Prominent legislator Lam U Tou has criticised the Macao Orchestra, saying it has shown little improvement in its new form as a privatised company since it split from the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) earlier this year.
Macao Orchestra Company Limited was established in February to manage the operations of the Macao Orchestra and the Macao Chinese Orchestra, the IC stated.
According to Lam, a business model for the orchestra should have more flexibility than within the government structure.
“There are pros and cons for the privatisation of the orchestra. On the one hand, the orchestra needed to actively look for methods to balance its income and expenditure, leading to fewer guarantees for the musicians’ income. On the other hand, with risk comes reward, and if the orchestra managed to find a way to cooperate with the business sector, especially the gaming sector, I see no reason for privatisation to fail,” Lam told The Macau Post Daily.
However, so far, the government does not seem to have any plans for the orchestra besides cutting the budget, Lam said, adding: “It’s a shame that the public sector is seriously lacking talents to manage not only the orchestra but the cultural sector in general. There is no doubt that the orchestra has been facing management problems in the recent decade, but cutting the budget is not helping at all.”
Lam said that the government should seriously consider how to develop the orchestra strategically and make use of its new position as a private company. “Instead of constantly looking for new developments, the local government should treasure institutions the city has at the moment. The Macao Orchestra is one of them,” Lam noted.
