Commentary by Manuel Silvério
Former President of the General Assembly of the Macau Civil Servants’ Association (ATFPM)
Macau stands out because of a rarity that cannot be manufactured overnight: the ability to live and work across languages, cultural codes and social habits without friction. For too long, we have treated that difference as memory, ceremony, or heritage to be preserved – important, but not enough. The question that matters now is different: how do we turn identity into “installed capability”? How do we move from “bridge” as metaphor to “bridge” as an operating mechanism - with teams, skills, responsibilities and results?
When I speak of “bridge” and of bilingual and bicultural profiles, I mean a wider human ecosystem: Macanese*, Lusophone** descendants, Portuguese nationals and other Lusophone residents in Macau – all those who, with competence and commitment, help Macau connect different worlds.
The idea is simple, and demanding: if Macau wants to be a platform, it cannot limit itself to celebrating its distinctiveness; it must make that distinctiveness work. Making it work means treating this advantage as human infrastructure: training, placing, evaluating and sustaining it over time. Put more plainly: fewer slogans, more system.
A bridge, not a slogan
“Lusophone bridge” cannot be just a pleasing phrase. It must translate into real work: people able to unblock projects, reduce cultural friction, accelerate decisions and ensure that rules and expectations do not collide at the first bend. It must also mean credibility - the trust Macau earns when it places capable professionals at the junctions between institutions, businesses, and markets. And it must mean the circulation of talent: without practice, experience and exposure, the bridge becomes cardboard and distinctiveness turns into scenery.
Shared responsibility: not only “for associations”
If continuity is the goal, responsibility cannot rest solely on “associations”, nor solely on “individuals”. It must be shared, clearly, among three actors: the Central People’s Government (concerning national strategy and horizon-setting), the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) (concerning policy design, channels and instruments), and the Lusophone community living in Macau (concerning networking, mentorship and mobilisation). The question is straightforward, yet rarely asked aloud: why are so many well-educated young people – trilingual or not – increasingly distant from this multiculturalism which is perhaps Macau’s rarest wealth, its gift and its most valuable asset? If the answer is merely “times have changed”, we are giving up. If the answer is “pathways are missing”, then the remedy is obvious: create real routes, useful missions and continuity.
There is also an organisational reality that matters. At times, there are many leaders and many “presidents”, but not always enough coordination for concerted action - shared priorities, a calendar and measured outcomes. Without that minimum articulation, effort disperses: each institution does what it can, but the sum does not become critical mass.
And there is another, more subtle reality: identity is not always embraced in a straight line. Some Macanese prefer not to be identified as such; others live that sense of belonging quietly; others assume it fully. This is not a moral failure; it is the portrait of a small and plural community. But it has practical consequences: when self-identification is fragile, continuity becomes harder to build, because succession stops being natural and becomes dependent on chance.
4 safe principles for a more mature community
Without pointing at anyone, there are four principles that help clarify where improvement is possible - and that can be discussed in a constructive spirit.
1) The community also includes the private sector
We cannot think only about those being part of associations and institutions. A mature community must also consider those who invest, take risks, employ people, pay market rents and try to create pathways through their own effort. Whenever public support exists for internal structures (which can be legitimate), one simple principle should be safeguarded: transparency and proportionality. Social missions should be protected; what matters is that rules are clear, so that an environment is not created – even unintentionally – that discourages investment and local entrepreneurship.
2) Participation with continuity: energy and talent need a channel
Macau has electoral, consultative and associative mechanisms. What is often missing is continuity: turning energy, talent and legitimacy – wherever they exist – into concrete missions, with a timetable, responsibilities and evaluation. When there is no predictable channel, people reorganise pragmatically and in a dispersed manner. The collective cost is evident: constructive critical mass declines, unity weakens and succession becomes fragile.
It is also important to recognise a simple fact: decision-making positions are limited, and systems naturally favour predictability and continuity. In such a context, it is natural that different profiles – including professionals who have developed relevant competence in Portuguese language and culture through training pathways in Macau and in Portugal – are called upon to perform certain functions. The essential point is not to choose “some” against “others”, but to ensure that Macau’s specific advantage – the capacity to mediate and work between worlds – is treated as a priority, with clear criteria, ongoing training and mixed teams that deliver results and succession.
3) Intangible heritage must be a programme, not an ornament
Macanese culture – cuisine, Patuá, memory, humour, sociability – and also cultural expressions embedded in Macau’s historic DNA, such as Portuguese folk dance, cannot survive merely as a calling card or occasional appearance. Valuable initiatives already exist, for example through institutions such as Casa de Portugal em Macau, which promote cultural activities, gatherings, themed programmes, and training. But if this is truly an asset for Macau, it must be treated as such: with multi-year programmes, targets, regular scheduling, documentation, and transmission. That requires structured proposals and stable financial support, because living culture needs continuity, not applause.
4) Identify who is available and can be developed
There are people with skills and the will to contribute – bilingual/trilingual profiles, experienced professionals, well-trained young people. A practical, low-controversy step would be to create a simple mechanism to map skills and availability, and link that map to projects with clearly defined tasks and deadlines. This reduces personalisation, normalises entry routes and turns goodwill into delivery.
Measure, rather than imagine
Debates about continuity often die for lack of numbers. If we want to be serious, we need aggregate data: how many bilingual profiles exist, where they work, how they progress, what training they have had, which projects have been rotated, and what outcomes have been delivered. Without that, discussion remains trapped in “I think”, “I feel” and “it has always been this way”.
Ultimately, all of this has a political and cultural consequence: Macau should not limit itself to the “Macau paragraph”. Integration into national development requires reading the whole picture and asking where Macau adds value. If Macau wants to be a bridge, then it must treat that bridge as human infrastructure - with training, circulation, mission and evaluation.
And here I return to the essential point: Macau’s distinctiveness is not preserved by decree, nor by automatic succession and closure, as if certain positions were fixed; it is built through concrete choices - study, languages, work and commitment - and, above all, through transmission to the next generation. But that transmission cannot be an occasional act of goodwill; it must be a system.
If we do this with serenity, without strife or vanity, everyone wins. The community stops being remembered only in ceremonies and becomes useful, present and respected. Macau stops using “bridge” as a slogan and begins operating it as capability. The alternative is familiar: continuing to praise a difference while it slowly fades - and that would be a strategic loss, for Macau and for the country.
*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
** Etymologically, the term is derived from “Luso-” (referring to Lusitania, the ancient Roman province corresponding roughly to modern Portugal) + “-phone” (meaning “speaker”). Describes people, communities, or countries where Portuguese is the primary language. The collective Portuguese-speaking community is known as the Lusosphere (or Lusofonia in Portuguese). – DeepSeek
