It happened to be today, it could be tomorrow; what it couldn’t do was not to happen again. Preventive measures are once again questioned and the distance between the Palace and the people grows. Who predicted three years ago that intolerance to the virus would remain at the same level today? And everything else costs when we see our sister, Hong Kong, emerging from the bubble that Macau cannot… otherwise burst.
It happened to be today, it could be tomorrow; what it couldn’t do was not to happen again. Preventive measures are once again questioned and the distance between the Palace and the people grows. Who predicted three years ago that intolerance to the virus would remain at the same level today? And everything else costs when we see our sister, Hong Kong, emerging from the bubble that Macau cannot… otherwise burst.It’s not about preventive discipline that is triggered with one case, two, three… it’s about the case, which is Macau.
Autonomy is not only enshrined in law, it is protected by the steps taken in this direction. Chips continued to be placed in an already yielded market. Macau, blind and deaf, did not realize in time that autonomy was reinforced, conquering more… being more ambitious in its exposure to the world.
Today, trapped in the web of arrogance, she does what she can to maintain the only bridge she knew how to develop. Maintaining the Continente market – the only one it knows about – is the priority, so that greater evils do not arrive.
The numbers speak for themselves and to question them is to evade reality. There are few concrete ideas about the next step to take. And these solutions only gain legs after reopening.
Seen in this way, the question becomes even more relevant: “When?”
Nobody knows.
But one thing is certain: talking about the local reopening disregarding the national one is shooting yourself in the foot. The crisis is not resolved with the reopening, even more so when everything indicates that the game will not bring the same dividends.
It is already known that the path is different: it involves Portuguese-speaking countries and new industries. For this, also new talents, which Macau has to import. With each day that was ignoring what was already inevitable before the pandemic, strength was lost to decide differently. Many local workers live on the other side; the recipe too.
And then Macau activated the survival instinct. Right now, preventing the virus from wreaking havoc on the relationship with the Continent is seen as the only political success.
It was seen in June that, when its propagation is “allowed”, the recovery slows down and retreats. Yes, events have been cancelled, namely Lusofonia, and it takes a step back to take care of ten more.
However, the authorities must not forget why they fight. Intransigence is with the virus, not with the needs of the population and companies, which are many, and do not disappear with consumption cards and subsidies.
The population perceives the difficulties, feels them firsthand, and asks for a mutual commitment. If the strategy is dynamic, then the authorities must understand that the needs of those who fulfill it are also dynamic. One cannot fall into the error of thinking that those who do not have a present are satisfied with the future (much less when this is not even clear).
Communication between the Government, companies and the population is extremely important, especially in times of stress. Nobody wins if there is no relationship between the parties when the storm comes out – so another will come: the divorce between the city and its future.
*Executive Director of PLATAFORMA
