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The Cultural Affairs Bureau (CAB) is now accepting, from October 17 to 21, applications from registered non-profit cultural associations for a series of subsidy programmes, namely the "Application for Financial Support for Cultural Activities/Projects", the "Programme for Human Resources Training in Cultural and Arts Management" as well as the newly created "Arts in the Community Financing Plan". The projects that meet the following criteria will be prioritised:
1. That take the community as a stage, encourage residents' participation and improve the community cultural atmosphere;
2. That make use of Macao's public spaces such as streets, squares, gardens, monuments, etc, research the history of the city's quarters, cultural aspects and architectural characteristics;
3. That include programmes of arts education, workshops and school tours for children and teenagers, related to human resources training in the cultural and arts area; 4. That encourage originality, in particular of scripts and literary works;
5. Related to contemporary art;
6. Related to the research, transmission, education, school promotion and dissemination of the intangible cultural heritage as well as complete performances of Cantonese opera;
7. Dedicated to the education, research and dissemination of Macao's cultural heritage as well as to raising awareness to its protection;
8. Creative programmes or specialised research in the fields of the city's culture, arts, literature and history;
9. Artistic production and specialised research exchange programmes with foreign cultural associations, scholars and artists; exhibitions and demonstrations abroad of local cultural and artistic creations;
10. That contribute to the training of local audiences and reinforce cultural consumption in Macau such as the implementation projects of ticket sales systems.
Annually, the CAB subsidises cultural activities related to literature, visual arts, Chinese calligraphy, photography, music, dance, theatre, Cantonese opera, traditional song, academic research, video, etc. The newly created "Arts in the Community Financing Plan" is aimed at encouraging local artistic associations to enter communities, promoting residents' collective production and participation, forging bonds within the communities, bringing residents' closer to the arts and boosting the territory's cultural development in several fields, thus promoting local cultural values and strengthening Macao's culture and arts' sustainable development. The application form and related documents can be obtained at the CAB building, located at Tap Seac Square, or downloaded from www.icm.gov.mo. Applicants should hand in the form and any relevant documents at the CAB building, daily from 10am to 5pm, from October 17 to 21 (including Saturday, Sunday and lunch breaks). For more information, please call 2836 6866, during office hours.
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The University of Macau (UM) welcomed back approximately 6,000 undergraduate students today (16 September), the first day of the new semester. Among the 6,000 students, more than 1,500 are first-year undergraduates. Regarding the class schedules, UM notes that for this semester, most of the courses will still be conducted on the current campus, because the various buildings on the new campus are undergoing quality inspection. UM hopes that when all UM students and staff move to the new campus, students will be able to experience firsthand the benefits of the university's unique "4-in-1" mode of education. This year UM received a record number of over 9,000 applications for undergraduate studies, up 21 per cent from last year. Of the 1,520 admitted students, undergraduates account for 80 per cent. To attract more outstanding local students, UM this year continues to provide scholarships to those recommended by their middle school principals. This year a total of 247 students received scholarships in this category. On the curriculum front, UM this year launched two new degree programmes, namely the Doctor of Philosophy (Biomedicine) Programme (Molecular Biology and Biomedicine), and the Bachelor of Science in Accounting Programme. Adjustments have been made to four degree programmes, namely the Bachelor of Science in Accounting Programme (Accounting and Information Systems), the Bachelor of Business Administration Programme (Global Business Management), the Bachelor of Law (Day-time) Programme, and the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Programme. Also, the original Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities has become two separate faculties: Faculty of Social Sciences, and Faculty of Arts and Humanities. UM is now providing full cooperation to the Macao SAR government and the contractor in carrying out the quality inspection and handover of the various buildings and facilities on the new campus, so that it can start full-scale operation on the new campus next spring. UM hopes that students can cherish their days on the current campus and, after moving to the new campus, experience firsthand the benefits of the unique "4-in-1" mode of education, which consists of discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, as well as community and peer education. Prof. Haydn Chen, vice rector for student affairs, made a special trip to the new campus this morning to check how students were doing on the first day of the new semester. In a thoughtful gesture to help cool the summer heat, UM prepared some ice cream, attracting over 100 students. Kary Lei, a new student from the Department of Communication, says, "The beautiful campus, the international faculty, and the all-English teaching environment are what drew me to UM in the first place." She is very excited about starting a new chapter in her life, saying that she will make the most of the four years and take active part in the various extracurricular activities organised by her residential college. Another new student named Toby Wong from the Faculty of Science and Technology highly praises UM for its various services aimed at helping students to adapt to the university life. He says he is particularly interested in the English writing consultation service and hopes to gain practical knowledge from it. He also plans to participate in UM's international exchange programme to broaden his horizons.
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The Fourth Ministerial Conference of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries Economic Co-operation Forum (Macao) will be held in Macao on 5-6 November. The two-day event, themed "New Starting Point, New Opportunity", will include the opening ceremony of the Ministerial Conference, the Ministerial Conference, several activities entrepreneurs from China and the Portuguese-speaking countries to meet, and business matching for the Fund for Co-operation and Development between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries. In the decade since the Forum was founded, China and the Portuguese-speaking countries had worked closely with the Action Plan on trading, investment, agriculture, human resources, tourism, medical and health and culture, resulting in mutual developments and benefits. It contributed to the advance of the co-operative level of economic and trading between China and the Portuguese-speaking countries. Based on the past foundation, the fourth Ministerial Conference will continue to adhere to the principle of pragmatic and efficient signing of the trading papers for 2013-2016 to reinforce the co-operative area and target between China, and the seven Portuguese-speaking member countries. The Forum once again serves as a bridge between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to boost the level of co-operation. Founded in 2003, the nature of the Forum is non-political international economic co-operation, organised by the government for the purpose of economic co-operation and development. It is aimed at strengthening economic relationships and co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking countries to demonstrate Macao's importance as a platform between them and to promote the mutual benefits and development. Members of the Forum are Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, East Timor, Mozambique, Portugal and China.
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Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Travel Mart 2013 is held from September 15 to 17 in Chengdu, China. Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO) sponsored the PATA Gold Awards Luncheon and Award Presentation on September 15.
The three-day PATA Travel Mart 2013 is held in Midwest China for the first time. The event gathers international buyers and sellers who utilize this professional platform to network and seek business opportunities, in addition, there were forum and workshops for exchanges. Representatives of 10 hotels, resorts, travel agencies, convention and exhibition centres from Macau participated in the Travel Mart.
MGTO has been supporting the PATA Gold Awards since 1996, so as to promote Macau tourism. MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes congratulated all PATA Gold Awards 2013 winners during the announcement earlier on and has given a strong endorsement to the innovation and excellence performance. This year, 4 Grand and 22 Gold Awards have been presented.
PATA Chairman João Manuel Costa Antunes attended the luncheon and presented the awards with PATA CEO Martin J. Craigs to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of stakeholders in various tourism industry aspects.
Founded in 1951, PATA is a non-profit membership association dedicated to building responsible development of the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. Macau has been a member of PATA for over half a century since 1958.
PATA has currently more than 42 chapters and 10 student chapters around the globe. PATA's membership boasts more than 80 government, state and city tourism bodies, nearly 50 airlines and cruise lines, and hundreds of travel industry companies.
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The Electoral Affairs Committee for the Legislative Assembly Election announced the following preliminary results of the direct and indirect elections of fifth-term Legislative Assembly early this morning, shortly after the completion of vote-counting: Direct Election:
1 Nova União para Desenvolvimento de Macau (New Macau Development Union): 13,086 2 Liberais da Nova Macau (New Macau Liberals): 3,227
3 Associação de Activismo para a Democracia (Association of Macau Activism for Democracy): 923
4 Associação de Promoção de Direitos dos Cidadãos (Citizens' Rights Promotion Association): 848
5 Associação de Novo Macau Democrática (Democratic New Macau Association): 8,826
6 União Para O Desenvolvimento (Union for Development): 11,961
7 Observatório Cívico (Macau Civic Watch): 5,224
8 União de Macau-Guangdong (Macau-Guangdong Union): 16,248
9 Nova Esperança (New Hope) : 13,118
10 Associação para Promoção da Democracia, Liberdade, Direitos Humanos e Estado de Direito de Macau (Ideais de Macau) (Democracy, Liberty, Human Rights and Rule of Law Promotion Association of Macau (Macau Dream)): 1,006 11 Associação Esforço Juntos para Melhorar a Comunidade (Association of Joint Efforts to Improve the Community): 2,306
12 Aliança Pr'A Mudança (Alliance for Change): 8,755
13 Associação dos Cidadãos Unidos de Macau (Macau United Citizens Association): 26,385
14 União Promotora Para O Progresso (Progress Promotion Union): 15,816
15 Frente do Movimento Operário (Labour Movement Front): 227
16 Supervisão pela Classe Baixa (Grassroots Supervision): 368
17 Aliança da Democracia de Sociedade (Social Democratic Alliance): 179
18 Ações Inovadoras (Breakthrough Action): 1,641
19 Associação de Próspero Macau Democrático (Democratic Prosperous Macau Association): 10,986
20 Cuidados para Macau (Caring for Macau): 5323 Indirect Election:
Industrial, Commercial and Financial Sector - União dos Interesses Empresariais de Macau (Macau Union of Employers' Interests ): 701
Labour Sector - Comissão Conjunta da Candidatura das Associações de Empregados (Federation of Employees' Associations): 769
Professional Sector - União dos Interesses Profissionais de Macau (Macau Union of Professional Interests): 441
Social Services and Educational Sector - Associação de Promoção do Serviço Social e Educação (Association for Promotion of Social Services and Education): 1,327
Culture and Sport Sector - Associação União Cultural e Desportiva Excelente (Excellent Culture and Sport Union): 1,165 President of the Electoral Affairs Committee for the Legislative Assembly Election, Mr Ip Son Sang, told a press conference that there were 151,881 ballots, recording a voting rate of 55.02% for the direct election. He also revealed that there were 4,345 invalid votes and that the General Counting Committee will summon a meeting to analyse them. The Legislative Assembly is the sole legislature in the Macao Special Administrative Region. The fifth-term Legislative Assembly is composed of 33 members, 14 of whom are elected directly, 12 indirectly and seven appointed by the Chief Executive. There were 20 interests groups with a total of 145 candidates running for 14 directly-elected seats; on indirect election, there were 12 candidates from five sectors contesting 12 indirectly-elected seats in the election.
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The President of the Electoral Affairs Committee for the Legislative Assembly Election, Mr Ip Son Sang, said the election today (15 September) went on smoothly and the polling stations operated in a fairly good order during today's election. He made the remarks when he gave a conclusion of the general situation of the polls which closed at 9:00pm. In a stand-up briefing at 11:00pm, he said the operation of the Committee had been delayed for one hour and 10 minutes because of two candidates' behaviour at two polling stations before vote-counting, adding that one was taken away by Public Security Police after disobeying repeated orders by polling officers to stop. He expressed his regret and denounced their conduct, pointing out that candidates should have stronger law-abiding consciousness and higher morality. He also said the incident had resulted in delaying the entire process of the Electoral Affairs Committee, including the statistical data and the release of voter turnout information. Electoral Affairs Committee staff would speed up vote-counting and complete the work as soon as possible, Mr Ip said. He said that 13 voters had been detained by police for further investigation for allegedly taking photographs of their votes with mobile phones: one was required to assist in the investigation. He added the Electoral Affairs Committee had repeatedly appealed and issued clear guidelines against the use of mobile phones in polling stations. Mr Ip said also said the voting rate was a bit lower than the previous election, for various reasons including the increase of registered voters. The authorities would have further studies on this, he added.
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Director-General of the Customs Service, Mr Choi Lai Hang, returned to Macao from a business trip just in time to cast his ballot in today's Legislative Assembly election. Mr Choi went to the polling station at the Chinese-Portuguese Primary School to vote this evening. He urged voters who had not yet turned out to go to the polls as time was running out, noting that the present election's turnout rate was so far lower than that of the previous election. But this year's election was conducted more smoothly compared with previous elections, he added.
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The President of the Legislative Assembly, Mr Lau Cheok Va, today encouraged the members of the next Legislative Assembly to double their efforts in serving the people and keep improving the legislature in line with social developments. Speaking to reporters after casting his vote this afternoon, Mr Lau said today's election had run smoothly. He said he believed that given the new legislature will have two more directly elected seats and more candidates as well as more registered voters compared with the previous election, competition would be tough. Commenting on the need to amend the electoral law, he said any revision would have to be in line with social changes and public opinion.
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The Commissioner Against Corruption, Mr Fong Man Chong, said the Commission was confident in maintaining the fairness, integrity and legality of today's Legislative Assembly Election. After casting his vote at the polling station at Portuguese School of Macau, Mr Fong said that the election today would demonstrate that Macao was committed to the elevation of its political atmosphere. He said he believed that all voters would vote with their judgment and conscience in selecting their representatives, and urged those who still had not voted to go to the ballot. Mr Fong also urged the candidates and election helpers to act in accordance with the law. He said that the Commission had maintained close contact with the candidates and found out that many of them acted lawfully, especially after being advised by the Commission. As of the vote-buying case discovered two days ago, Mr Fong said that some people still dared to break the law, and, speaking from the viewpoint of a law enforcer, even one case was one too many. He said that the Commission had been following up on some complaints and admitted that the numbers of acts that tested the boundary of legality had increased to an unprecedented level. Some frontline workers of candidates did not follow the instructions of their respective groups. He said that there is room for enhancement in the current election law and that a revision of this law would help the Electoral Affairs Committee, the Commission Against Corruption and the police in enforcement, as well as better clarify different situations for the candidates. Mr Fong disclosed that Commission officers were stationed near every polling station and they had already corrected some law-breaching acts. He said that the Commission had done its utmost commensurate with its resources. He said that the most crucial thing is the effort of the voters: if they can say 'no' to all the irregularities, they can make a difference to the entire social environment. The Commission is confident and capable of maintaining the fairness, integrity and legality of the election, he stressed.
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The Secretary for Economy and Finance Mr Francis Tam Pak Yuen, said today the Government would continue to work closely with the new Legislative Assembly and would enhance the implementation of every policy. Mr Tam made the remark after casting his vote this afternoon. He also called on voters who have not voted yet to go to the polls, which would close at 9 pm this evening. He added that every ballot would serve to promote the overall development of Macao.
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