Petition on e-voucher scheme to push through this Sunday

The Public Security Police Force (PSP) has approved lawmaker Au Kam San’s request to protest the consumer e-voucher scheme on Sunday.
The demonstrators will assemble at Tap Seac Square at 3 p.m., and the protest will start at 4 p.m., at which time participants will walk to the Macau Government Headquarters to submit a petition demanding that the criticized scheme be scrapped.
Last Saturday, Au, together with the president of the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association, Cloee Chao, gathered at the Border Gate with residents to collect signatures for the petition.
Au previously told the press that by collecting signatures from residents, the government could be urged to improve the scheme.
“The government had reiterated that it aims to help the poor but this method only supports the merchants. The general public cannot receive any help [through this measure]. The government is making a regressive move,” he added.
The new stimulus package, since its announcement on March 15, has attracted widespread criticism, mostly on the “spend first; redeem later” e-voucher scheme having complicated regulations. The MOP5 billion digital voucher scheme, included in the MOP56.87 billion domestic spending facilitation scheme, was described by the general public as complicated, with some noting that it would not benefit those who are underemployed.
Different from the previous electronic consumption voucher schemes launched last year, the forthcoming digital voucher scheme, slated to launch from May to the end of 2021, requires an individual to spend first before being granted an e-voucher.
Local residents, non-resident workers and international students have to spend MOP14,400 between May and December to obtain the MOP4,800 worth of e-voucher coupons, which has a maximum limit of MOP600 per month.

CE pays attention to opinions

Chief Executive (CE) Ho Iat Seng admitted that the government is still unsure of the publicly criticized e-voucher scheme, stressing that it generated different opinions among residents which they will pay attention to.
“We thought that this plan would help Macau. […] Our purpose is to reach consensus, instead of creating chaos,” Ho told the press at the sidelines of the reception ceremony on Tuesday for the new Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Macau Special Administrative Region, Liu Xianfa.
However, he admitted that the program has caused a lot of dissatisfaction. The e-voucher scheme, he explained, was designed to boost local consumption rather than be a welfare measure or subsidy for all.
Despite the public criticism, the top official ruled out the use of the first voucher scheme with the use of MacauPass, explaining that, “the consumer card ended a long time ago and going back to the beginning, with zero balance, involves a lot of work. It is not easy.”
To gather further opinions from the public regarding the e-voucher proposal, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, recently met with representatives of community associations, Ho noted.
The government acknowledged some members of the public had commented on several occasions that the e-voucher proposal appeared complicated in terms of the vouchers being used via locally-registered electronic payment platforms, and that the scheme was insufficiently user-friendly.
Also, Ho said that the government noted some senior citizens might not be familiar with e-payment. This resulted in the proposal of the scheme’s benefits being made available to them via their “Senior Citizen Personalised Macau Pass Card.”
The launch of the entire 2021 stimulus scheme involved a set of administrative procedures, including submission of law proposals to the Legislative Assembly for approval, the CE clarified.

Expediting cross-boundary travels

The CE said that the government is in close communication with the health authorities on the mainland in order to expedite measures relating to boundary-crossing facilitation. Such measures would be adopted on a bilateral basis, and some arrangements might require consensus within the community.
Currently, a valid nucleic acid test certificate is still compulsory for boundary-crossing journeys in both directions. Therefore, he explained such a measure was in place because it would take some time to analyse how long it would take for antibodies against the novel coronavirus to be built up in vaccinated individuals. Vaccination schemes in Macau and the mainland were still in the second phase of the two-jab process.
Ho added that the government would keep in close touch with the mainland authorities to review the progress on vaccination and on the situation regarding the pandemic. This was with a view to eventually enable boundary-crossing movement so as to return to pre-pandemic levels.