The Macau Science Centre (MSC) incurred a loss of 165 million patacas last year, Mak Soi Kun, who heads the legislature’s Follow-up Committee for Public Finance Affairs, quoted its representatives as saying yesterday.

Mak briefed reporters after a closed-door meeting of the committee, which asked representatives from public-funded Macau Science Centre Limited, Macau Slaughterhouse Limited, and Macau Urban Renewal Limited to brief its members about their respective operational and financial conditions.

The Macau Science Centre Limited is co-owned of the public Macau Foundation (FM), Macau Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) and Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre (CPTTM).

The Macau Science Centre in Nape opened in 2010.

According to Mak, the representatives from the centre who attended yesterday’s meeting, including its curator Sio Hon Pan, told the committee that the science-themed museum had a gross revenue of 17.7 million patacas last year, but incurred a loss of 165 million patacas. Last year’s financial loss was covered by the Macau Foundation, Mak quoted the representatives as saying.

According to Mak, the committee members asked the representatives how the centre would be able to break even in the future – i.e. generate revenue that can cover expenditure. Mak quoted the representatives as saying that the centre has gradually reduced its number of staff from 130 initially to 93, and also has recruited more volunteers to support its operation. The centre has also been reducing the number of staff by using digitisation, Mak said.

According to Mak, the representatives told the committee that the centre plans to jointly hold exhibitions with science centres in other cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA) with the aim of reducing the Macau Science Centre’s exhibition costs.

Legislative Assembly (AL) Follow-up Committee for Public Finance Affairs President Mak Soi Kun addresses yesterday’s press briefing after a closed-door meeting with representatives from Macau Science Centre Limited, Macau Slaughterhouse Limited, and Macau Urban Renewal Limited about their respective operational and financial conditions. Courtesy: TDM

Meanwhile, the representatives from Macau Slaughterhouse Limited who attended yesterday’s meeting, including its board member Lam Sio Un, told the committee that the abattoir had a gross revenue of 18.2 million patacas last year, but incurred a loss of 1.47 million patacas. The slaughterhouse has recorded a cumulative loss of 21.6 million patacas since the company was set up, Mak quoted the representatives as saying.

According to Mak, the two major shareholders of Macau Slaughterhouse Limited are the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) holding 61.08 percent and China Construction and Engineering (Macau) Company Limited holding 27.5 percent.

According to Mak, the representatives told the committee that the slaughterhouse charges 92 patacas for each slaughtered pig, but the price has not changed since 2007. The committee members urged the company to consider adjusting the price, and the representatives replied that the company would consider the matter but a public consultation would be needed so as to reach a consensus in civil society, according to Mak.

Mak quoted the representatives as saying that the slaughterhouse is employing 92 staff, most of them on a monthly salary of less than 10,000 patacas. The abattoir is having difficulty in recruiting new staff, and its equipment is obsolete, Mak pointed out.

According to Mak, the committee members also criticised about the lack of information about the slaughterhouse as residents know very little about it, urging the company to release more information on the Internet.

“There is a serious lack of transparency. Information cannot be found on the Internet, such as the shareholder composition,” Mak said.

Meanwhile, the representatives from Macau Urban Renewal Limited who attended yesterday’s meeting, including its chairman Peter Lam Kam Seng, told the committee that the company had a gross revenue of 980.000 patacas last year but expenses of 2.41 million patacas so that it incurred a loss of 1.44 million patacas, according to Mak.

The Macau Urban Renewal Limited is currently planning three main projects, namely 1) a residential project consisting of home swap units and temporary housing units on Plot P in Areia Preta district – where the ill-fated Pearl Horizon residential project is located, the land concession of which was annulled in early 2016, 2) a residential project for Macau buyers on Hengqin Island, and 3) a study on the redevelopment of seven blocks of dilapidated residential buildings in Iao Hon district.