Policy Address | Transport and Public Works Secretary prioritizes public works and vehicle control in long task list

The Legislative Assembly (AL) concluded its plenary meeting debates on the government’s 2015 policy objectives regarding transport and public works last Friday, where lawmakers put forth concerns and suggestions over a wide range of issues; including the delays in public works, old neighborhood redevelopment, environmental facilities, traffic control, telecom services, and the allocation of land resources.
Facing an area with seemingly endless problems, the Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Raimundo do Rosário, agreed on many of the suggestions but also avoided making further commitments. “Now there’s a concept in Macau: any problem that appears would be pushed to the government,” he responded, stressing that the secretariat he leads is taking on more responsibilities than it can cope with, and that he would prioritize not stalling the construction of public works.
In response to lawmakers’ expectations that the construction of the new hospital complex in Coloane does not fall victim to further delays, the Secretary said he would not tolerate nor disregard the stagnation in public works. “This is one thing I’ll definitely deal with: whether it’s one month or two months [of stagnation], I will definitely handle it; if we cannot solve it, why not count bills with the contractor?”
The absence of a safety and quality system certification [QS] in Macau’s public works also raised debate, as well as the weakness in the current bidding system. Lawmaker Mak Soi Kun indicated that the authorities should classify contractors into different levels and categories, rather than allowing all contractors to bid for a project for which they may not possess the expertise. He further suggested the government take the lead to introduce green architecture and construction materials in order to reduce pollution. In response, the Secretary said he agreed with all of these opinions, but was still unable to spare resources.
Lawmakers also concentrated inquiries on the redevelopment of Macau’s old neighborhoods. Several of them indicated that the responsible committee had been established ten years ago to commit planning studies, but no substantial steps have yet been made. Lawmaker Lam Heong Sang also warned that the redevelopment cannot be made for the profit of real estate developers.
In response, the secretary said that the initiative will be carried out under the Chief Executive’s “urban renewal” concepts, and a new committee will be established to take over. “Compared to the concept of ‘old neighborhood restructuring,’ the new concept allows buildings – whether in the old or new districts – to be renovated or rebuilt, based on the property owners’ consensus,” he explained. He also clarified that the government intends to limit the threshold of eligible buildings to the age of 30, but a specific plan has yet to be made. In addition, he revealed that a new round of public consultations will be launched on planning the five new reclamation zones.
Regarding lawmaker Si Ka Lon’s urging for the integration and elevation of the Border Gate area, the Secretary replied that, “there’s not much space to cast.”
“But this is still mostly subject to the public ownership. If this cannot be done, how does the government expect to implement the urban renewal that involves many private ownerships?” questioned the lawmaker.
Regarding solutions to the city’s traffic delays, lawmaker Leonel Alberto Alves stressed that the Secretary “needs courage to make a choice.” In response, Rosário said that controlling the number of vehicles is “an unavoidable measure to be implemented sooner or later.” He announced that this year will see a raise in both driving taxes and car parking fees, and monthly passes at public car parks will be gradually replaced with charges by the hour.
The Secretary also agreed with the lawmakers’ opinion on revising the taxi licensing scheme. He pointed out that about half of the current taxi licenses were granted permanently, implying that “they can be inherited by the owners’ sons and grandsons.”
Environmental facilities for the city’s waste disposal have also drawn a lot of questions. Rosário replied that the mounting pile of refuse exceeds Macau’s disposal capacity. “If I tell you the truth of it, you might not be able to sleep at night,” he told the AL. “Every year there are 4 million cubic meters of construction waste; every day it takes 1,000 trucks [to move]; the construction waste landfill near the airport is dozens of meters high. This is a very critical issue.”

LRT construction costs Gov’t mop9 billion

The Secretary revealed that the government has spent approximately MOP9 billion so far on building the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system. At last Thursday’s AL debates, Rosário apologized for being unable to give a conclusive answer as to how much more time and money the LRT construction would require. Facing lawmakers’ questioning the next day regarding the future budget, Rosário explained that the government may need to re-start the construction of the LRT superstructure from tendering, “thus it’s hard to define the completion date and cost.”

Rosário pledges to streamline administrative procedures

The Secretary for Transport and Public Works announced at Friday’s AL debate that as part of the new buildings’
acceptance procedure, officials must give direct and instant answers on-site to enhance administrative efficiency. The secretary further pledged to improve the approval procedures for construction projects and public housing applications, as well as streamlining the number of departments.
Regarding the bureaucratic procedure of accepting newly completed constructions, Rosário said a decision was made Friday morning in his departments’ joint meeting that, “from now on, in terms of the acceptance procedure, if there’s a problem found on site, [the inspector should] write down an opinion immediately; if there’s no problem, [the inspector should] sign the confirmation immediately.”
“If the person doesn’t have the ability to sign the acceptance or to find problems, this person shouldn’t be sent to do the inspection and acceptance; if one person cannot make the decision, call two or three,” he said, acknowledging that some officials in his area tended to avoid assuming responsibility.
Rosário said the culture of shirking responsibilities within his departments might need time to gradually improve, and that he has requested for all department representatives attending a meeting to “have something to say,” rather than remaining silent when explanations are demanded.
He further revealed that the structure of his secretariat will be halved, starting with the smaller departments. As “there are overlaps in those departments’ functions, and it is very difficult to deal with fifteen departments at the same time.”
The secretariat also intends to seek greater efficiency in other administrative procedures. According to the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) director, Li Canfeng, there are over 2,000 applications for decoration permits submitted annually to both the DSSOPT and the Macau Government Tourist, with approvals pending a Fire Services consult. Li said an inter-departmental group has been set up to explore how best to avoid overlapping duties.