macau could lose its status as a historic entity. If this is not changed, the region will become an amusement park with many casinos,” the economist explains. A consequence of the SMEs’ problems, Isaac Duarte says, is higher rates of school dropout. The younger generation tends to leave school and work in the casinos; this has been on the rise since 2011.
Still, according to Isaac Duarte, the revenue drop that has been affecting the gaming industry proves that the MSAR’s economic model is “extremely vulnerable” to any external changes. “There is a significant drop in the money that has been coming from China, although visitor rates are still climbing. These last few months are evidence that there isn’t a direct connection between the number of visitors and gaming revenues,” he argues, adding that if the trend continues, some of the projects currently being built or planned for Cotai will be suspended.
Jorge Cavalheiro observes that the issue extends well beyond rising prices. “What we see today – with this combination of people, traffic and pollution – is that people are demotivated, they tend to isolate themselves and, in a certain way, they stop liking the city,” he says. The scholar notes examples that, in his opinion, are not consistent with the region’s wealth: “If you visit the area around Senado Square you will find shallow streets with degraded houses – where people live without proper sanitary conditions, without proper kitchens or ventilation. Those are humid and unhealthy houses that are unfit for a human being to live in,” he says.
Political analyst and sociologist Hao Zhidong has observed other tensions arising. “There is a word, mainlandization, that means that Macau is resembling mainland China more and more. This constitutes a problem, because it means there will be less free speech and press freedom and autonomy,” he says.
Hao Zhidong highlights recent incidents including the scholars Éric Sautedé and Bill Chou, who were sacked from the local universities where they worked. The two professors of Political Science lost their jobs for publicly expressing political views. “That shows that there are problems regarding freedom of academic expression,” says Hao Zhidong, who teaches at the University of Macau (like Bill Chou did).
“There are many concerns with the educational system in Macau,” says Hao Zhidong. Despite those concerns he has hopes in the new generation: “They are more aware of issues and I believe that they will keep on pressing for democratization. They know that freedom is wearing out, you only need to look at the universities and newspapers to know that.” MDT/Lusa

The hurdles of moving to town

Given all of the concerns from many observers about the region’s development, is living in Macau still a viable option? Economist Isaac Duarte doesn’t think so for several reasons. First of all, the granting of residency is more problematic than before. In his view, the government is applying a “non-declared policy” which will end with non-permanent-residents. Another issue concerns the fact that wages are not as competitive as before. “We are starting to see people that have jobs associated with high incomes starting to share flats and becoming more cautious with their spending. If people want to come and eat at home and reside in shared houses, that is an option, but it is no longer an ‘El Dorado.”

Photo exhibition marks MSAR 15th anniversary

A photo exhibition was launched in Macau yesterday to mark the 15th anniversary of Macau’s return to China. The exhibition, with more than 200 photos on display, features the achievements in the region since the MSAR was established in 1999.
The exhibition, co-sponsored by the Asia-Pacific regional bureau of Xinhua news agency, along with the Macau Foundation and Macau Convention and Exhibition Association, showcases the socioeconomic development in the SAR under the “one country, two systems” principles.
“The photo show links the past, present and future of Macau,” said Ju Mengjun, chief of Xinhua’s Asia-Pacific regional bureau. The Chief Executive Chui Sai On visited the exhibition. It will be showcased until Dec. 26, at the exhibition hall of the UNESCO Center of Macau.