Nam Van Plan | New Macau criticizes gov’t for ‘skipping steps’

The New Macau Association has criticized the government for “skipping steps” by using an unlegislated consultation plan to institutionalize the urban planning for Nam Van Lake.
After the Urban Planning Committee Plenary session yesterday, Sulu Sou, Deputy Director-General of the Association, responded to comments made by government officials and committee members at the meeting.
Present at the meeting was Leong Wai Man, Vice President of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), as well as Chan Pou Ha, Director of the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT), who presided over the meeting.
Sou slammed the IC Vice President for using proposals made in the draft Master Urban Plan, the public consultation period for which concluded November 2, to justify the contentious planning for the land plots in Nam Van.
“It is not a law for the government to follow,” Sou remarked. “It is not even a conclusive report of the public consultation.”
He said that the comments of the IC made at yesterday’s Committee Plenary session were “sealed in history.”
He cited the DSSOPT head’s request of the public to trust the design team to do a good job in conserving the landscape, as well as the authorities in supervising the development.
“This is a complete rule of man,” Sou said. “Even today we’re rationalizing the trust in the design team to safeguard the visual elements of the district.”
He pointed out that before, the group has trusted the DSSOPT and the IC, instead of the system, but that it had yielded a disappointing outcome.
“We are discussing a courthouse project, for goodness’ sake!” Sou stressed.
Meanwhile, on the comment of “children’s play” made by a committee member on the public opinion submission, Rocky Chan, Deputy Director-General of the Association, argued that this was an embodiment of the committee member’s complete detachment from long-term public opinion on preservation of the Penha Hill and its view.
“Members of the public are giving their opinion for the members’ reference,” Chan explained. “But we can see that the members didn’t base their discussions on public opinion.”
He stressed that public opinion is not banning development on the sites; rather, the public is asking for a balance between conservation and development, “which we didn’t see during the plenary,” Chan said.
The association handed a petition letter to the DSSOPT before the commencement of yesterday’s committee plenary session.