Macao in search of new status

Press, 18 April 1981, Page 14

Macao in search of new status

There always seems to be something' happening in Hong Kong, with its raw capitalism, its refugees and its ambiguous relationship with China. But what of Macao, its Portuguese sister 65 kilometres away across the Pearl River estuary? Its news, modest by Hong Kong standards but for Macao the most important for years, is that it is to have its first university. It is expected to open in the autumn; a rector, Mr Hsuch Shousheng, formerly of Singapore, has been appointed and advertisements for staff have been placed in European publications.

the cast has waited for more than 400 years to found its own

university. Hong Kong, a mere 140 years old, has two. But the early Portuguese traders who turned Macao into one of the richest cities in the world regarded it as no more than a fat trading post. Their' children were sent to be educated in Lisbon.

In Macao's long decline no one seemed to have the energy to keep the place in good repair, let alone endow a university. Even the huge cathedral of St Paul was never rebuilt after a fire in 1935 and its remains are the most prominent structure in Macao today, a rare monument to Jesuit irresolution.

Macao became a tourist curiosity, occasionally visited by travel writers who stayed at its shabbily comfortable Bela Vista Hotel and wrote of the territory's seedy charm. It has some fetching buildings, including a baroque theatre (at present housing a strip show). It was a centre of gold and diamond smuggling and its economy still depends heavily on income from. its 24-hour casinos, largely frequented by Chinese from Hong Kong, It may seem odd that the oldest European settlement in

where gambling, other than on horses, is illegal. The saddest moment in Macao's history came in 1974, when, in an anti-colonial gesture, post-revolutionary Portugal told China that it could, if it wanted, have Macao back. China thought it over and graciously declined the offer. China-watchers have made much of the event, arguing that China did not want to frighten Hong Kong, but the likeliest explanation is that China decided that, without its demimonde economy. Macao would be a liability, and give China some more mouths to feed. In Portugal, Macao is not regarded as a desirable posting, and the Government is hard put to it to fill the top civil service jobs, even the Governor's. But Macao's fortunes may be changing. New office, hotel and apartment buildings are going up. Conservationists grumble, but the place is starting to look more prosperous. The university will give the place status, and, with its emphasis on business studies in English, will help the economy. There is renewed talk of building an airport, instead of relying on Hong Kong's. But don't expect every- - thing to happen at once.