After yesterday afternoon’s Policy Address at the Legislative Assembly (AL), four residents told The Macau Post Daily in Nape that they were happy to still be receiving the 10,000-pataca cash handout next year but they have different opinions on when should the government give out the money.
A female resident, Jenny, said that she was happy about the 10,000-pataca wealth-sharing handout but she was hoping to receive it before Chinese New Year in early February. She added that if the government were to launch another round of its consumption subsidy, she hoped that the government could allow residents to top up their cards anytime they want not only when their consumption smartcard has a balance lower than 10 patacas.
Three residents, two females and one male, also told The Macau Post Daily that they were happy about the 10,000-pataca cash handout for permanent residents and they did not mind when they receive it. They all hoped that the government could continue the e-consumption subsidy, as they believe that the consumption smartcard would benefit the local economy. The trio said separately that they have already topped up their cards and have been using the remainder of the immediate discount grant.
When asked about their thoughts on the government keeping the 6,000-pataca continuing education subsidy, a female resident, named Winnie, said that she hoped that the government would increase the amount so she could take her driving test for free. A male resident, surnamed Ho, said that he had used the subsidy for English classes and was disappointed by the quality of the classes. He added that even though the subsidy is sufficient, the quality of the courses on offer could be improved.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive (CE) Ho Iat Seng also announced yesterday during the 2022 Policy Address that the government would start giving out 5G licences. Jenny and the resident surnamed Ho said that they were indifferent about the licensing, adding that they would continue using 4G unless it becomes mandatory to upgrade to 5G. However, an anonymous female resident and Winnie said that they had already signed up for their 5G plan and were looking forward to Macau being able to access a more developed network.
Besides all the financial benefits and technological advances residents can expect next year, the CE also reminded residents that non-degradable plastic straws and stirring sticks will be banned next year. Jenny deplored the policy as she did not think that this would be an effective way to help the environment. She also said she thought that “when there are still no suitable clean and environmentally-friendly substitutions for straws, banning the import of plastic straws would cause inconvenience to a lot of residents.”
The other three residents said that they did not mind about the policy, however all opposed the use of paper straws as they said paper straws tend to make drinking a beverage a more difficult task than it is supposed to be. Ho said that he would rather companies redesign their cups so that customers can drink beverages without a straw.
This photo taken yesterday shows two consumption smartcards handed out by the government last year as part of its subsidy scheme to revitalise the local economy which has been severely affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: Prisca Tang
