Policy Address | Leong highlights ‘Good Effects’ of economy measures, more to come

Lionel Leong (center)

To present in a more detailed way the economic measures planned by the government in 2019, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong started by positively evaluating the measures enforced in 2018, yesterday at the Legislative Assembly (AL). In the words of Leong, the measures resulted in outcomes such as economic growth of 5.6 percent in the first quarter of 2018, a low level of unemployment as well as a “stable and solid” state of the public finances.

According to Leong, such measures have contributed to an “improvement in the quality of life of the population.”

As for measures to enforce in 2019, Leong presented five categories in which the Secretariat will focus in the upcoming year, starting with the continuation of the participation in the “Greater Bay Guangdong-Hong Kong- Macau Area”. Leong noted the “extension of the concept of ‘home delivery of services’,” in which he proposes that the services provided by the Office of the Macao Trade Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM) in Guangzhou would be extended to residents and companies from Macau that operate in the Greater Bay area. The purpose, he said, was to attract more local companies to the project.

Leong also noted advancements made in the sector of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) in which, according to data disclosed by Leong, “the events of conventions with over 1,000 participants held in Macau, doubled when compared with last year, as well as registering growing income from expenses made by the MICE visitors.”

He said that this justified continuous support to the sector, which would see the “installation of service counters at the Hong Kong border checkpoint” in order to take advantage of opportunities made possible by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.

However, most lawmakers were more interested in hearing about the gaming sector. On this sector, Leong said “we will commit ourselves to closely monitor the evolution of non-gaming activities developed by the gaming concessionaires, urging them to explore their activities in line with the positioning of the World Tourism and Leisure Center.”

“We will insist on a rigorous control over the size of the [gaming] sector and in the fulfillment of the principle of the annual average growth rate of not more than 3 percent in the total number of gaming tables [until 2023].”

On the topic, several lawmakers questioned the Secretary on how the government would increase its supervision, namely in regards to the activities of gaming promoters (junkets).

“We are accelerating the production and revision of legal as well as management regimes so that gaming activities will be conducted strictly according to the law and in a fair manner,” replied Leong, adding that specific measures would be presented in the process for the new gaming concessions tender.

Questioned by lawmakers José Pereira Coutinho and Sulu Sou on the process behind the analysis and approval of financing requests by the Industrial and Commercial Development Fund (FDIC), Leong assured that the government “will perfect the mechanism, as well as the supervision.” Coutinho, Sou and other lawmakers that pressed Leong for information on this matter were referring specifically to the funds granted to airline Viva Macau.

According to the Secretary, there is currently an ongoing study that aims to “produce new legislation to raise the level of the regulations as well as the transparency on the operation of the companies that run with public funds.” He noted that such changes would promote “efficiency in the use of public money.”

The reply did not convince the lawmakers, who urged the Secretary to disclose publicly (or at least to the AL) the accounts of such companies. However Leong noted that, in some cases, the disclosure was not possible due to the “nature of the businesses” and “sensitivity of the information.”

Secretary says casino social responsibility includes plastic use curb

Questioned by lawmaker Agnes Lam during yesterday’s plenary session at the Legislative Assembly (AL), Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong admitted that the government has already discussed the social responsibility of the gaming industry and that at the time of the gaming licenses tender “will introduce more elements that are favorable to the environment.”

“Yes, we are already considering that,” Leong said, adding, “we are [considering] how we can [promote] energy saving as well as recycling and also reduce the use of plastic. These are matters that we need to take into account and that are definitely responsibilities of the gaming sector.”

Lam had taken the opportunity of the policy address debate at the AL to highlight that in Macau there is no accurate data reflecting how much plastic waste is produced (namely resulting from plastic water bottle distribution).

“We don’t have any statistics regarding the number of plastic water bottles that have been distributed by each casino, but I know that the number is huge,” she said. “The gaming sector is using too many resources; land resources, human resources and also environmental resources.”

Lam urged the government to establish and enforce rules that prevent the exploitation of environmental resources, noting that the license tender period that is fast approaching would be the perfect opportunity for the government to demand concrete measures on the topic.

Sou questions Leong on CE candidacy

LAWMAKER SULU Sou addressed the plenary during the presentation of the policy address for the Secretariat of Economy and Finance questioning whether Secretary Lionel Leong intends to put himself forward as a candidate for the position of the next Chief Executive (CE). Sou’s question received no reply from the Secretary, who ignored the question, which came in a sequence of topics relating to cases occurring in the organizations and institutions under the supervision of the Secretariat.