Commentary by Manuel Silvério
Independent Public Policy and Regional Development Analyst
(Former senior public official with international experience and a long-standing commitment to public policy and sports development)
The opening of the Cultural and Sports Bureau (Direcção dos Serviços de Cultura e Desporto; 文化體育局) marks a new chapter for Macau. For someone who helped establish the Sports Bureau (Instituto do Desporto – ID; 體育局) and watched it grow, this is also an emotional moment: an institution to which I devoted a significant part of my life is reaching the end of its existence as a separate body.
I see this merger as an important step towards changing arrangements that needed to evolve. Supporting change does not, however, erase the sadness of seeing a chapter close. Both feelings can coexist, alongside gratitude for the journey and confidence that things can be done better.
I joined the civil service in 1979, in the Department of Tourism and Information, where Jorge Rangel was my first director. It is a connection I remember with particular affection. Eleven months later, I moved to the then Department of Education and Culture, which became a formative place of learning for me. I worked in youth affairs, school sport, and the sports association sector, while also contributing to cultural activities connected with that work and assisting the Culture Division. Through those different fields, and the people who brought them to life, I began to learn how to serve Macau.
Culture and sport then shared the same administrative home, before acquiring structures of their own. I experienced that evolution from within. The Cultural Institute was established in 1982 at the initiative of Jorge Rangel, then Under-Secretary for Education, Culture, and Tourism. Sport organised through associations gained an autonomous structure with the Sports Council (Conselho dos Desportos; 體育委員會) in 1986, succeeded by the Macau Sports Institute (Instituto dos Desportos de Macau – IDM; 澳門體育總署) in 1987. Rangel would later again oversee sport as Under-Secretary for Administration, Education, and Youth.
By a coincidence that touches me deeply, Jorge Rangel returned to Macau for the handover of the presidency of the International Institute of Macau on October 30. Nearly half a century after I entered public service, his passing of the baton and the end of the Sports Bureau’s separate institutional existence fell within the same few days. Such are the coincidences of life – perhaps of fate. To me, they are above all a reminder that posts have their time, but lessons and friendships can stay with us for life.
I record these memories while they remain vivid, grateful to those who helped me learn. They are part of my own journey, but also of the history of a Macau built through the work of many people.
My career began with grassroots work in schools and associations and culminated in organising major events, developing new sports, and supporting facilities during the early years of the Macao SAR. Seeing culture and sport brought together again therefore has a deeply personal meaning for me.
That journey was built by public servants, association leaders, coaches, athletes, volunteers, and partners. Many took their experience into other responsibilities; others remained in sport. I, too, grew professionally and personally through the people I met, what I learned, and the opportunities to serve Macau, here and internationally. For all of this, I am grateful.
The road was not always easy. There were misunderstandings, differences in working styles, and moments of disappointment. None of that diminished my wish to contribute. The announcement of this reorganisation prompted me to write this commentary because I felt my experience and institutional memory might be useful at this moment. I am not writing in pursuit of a post or an appointment. I write because I still care about Macau and the opportunities available to future generations.
That was the purpose of the six articles I published in Portuguese and Chinese in the weekly Plataforma following the merger announcement. To place this reflection in context, I recall their titles here, translated from Portuguese:
“Reorganising Public Services Supports Macau’s Continued Development”
“The Cultural and Sporting Merger: Between the Memory of the Past and Responsibility for the Future”
“An Unfinished Reform: Tourism, Culture, and Sport – The Real Challenge in Leading Macau towards a New Model”
“Linking School and Association Sport: The Structural Problem Macau Can No Longer Ignore”
“How Can Macau Develop a Sports Industry? – A Necessary Reflection”
“School and Association Sport in Macau: A Necessary Comparison with Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Portugal”
I thank everyone who read and commented on them. They were written out of civic duty and affection for Macau.
I recognise concerns raised in those articles in the new structure, from resource coordination and athlete development to sports science and the development of cultural and sports industries. Turning these intentions into results will depend above all on people, their competence, understanding, and ability to work together.
Simplification means more than reducing departments or combining responsibilities. It means making dialogue more direct, clarifying who is responsible, and preventing a matter from being passed between services without an answer. Residents and associations need to know whom to approach and to receive a timely response.
It is encouraging that Deland Leong Wai Man, when presenting the reform as president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Sports Bureau, publicly acknowledged room to improve the criteria, procedures, and assessment factors for financial support. The new Cultural and Sports Fund offers an opportunity to put that commitment into practice.
Subsidies and access to sports facilities should be governed by consistent, publicly available criteria, defined deadlines, and reasoned decisions. Comparable situations should receive equivalent treatment. Simplification should mean making better decisions, fairly and in good time.
It was also to strengthen trust in the sports system that I proposed studying the establishment of an Independent Centre for Sports Mediation and Arbitration, suited to local needs. Supporting, funding, or participating in a decision is a different function from considering a dispute independently.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau and the Sports Bureau each leave a legacy of experience and programmes. Bringing them into a shared plan requires dialogue and clear rules for cooperation between public services and civil society.
From those earlier reflections, I retain three priorities: ensuring continuity for young people between schools and clubs, valuing community initiative in sport for all, and developing sports medicine and sports science through sound scientific foundations and qualified professionals.
I share these convictions with respect for those now taking on this responsibility. I have been, remain, and will continue to be available to collaborate, share experience, and help open opportunities for young people.
I hope the new structure will draw on accumulated knowledge and make room for new ideas and new people. The best recognition of the past will be to enable others to learn, grow, and do better.
The Sports Bureau ceases to exist as a separate institution. What it helped build remains in the people it developed, the capabilities Macau acquired, and the opportunities it created.
I wish the new Cultural and Sports Bureau every success in achieving the Government’s objectives and serving Macau.
Institutional life has its ironies: I find myself offering a welcome and saying goodbye on the same occasion. Both are sincere, though the emotions are different.
Welcome to our new home. To the one I helped build, I offer my gratitude.
Farewell, ID. The mission continues.
