No formalities – from debate to delivery
Commentary by Manuel Silvério
Former President of the General Assembly of the Macau Civil Servants’ Association (ATFPM)
The reactions to the previous article confirmed that this subject is, at once, strategic, institutional and deeply human. António Costa raised the discussion to a higher level: a genuine “Macanese* pipeline”, able to train young people to operate internationally as managers, consultants and cultural mediators – a geo-economic instrument, not a nostalgic gesture. José Basto da Silva (and “Boscoquinho**- in his own way) pressed the central point: without public policy, targets and measurement, everything remains symbolic. Anabela Ritchie captured the urgency with a line that needs no ornament: “Only those who do not want to see, fail to see”.
Rui Marcelo, in unmistakably Portuguese register, said he is crossing his own Cape of Storms – in The Lusiads style: Bartolomeu at the helm, Adamastor trying to seize the fleet, Bacchus plotting in the Council of the Gods, and the hope that Venus appears in time to steer the voyage away from danger. In plain terms, there are difficult phases and entrenched obstacles, but the journey continues – and we do not need melodrama to keep our course. Diogo Calado then offered the most grounded testimony of all: he and his family chose Macau for its promise as a meeting point of cultures, openness and better opportunities, yet he sounded a calm warning – beyond geography, expectations can fall short when the city becomes overly protectionist, with informal barriers that slow down those who want to contribute with work and results. His suggestion is straightforward: look to references such as Hong Kong and Singapore and learn from their mechanisms for predictability, talent integration and delivery. That is why this text is practical: how to move from conversation to delivery.
The current context makes this urgency even clearer. The Macau SAR seeks to deepen co-operation with the Lusophone world and attract more Portuguese investment. This is a real opportunity – but it does not end with capital: it requires people, networks and capability. Investment without talent, and without channels for human cooperation, is incomplete. Macau can and should position itself as a platform that welcomes qualified professionals – in technology, medicine, business, management, education and culture, as well as sport and major events – people who can raise standards, build bridges and accelerate projects.
As Leonel Alberto Alves wisely reminded me, one hallmark has always defined us: internationalism – not only in linguistic terms, but in the ability to adapt to different ways of living and working. This should be valued and actively pursued by new generations: keep Portuguese as a bridge, yes, but also invest in other globally circulating languages with commercial reach, strengthening Macau’s competitiveness and the strategic usefulness of these profiles.
That is why I propose an immediate, simple step: an Open Gathering of Young People and Professionals from the Lusophone Diaspora in Macau. A gathering that brings together young Macanese, Portuguese nationals, Lusophone descendants, and those shaped by Macau’s newer realities – people of mixed ethnic and cultural backgrounds, including Chinese, Filipino, African, Brazilian, Russian, Mongolian and others, reflecting the city’s living multicultural mosaic. Not as an identity slogan, but as Macau’s contemporary reality – and as an advantage, if organised well.
The objective is direct: build networks, map skills, and launch two or three deliverable tasks, with a timetable, in areas such as business, technology, health, education, culture, sport and events. Mobilisation can be equally simple and effective: each participant brings and invites one or two young people ready to take on the challenge. Within weeks, a critical mass can be formed without relying on heavy organisational machinery.
One condition is essential: no formalities. No stage, no rigid protocol, no endless speeches, no ceremonial choreography. A working session, direct and focused, centred on people and outcomes. Macau already knows this model works: many condominium management committees prove it. When there is a volunteer core with good sense, and minimal competent support (clear rules, technical guidance, a contact to unblock what gets stuck), things move forward – and nobody needs a “minister for the garage”. Community work is similar: less pomp, more core, tasks and continuity.
To ensure credibility and focus, the gathering can be prepared by a provisional organising committee, with temporary and consensual leadership – for example, a respected public figure broadly accepted socially and politically, such as our fellow Macanese Leonel Alberto Alves, if he so wishes and if there is convergence.
As for the framework, the ideal is plural and transparent institutional support, without politicisation: invitation and presence from the MSAR Government, the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the MSAR, and the Consulate-General of Portugal in Macau and Hong Kong, as entities that can facilitate contacts, open doors and signal publicly that this effort is welcome. “Support” here should mean exactly that: enable, clear pathways, remove friction – not capture the agenda.
After the gathering, the key is not to let the energy fade. For that, light coordination is enough: an annual (or semi-annual) Macau–Lusophone cooperation forum, with two or three shared priorities, simple targets and reviews – focused on projects, not on “representation”. Within that framework, a practical line of work on “Macau–Portugal: young people and entrepreneurs” would help turn intent into partnerships, with less friction and better results.
To start without bureaucracy, a short preparatory committee (for example, 90 days) could be set up simply to map initiatives, select priorities and define minimum rules for rotation and transparency. With one guarantee: it does not replace existing associations; it coordinates what is common. And where institutions are present, their role should be technical support or observer – enabling and unblocking, not taking over.
Ultimately, this requires a genuine culture of change: renewal as normal practice, not something met with reflexive defensiveness each time it appears. This is not about confrontation; it is about method. Not about replacing people, but ensuring that experience becomes mentorship, and that renewal becomes the rule – not the exception.
Macau already has enough walls and history. What it needs now is harder and more dignified: continuity with courage, turned into simple, regular and measurable initiatives. Fewer exceptions, more pathways. Fewer announcements, more delivery. And above all: more mission – not only representation.
*Customarily, the term “Macanese” denotes Macau’s community of mixed Portuguese and Asian descent and/or upbringing, and its diaspora. – Note by The Macau Post Daily
**Typical of his father, Bosco. The word is a diminutive form in Portuguese. – MPD
