The Public Prosecutions Office of Macau issues a note — a very rare occurrence — acknowledging judicial cooperation in the investigations in Portugal regarding the possible electoral crime in the overseas constituency; Forum Macau reacts to our news report and backs down from its intention to exclude the MSAR (Macau Special Administrative Region) from the Cultural Week, thereby strengthening the Lusophone associations that jointly rejected that exclusion in writing; the Chief Executive responds to PLATAFORMA and announces that he truly does want to go to Lisbon… and takes to the streets, showing leadership and managing an environment that he well knows is deteriorating. So, what brave new world is this? It is the world of normality — but above all, the world of awareness that it is necessary to act, to take charge of the message, and to create the conditions for the overall plan to move forward.
Meanwhile, meetings and charm visits are multiplying in different sectors, where the real power shows interest in people long distanced from formal power, without channels or bargaining capacity. Since this includes institutions and agents of the Portuguese community, on the one hand, it indicates a careful management of the negative impact surrounding the Council of Portuguese Communities, the “Portuguese deputy”, or relations with the press. There is also now management of the environment that Sam Hou Fai will find in Lisbon — both in the institutional agenda and in the media image.
The news that Kevin Ho will become a deputy is also significant. It is the first sign that the new cycle gives in including the new generation of local families, frustrated by the loss of business and political influence. Kevin Ho has his own track record; and, as he once said to *Hoje Macau*, more than being Edmund Ho’s nephew, he is Ho Yin’s grandson. But he is who he is; which signals an awareness of the need for a new social *pax*. The protagonists change, but above all the spirit of a cycle that began heavy-handedly, with all the negative effects in the short-term, and very little appeal for the positive effects in the medium- and long-term. This increases discomfort and veiled resistance, driving away alliances and commitments.
If there is any lesson to be drawn from this, it is that those in charge seem to be starting to realise that corrections need to be made; but it also signals the time for negotiation. Businesspeople, politicians, professional corporations, associations, the general population; Portugal and its institutions… whoever it may be, they must realise that paralysis serves no one. It does not defend its own interests, it does not correct agendas, it does not enlighten those who have to decide; and above all, it does not serve Macau. It is not possible to carry out any plan — with its merits, flaws, and contradictions — without it being understood, negotiated, and adapted to reality; creating conditions even for what does not yet exist. Resolving Hengqin without showing how it benefits Macau is impossible; freeing up consumption across the border while neglecting the SME crisis is a serious mistake; wanting foreign investment — which implies importing critical mass — without convincing the local lobbies that this creates opportunities, and not loss of face or unemployment, only intensifies dissent and headwinds.
Sam Hou Fai’s mandate is just beginning; there is still plenty of time to correct what started off poorly, frightened, and irritated many people. This is not the time for heavy-handed power, nor for mere *compliance*; much less for hiding away in the Palace and in study groups. It is the time for action, for charm, and for communication; for winning over people, investment, and international relations — Portugal first and foremost, because it has more to defend and, therefore, more contributions to make. Diversification, regional integration, and international openness must serve those who are here, those who come, and those abroad who welcome us — no one joins in by decree. Those in charge must understand this, and it is up to everyone to understand what their negotiating opportunity is, fitting interests and agendas into the framework of the overall plan. It is not against the plan — that leads nowhere — it is by correcting its errors and omissions, by aligning perceptions. Power, when it insists on blindness, condemns itself to failure; but fear and withdrawal make everything worse. The primary responsibility lies with those in power, but those who simply remain silent and compliant are not exempt from it either.
*General Director of PLATAFORMA
