The Times has learned that Inês Chan’s suspected promotion to the position of director of the Government Information Bureau (GCS) is “very likely” because of her performance at the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center’s press conferences. Requesting anonymity, a source with knowledge on the matter told the Times that the Chief Executive had been impressed with Chan’s work.
Currently the head of the Licensing and Inspection Department of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), her appointment as the director of the GCS is still unconfirmed. Last week, when she was asked to verify the news, she only said that she “will wait for centralized announcement, if any.” She added that whichever position she is in, she would be happy to work with the media.
Directly under the Chief Executive, the GCS is the government’s team of media relations practitioners. The bureau is also responsible for disseminating government news releases.
Given the bureau’s delicate responsibilities, the director of the GCS must be appointed by and report to the Chief Executive. The source told the Times that Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has been impressed by Chan’s performance at the regular press conferences to update the public on Covid-19 matters.
According to Agnes Lam, lawmaker and academic in media studies, the incumbent MGTO official has “performed fairly” in the past three months at the press conference series.
However, the academic hinted that more time is required to evaluate whether she would be suitable for the rumored role. “Now she’s in the limelight, but frankly I have not much knowledge of her current responsibilities,” said Lam.
Although only in his first mandate, the Chief Executive has surprised the public several times with his appointments of officials. Ho promoted incumbent Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong U, from her directorship at the Identification Bureau, which handles nationality and ID document applications.
Ho has never explained in detail why those choices were made. Lam hypothesizes that the Chief Executive may be trying to turn from specialist governance to generalist governance.
“The appointment of [Ao Ieong U] is a very good example,” the academic said. “Ao Ieong’s previous responsibilities had nearly nothing to do with social affairs and culture.”
Despite this speculation, the academic thinks the government should explain more thoroughly. “The government should explain its criteria for those choices,” she explained. “Is the government trying to adopt generalist governance?”
Macau has been practicing specialist governance, with civil servants requiring certain education backgrounds to be considered for specific roles. “The generalist governance style is advantageous for horizontal movement within the government, which many civil servants prefer,” Lam explained.
Asked to offer some suggestions to the new GCS director, Lam recommended that the official look into how the GCS can provide better support to the media industry, such as gathering opinions from journalists about whether the time for press conferences is appropriate.
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