Incumbent president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau Guilherme Ung Vai Meng has announced he will step down from his position in the middle of next month, saying the resignation had been planned for a long time.
Ung, who has been with the Bureau for over 34 years and headed the body since March 2010, told reporters on Friday that he had filed the request for resignation during the second half of last year.
“I came from a world of arts to one of administrative work. I have (always) wished that I could return to the world of arts one day,” he said, as quoted by Chinese language newspaper Macao Daily. “Maybe you find my decision is sudden but I have planned it for years,” he added.
Asked by reporters whether his resignation was due to pressures from recent disputes related to the work of the Bureau, the official did not provide an exact answer, saying only it was an honour for him to have served in the position.
He revealed that Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng had tried to convince him to stay on numerous occasions following his resignation but he hoped to focus on his cultural research and creativity by having more freedom of time.
He added that the timing was good for his departure as the operations of the libraries, museums, exhibitions and the cultural centre are all doing well.
Describing the delay in the development of the new central library as one of his regrets, he urged the public to trust the Bureau’s work on the matter.
Leung Hio Meng reportedly successor
Meanwhile, Secretary Tam said over the weekend that he respects the decision of the president despite his regrets about his departure. He believes that the successor of Mr. Ung would be one of the Bureau’s current deputy directors – Leung Hio Ming or Chan Peng Fai.
A report from Portuguese-language broadcaster Radio Macau said on Saturday that Mr. Leung would be the next president of the Cultural Affairs Bureau. Leung, who has a doctoral degree in music from the University of Kansas in the U.S., has served the culture organ since 1995 and has been a vice head of the body since September 2012.
