Smart cities are the future. Today more than ever, nations around the globe are starting to adopt new developments to enhance their cities’ smart capabilities.
One such nation is Macau, which joined hands with the Chinese technology giant Alibaba group in 2017. The goal was to develop a public-private partnership project that aims to turn the special administrative region into a leading smart city in the Asia Pacific region.
Enforcing the new local cybersecurity law requirements is fundamental in Macau’s development of Smart City initiatives and their integration into national development, Deloitte cybersecurity consultants told Macau News Agency (MNA).
In 2017, local authorities signed a four-year partnership agreement with the Alibaba Group to help Macau transform itself into a ‘smart city’ via cloud-computing technology in two phases, with the first having finished last year.
Read more: Cybersecurity legislation essential for Smart City development – Deloitte
The public University of Macau (UM) and state-owned Nam Kwong Petroleum & Chemicals Co. Ltd. (NKOIL) have signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement, according to a UM statement on Friday.
Through the agreement, both parties hope to promote the commercialisation of research results, cultivate talent, and jointly create a smart city in Macao, said the statement released through the Macao Government Information Bureau (GCS).
Read more: MO: UM, NKOIL ink deal on collaboration in smart city development
Introduction
Under the Administrative Procedure Code (Decree-Law 57/99/M, dated 11 October 1999), administrative acts in Macau must generally be performed in writing. Thus, given the way in which COVID-19 has affected everyday life, Law 2/2020 (dated 30 March 2020), which was recently approved by the General Assembly, could not have come at a more appropriate time.
This article sets out the main features of the new law, which will enter into force on 28 September 2020.
Read more: MO: New e-government law will streamline administrative proceedings
In a hard-hitting report published Thursday, the Commission of Audit (CA) slams the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau (SAFP) for its “sluggish” progress in the development of e-govermment services over the past two decades.
The report says that back in 2001 the government set up a working group – consisting of officials from a raft of government entities – tasked with formulating strategies and coordinating related tasks by various entities for the development of e-government services. The operation of the working group is coordinated by the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau.
Read more: Macau e-government services development “sluggish”: audit