Good signs

Alexandra Lages

I have to admit that I am a bit of a sceptic, but three days ago, the Government led by the new Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On scored two points with me.
In the morning, the new president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC), Ung Vai Meng, was sworn in. At the ceremony, although he did not announce any specific guidelines or plans for running the public department, the new president gave a good performance.
In the first instance, he made his remarks in both Portuguese and Chinese, despite having the support of simultaneous translation in both languages. I found this a sign of real tolerance and indicates a willingness to keep Macau’s mixed culture alive.
This is good news for every non-Chinese community, because it means that the new IC president cares about the maintenance of multiculturalism in Macau. This is especially important given that the IC has recently been accused of favouring Chinese culture. For instance, the Macau International Music Festival was criticised for including more and more artists and groups from mainland China.
Secondly, Ung Vai Meng’s remarks were a breath of fresh air because unlike other Government counterparts, he delivered a speech full of content, in which he detailed some of his ideals.
He said that “culture should not be considered as an external decoration without any importance. On the contrary, it is a living reflection of various aspects, such as the depth of our thinking, the breadth of our horizons and our judgements. It is an important component of our sense of belonging and identity for the society and the homeland.”
Ung Vai Meng is an artist himself and I think that will make all the difference in his new position. The protection of the world heritage and the artistic education are his top priorities.
It is nice to see someone sufficiently ambitious to go further the world heritage issue, which is of course very important, but there is no future if you are stuck in the past. It is time to think about the future and create room for new artists.
Still, Ung Vai Meng’s path has just begun and while everyone has praised his appointment, he would be wise to expect more pressure and a higher level of demand. Especially because culture is not developing at the same pace of the economy. His first days as the IC president will be decisive and he should start showing some work as soon as possible.
A chronic problem with the last IC presidency was their lack of dialogue with the media and the public. It was almost impossible to reach the former president Heidi Ho for an interview and the bureau often assumed an inflexible attitude, not dealing very well with critics.
Speaking about the dialogue between the Government and the media, on Monday, the new  Government Spokesperson had a chance to prove that it may work out. At the last Executive Council press conference, the mass media met a totally different system.
Besides the Executive Council’s spokesman, the director of the dedicated public department attended the press conference to reply to media questions.
In addition, it was the first time that the Government spokesman, Alexis Tam, made a statement (nobody was expecting his presence) and also answered reporters questions.
At the moment, Fernando Chui Sai On’s first step of the so-called ‘sunshine Government’ is working.
Let’s see what happens next.