FOUNDER & PUBLISHER Kowie Geldenhuys EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paulo Coutinho www.macaudailytimes.com.mo FRIDAY T. 27º/ 32º Air Quality Good MOP 8.00 3810 “ THE TIMES THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ ” N.º 09 Jul 2021 HKD 10.00 MELCO LAUNCHES ‘SHARE PURCHASE COVID-19 TEST VALIDITY THE GOV’T RAKED IN A REVENUE OF AND AWARD PROGRAM’ FOR EMPLOYEES MOP49 BILLION IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE VOLUNTARY FOR GUANGDONG EXTENDED YEAR, OF WHICH MOP43.7 BILLION WAS LEAVE PROGRAM IN 2020 TO SEVEN DAYS FROM THE GAMING SECTOR P4 P6 P6 China yesterday criticized what it called the “politicization of sports” after British lawmakers urged a boycott of the The change of some faces 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics unless China running in the direct election allows an investigation will not cause any significant of complaints of human NEW FACES, rights abuses in its changes to this year’s AL northwest. A boycott “will not succeed,” Foreign elections, says political scientist Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. LITTLE TO NO Sérgio de Almeida Correia; Philippines A cargo academic Eilo Yu said it will vessel and a Cyprus- P2-3 flagged dredger collided be ‘unpredictable’ in a Manila Bay anchorage area yesterday, resulting in no injuries but causing the cargo vessel to list and RELEVANCE lie half-submerged in the busy waters. It was not immediately clear what triggered the pre-dawn accident near Manila’s Baseco shoreline, which caused the M/V Palawan Pearl to tilt and take on water and damaged the paint on the dredger’s hull, coast guard officials said. AP PHOTO South Korea There is no sign that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been inoculated against the coronavirus and his country hasn’t received any foreign vaccines, South Korea’s spy agency said yesterday. The National Intelligence Service told lawmakers in a closed-door briefing that it hasn’t detected any information that North Korea has acquired vaccines, according to Ha Tae-keung, one of the legislators who attended the session. Baghdad Rockets landed in and around the heavily fortified Green Zone in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, which houses the U.S. Embassy, causing material XINHUA damage yesterday, Iraqi security forces said. Two Katuysha rockets fell Caritas Macau near the national security building, and in an open to launch courtyard inside the Green Zone. A third rocket fell in a nearby residential local-style area, damaging a civilian vehicle, the statement by café employing the Iraqi security media cell said. senior citizens More on backpage P4 page 2 www.macaudailytimes.com.mo MACAU 澳門 09.07.2021 fri MACAU’S LEADING NEWSPAPER Gov’t to merge card pack into unified app next month Political scientist says ‘turncoat’ group will decide the AL elections The government has RENATO MARQUES announced that, next month, it will consolidate 12 cards OLITICAL scientist Sér- related to local residents into gio de Almeida Correia the one-stop government believes that the resul- MARQUES RENATO app — the first phase of ts of the September 12 Pelection for the Legislative As- planned consolidations. These cards include the Health sembly (AL) will be in the hands Bureau medical “Gold” card, of just one of three groups of vo- the vocational health and ters. He has identified this group safety accreditation card, and as volatile and easily influenced the Sports Bureau sporting by the idea of future benefits as registration card, among a result of the election. others. The government also In an exclusive interview with hinted that the app will see the Times, Correia explained an upgrade next year that will that the change of some faces allow the interconnectivity running in the direct election is of data, possibly including of little relevance and will not personal data, but no specifics cause any significant changes to were provided. the way the AL works or in the decisions made by the plenary. DSEDJ offers He claims that the final outcome training and of whether there will be more internships for pro-democracy or pro-estab- youth lishment legislators in the next term is in the hands of a group A total of 1,344 youths signed of voters who are more influen- up for a scheme organized ced by potential benefits than by by the Education and Youth political ideology. Development Bureau (DSEDJ) “Today we have three groups designed to help local young in Macau. [The first] is compo- people make good use of sed of the patriots: people close their leisure time. The scheme to the Chinese Communist Party, offers short-term training and the working class and traditio- internships for local youth nal sectors such as the Kaifong and students, helping them [neighborhood associations] third group who decide between have the most to lose with chan- HIGH FRAGMENTATION upskill in their spare time. and some more powerful local a more nationalist or more de- ges [to the AL] and those I have TO CONTINUE It is collaboration between associations,” Correia said. “[In mocratic composition of the the most uncertainty about [re- When asked for a prediction 36 public departments and the second group are] the de- Legislative Assembly,” he said. garding] how they will vote on of the upcoming composition of private enterprises. Through mocratic patriots, who support “These are the ones who will September 12.” the AL after the September elec- a series of online tests and universal suffrage and want to interviews, 471 candidates increase the power of residents’ were selected for the six- voices. [This group comprises] week internship program this summer holiday. a very significant part of the mi- ddle class, merchants, civil ser- Academic sees upcoming vants, mid-range company staff IPIM helps SMEs to and young university students.” election as ‘unpredictable’ refine e-commerce Correia believes that the third OCAL academic Eilo Yu expects the up- to retain their advanta- tactics group, which he considers to be coming parliamentary election to be ges is a debatable matter. the most influential in the elec- competitive and unpredictable, despite On the other hand, a The Macao Trade and tions, comprised of “a very vo- fewer lists participating. group that split into two lis- Investment Promotion latile, opportunistic electorate, LIn an interview with local Chinese paper the ts in the last election choosing to reunite as a Institute (IPIM) organized whose only interests are in [po- Macao Daily News, Yu gave his analysis on this single list is running a safe strategy, Yu said. He the “Cross-border tential] business they can pro- year’s Legislative Assembly Election. He poin- added that more observation is needed to de- E-commerce Promotion fit from. [These are the people ted out that although fewer lists are fighting for termine if communal societies are retaining or and Marketing Strategy that] today claim to be patriotic, the same number of seats, it will be more com- losing their influence. Course” on July 6-7 with the but […] in the past they sub- participation of over 170 petitive than in previous elections. Yu also estimated that the effects of the pan- missively supported the colo- business representatives. He pointed out that last four to five seats will demic may have an impact on the resources for The course is intended nial power. They are capable of be the most difficult to determine. promotions that candidates can enjoy. It may to help Macau’s small and changing [sides] easily, and they Considering four incumbent lawmakers will be beneficial to a clean election, he said. medium enterprises (SMEs) are heavily dependent on local either transfer to the indirect election consti- He explained that the pandemic has struck expand their source markets Mandarins, casinos, restauran- tuency or withdraw from the frontline, the flow the economy hard, which may lead to a reduc- through e-commerce. The ts, and real estate deals [as well of votes is still unpredictable but will be diver- tion in the number of resources available for IPIM also organized 20 as] promises of future prosperity ted, according to Yu. the elections. With a drop in the promotional business matching sessions made to them.” Meanwhile, the impact of the departure from efforts, certain lists may experience weaker su- between businesspeople and In Correia’s analysis, the three the frontline of lawmakers Ng Kuok Cheong pport. cross-border e-commerce groups approach the elections and Au Kam San is still unclear. They have gar- On the flipside, the academic added that the marketing firms to allow them differently. nered established support in the previous two shortage of resources may help clean up the to forge ties. “I believe that it will be the decades. Whether their successors will be able election. 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