SAFP stresses importance of pro-patriotic groups

The Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) has emphasized the importance of prioritizing communication and cooperation with associations that embody the patriotic spirit of “Loving the Motherland, Loving Macau.”

In response to a written interpellation submitted by lawmaker Lei Chan U regarding the enhancement of governance at the grassroots level, the bureau emphasized in a statement its commitment to improving local governance and community engagement.

In the SAFP statement released yesterday, the bureau noted that “the current-term government will actively implement the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s important instructions […] It will establish a working mechanism for regular communication and exchange between the leaders of major pro-patriotic and pro-Macau associations and the Special Administrative Region government.”

This aims to, according to the statement, enhance the mechanism for expressing the views of such associations, strengthening “the guidance of public aspirations, the collection of opinions, and the pooling of wisdom.”

The bureau stated that the government will review and improve existing legislation on societies to enhance their management and regulate their development, considering overall national security and Macau’s social development needs.

The statement repeatedly emphasizes love for the country and love for Macau, detailing the bureau’s measures for grassroots governance, including improving the community work network, consolidating the public base, formulating social services planning, exploring a quality standard and appraisal system, coordinating the participation of pro-patriotic organizations in community building, and supporting their roles in the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.

So far, Macau has nearly 12,000 associations of various types, covering more than 10 areas such as arts and culture, science and technology, sports, law, education and youth, commerce and industry, and services. YL