The Stranger | Love me tender

Sheyla Zandonai

In statements reported by local media this week, Macau’s newly appointed Chief Executive (CE), Ho Iat Seng, claimed that the SAR would become “an example of the nation’s reunification.”
Macau’s third CE, whose inauguration will take place on December 20, roughly a month from today, was speaking in an interview with China Media Group (CMG) broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV), and claimed, with confidence that only belongs to someone who has not yet fully gotten their hands on the job, that the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle is, from Macau’s standpoint, on an ascending curve for betterment and further development.
No one in Macau is in a better position to praise the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ formula as Mr. Ho, who is gearing up to follow a line of continuity with his predecessor’s rather scant work, pledging to accomplish projects which were supposed to have seen the light years ago, including housing.
As anticipated vis-à-vis those assuming the top government position here or in Hong Kong, there is no rhetoric that is detrimental to the principle which was devised decades ago by Deng Xiaoping. As it is to be expected, there is, though, also a tendency to lean towards the ‘One Country’ side of the equation.
Mr. Ho is simply making a step that would sooner or later be performed by future governments of Macau, hitting on the practical question of integration with mainland China. One of the ways he chose to do this was by focusing on the importance and actuality of the state-sponsored Greater Bay Area project, by encouraging Macau residents to seek jobs in one of its cities, for instance.
The time is as opportune as ever. The beginning of Mr. Ho’s term will coincide with the 20th anniversary of Macau’s handover to China and protests in Hong Kong are sparking more controversy and opposition than normal from people who consider themselves to be democracy supporters or, at least, supporters of Hong Kong’s right to universal suffrage.
During his interview with the Chinese media, Mr. Ho was, therefore, making a point against the protests that have been assaulting the former British colony for nearly half a year now, arguing that residents in the neighboring SAR are losing sight of the “balance between rights and duties.” He then suggested that the way to work out this perceived problematic behavior would be to focus on education. Here, he is following a school of thought reminiscent of nationalist programs or communist governments, by focusing on moral and civic teaching.
He is not alone. Several legislators in Macau have previously stressed “the need” to pay more attention to the ways kids are being educated in the city’s schools and to strengthen love for the motherland.
But Mr. Ho is seemingly disregarding the fact that schools are not the only repository of learning and culture. First, there is home, then there is the world, which in Macau means access to a connected, interactive and heterogenous digital space that includes all sorts of international and social media.
The masses may still buy into that patriotic line, but there is a class of people in Macau who is not prone to being so easily persuaded in this regard. For this crowd, supporting Hong Kong’s cause or, more specifically, its hard-liners may not be an option, or not even desired. But patriotism is also out of touch with their reality and the ways they plan to educate their offspring. You can encourage residents to embrace the Greater Bay Area professionally, but you can’t teach love.