Macau is full of contradictions; at the same time complex, confusing and frustrating, yet it offers a convenient, easy and generally happy lifestyle. Convenience is the mantra that many use when I canvass their feelings about the place. Never mind having China at one’s doorstep, being only an hour’s ferry ride from the teeming energy of Hong Kong and within only a couple of hours flight of a smorgasbord of other fascinating and exciting Asian destinations. Where else in the world can you be walking down narrow lanes to explore an over 400-year-old UNESCO World Heritage church, then the next minute be sitting at a lake-side restaurant sipping a glass of iced Sangria, followed soon after with a drive past the largest casino revenue earning ‘strip’ on the planet and on to a stroll round the scenic Coloane hills, ending the day with dinner on the beach?
When weighing up the pros and cons of the place for expatriates living here, for non-Chinese, non-Portuguese speakers, there are definitely language frustrations in understanding signs and official documents. The bureaucracy in many of the government departments is infuriatingly nonsensical at times (though so, so much better than it was 15 years ago when I moved here).
More frustrations lie in the excruciatingly slow public projects like the building of the new ferry terminal and light rail. And the strange decisions to schedule road works at nearly every major junction in Taipa, all at the same time!
There are, like many countries, the more insidious disappointments. Lip service is paid to Macau being an open economy, run on the principles of the free market. Macau is a Special Administration Region within China where such principles however do not exist, other than in official statements. Time and again, we see local vested interests stand in the way of improving the communal lot of Macau residents and temporary residents alike. Take the debacle over Uber for example. I’ve never been a user of the ride hailing taxi service, but its alarming to see that it’s been slapped with over ten million patacas in fines after only ten months of being in operation, and despite the local community’s broad and popular support, it is being drummed out of town.
I recall the similar fate of the Reolian Public Transport Co. that introduced beautiful, new, clean, latest-technology buses, but with insufficient support from the authorities, after only four years, was declared bankrupt. And now we’re back to our tired grubby buses again.
Then there’s the half-hearted support from the public services department IACM. Their first civic duty as stated on their website is to “enhance environmental hygiene to ensure the cleanliness of public spaces”. I and other neighbours have been writing in to IACM now for almost a year with a very simple request: to provide and install all-weather signs in our neighbourhood, warning dog owners to pick up after their dogs. Strange email replies are received showing a total lack of comprehension of the request, in spite of graphic photos of dog faeces on public pavements being sent. No signs to date have been forthcoming.
It’s the apathy, the ‘push it on to others’, the ‘don’t bother if it doesn’t affect me’ attitude that can pervade a society like a cancer. Which is just such a terrible shame. Because nowhere else have I come across such kindness and decency as in the average man on the street in Macau. The Macau people are very special and I choose to call this place my home because of them.
The positives are numerous; for the most part the weather is good, and the variety and quality of food in supermarkets and restaurants alike, is excellent. The corporate and individual taxes are some of the lowest in the world and there’s no sales tax.
On the surface at least, it feels a free and easy society that embraces diversity in cultures and nationalities. Despite employers grumbling about the lack of available talent within the Macau workforce – there IS talent to be found; we’ve just found and engaged two really super impressive young people to join my company.
There’s a genuine appreciation of Macau’s heritage and praiseworthy efforts on the part of the government to look after our old buildings like the treasures they are. And there are the joys of the public parks which I have written about before: on the waterfront at Ocean Gardens, the Camoes Gardens, the trails in Taipa and Coloane and all sorts of little open green spaces created for families to enjoy.
And everything is so easily accessible here. Shops and restaurants are easy to reach, banks and post offices, telecom and utility services – all no more than a maximum of 20 minutes away from wherever you are.
Weighing up the pros and cons … well, for those considering a move here, you’ll likely find it a rewarding experience. And for us long-term residents – ‘warts ‘n all’, we count our blessings!