The Macau Synergy Association think tank handed to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng yesterday a petition with over 8,900 signatures demanding the suspension of the construction of the 28-metre-high Kun Iam statue in Hac Sa Reservoir Natural Park, and retaining the original barbecue facilities and grass ski slope and explaining the detailed reasons for increasing the budget of the construction of a large-scale youth adventure camp between Coloane’s Hac Sa Beach and the nearby hillside from 230 million patacas to 1.6 billion patacas.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon announced the youth adventure camp project featuring various adventure, sport and recreational facilities in a press conference that was held by the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) last Tuesday. During the press conference, Cheong said that the 1.6-billion-budgeted project, which was expected to be fully completed in 2025, will cover the reconstruction of part of the Hac Sa Reservoir Natural Park, a hillside vehicular road, an adventure camp, as well as the construction of a 28-metre-high Kun Iam statue.
Speaking to the media at about 11 a.m. yesterday at Government Headquarters on Rua de S. Lourenço, Macau Synergy Association President Ian Heng Ut pointed out that as of 10 a.m. that morning, the association had received 8,929 signatures for the petition in just three and a half days, adding he hoped that the government will listen to the public opinions and their appeals requesting a “clear” explanation for both the detailed contents and the allocation of the 1.6 billion-pataca budget.
The online signature campaign was launched by the association on Thursday.
In addition, directly-elected lawmaker Ron Lam U Tong, vice president of the association, urged the government to give an account of the reasons for the lack of public consultation on the joint construction of the Kun Iam statue and the youth adventure camp.
Lam said that through the signature campaign, residents would continue to supervise the local government as is their right, adding: “As a lawmaker, I will listen to public opinion and play a role in monitoring the government”.
Lam also said: “The incident highlights the problem of fiscal discipline in the government”, urging the Commission Against Corruption and Commission of Audit (CA) to take the initiative to carry out investigations in to it.
Macau Synergy Association President Ian Heng Ut (centre), Vice President Ron Lam U Tong, a directly-elected lawmaker (left) and Chairwoman Che I Kei pose with a petition addressed to Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng, at Government Headquarters on Rua de S. Lourenço. – Photo: Yuki Lei
