Rear Window | May power

Severo Portela

Inspired by the slogan that proclaims “Only Macau is Macau”, we are ready to believe this presumed uniqueness and stubborn localism refers to everything going on the small territory. In other words, Macau seems to have a particular way of handling things. In general, to rise above challenges, to reach consensus, to diminish divergences, to adapt to new realities, to cut corners…in places where a stranger would spot shortcomings on transparency and legal certainty. Probably, this kind of viewpoint inspired in its turn the well-known boutade of the rule around the law.
Indeed, it does not matter. We took this sort of linguistic walkabout just to underline a feeling of bizarreness induced by Professor Zeng Zhonlu –
the gaming business watcher from the Research Centre of the Polytechnic Institute – in his proposals on junket regulation. Professor Zeng thinks the most important thing behind the big casino revenue drop is not the anti-corruption drive in the mainland or the competition around Asia, but the “non-sustainability” of the so-called junket operations. We will dispense with dispute on his assessment as well as other aspects of Professor Zeng’s evaluation, but what we do not understand is that he calls for a top-to-bottom review of operations and tighter regulation, but not a hint on how to strengthen junket regulation. Besides…it is not scientific to examine in isolation the junket piece from the other pieces of the puzzle.
OK. Sorry, but we have to say it… not too different from ‘only Macau is Macau’. What do we say when we talk about the junket regulatory framework? Better an answer than a defensive interrogation: it says nothing and yet everything!
The point is May is coming and at least a trio of gaming unions are ready to take to the streets in First-of-May activities in different venues or routes (but not Senado Square – that fell out of use) to voice some grievances around the local employment safetynet, universal smoking ban and to demand a trade union law. Apparently, the three associations are not prepared to let go of Labor Day without a public demonstration, in spite of the decisive action Secretary Lionel Leong has been pursuing alongside the casino operators. That is May power!
Leong met the representatives of Macau’s six concessions and sub concessions to discuss the “industry” and to recall that the casinos’ commitment in hiring, training and providing career opportunities should be taken into consideration in the mid-term, interim review of the concession contracts.
As to the ‘new normal’ of gambling revenues around 20 billion per month, it seems it is going to stay for a long period, adjusted or otherwise. Whether Macau adjusts easily or not to this policy, this is a given to which the MSAR must now adjust itself through diversification. In just a week, China opened two more doors to help Macau fulfill this purpose: Guangdong Free Trade Zone in Nansha, and the Macau/Fujian cooperation in the “Belt and Road Initiatives”.
Post Scriptum:
We’d like to close April with a pair of middle-­of-the road notes. The banking sector is hot: the Bank of China sets up a team in Macau to promote, at a professional level, business with Portuguese-speaking countries; Portuguese BNU made a smart move towards Hengqin; Citibank confirmed closure of its retail branch.
The consultation resource is being seized upon like never before: the much sui generis public consultation mechanism keeps on being used and abused as an alternate participatory mechanism for all kinds of issues inducing its risibility. After the divergent episodes of the public consultation on a Fisherman’s Wharf skyscraper, the government announced consultations on plastic bag fees and on a public abattoir.