in fact implemented
?
to amend the Organic Statute. This would enable him to propose constitutional change, and in the short term this means 6 more Legislative Assembly delegates and 2 more Under Secretaries (Health and Education). She was confident the Governor would return successful. I did not press her on the issue of additional delegates during my presentation of credentials call (Deputy Political Adviser has reported on this from a telephone conversation with Economic Affairs Under Secretary Antonio Simoes). But I did ask about health and education and the role of Chinese in the new departments.
Localisation
5.
Dr Ramao said that in both areas of administation there was much to be done and that the Chinese role also needed re-evaluation. She anticipated the appointment of a senior Chinese administrator in education would be announced early in 1990. Slowly, and very late in the day, we can expect localisation to happen. Edmund Ho (General Manager of Tai Fung Bank, son of Macau Government Chinese adviser Ho Yin and possible Governor of Macau SAR post 1999) commented that in the past the system effectively disallowed Chinese administrators; Portugese was a sine qua non for promotion above the lowest ranks, and it was not taught in most schools. Besides, bright Chinese were more interested in making money than learning Portugese. Now he thought it essential that less than fluent Portugese did not exclude Chinese from reaching the top. Otherwise the Macanese would occupy these positions in 1999 faute de mieux. (For anyone who has known Angola or Mozambique there is a sense of having been here before.)
Focus on Education
6. It is no coincidence that a separate education department is being created not long after the Macau Government bought out the East Asia University. The University's syllabus has been expanded drastically, including a government funded teacher training programme (in Cantonese), a Law Faculty (there are no Chinese lawyers at present), a Science and Technology Faculty and (coming soon) an Engineering Faculty. At the same time the Government is pushing ahead for a separate Technical Institute. For none of these programmes will Portugese be the language of instruction.
Vietnamese Refugees and Thai Ladies of the Night
7. By contrast to the priority given to education, security (which includes immigration) remains a low key affair. Immigration Chief Major Barata is to be found in a delightful crumbling stucco block. He told me he had no computers but there were laws pending which would reduce the ease and low cost of over extension of visas, largely by Thais and Filipinas, his greatest problem. Vietnamese refugees are not a major issue in Macau, not least through the excellent work of our Macau Warden Father Lancelot (Catholic Relief Centre Director) and another British priest Father Alec (Smith) at the camp. efforts the numbers of Vietnamese refugees has been reduced from 8,000 to 400. I will report separately on this after my next visit.
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