Final runs

At last, the government has taken a stand on the issue of dog racing – or to be more precise, a kind of stand. The operators have been granted a two-year period to relocate the activity or close it down. So the bets (pun intended) are now that the activity will close down. Other issues aside (see the declaration at the bottom of this column), it is difficult to see how this activity can continue being economically viable. Can space be found in the city that is big enough, and cheap enough, to guarantee a decent level of profitability for the activity, either by itself or when compared with alternative uses of such space? In this sense, it seems a somewhat cynical take by the administration. It has not decided to force the closure explicitly, but has set a condition that in all likelihood cannot be met. Bearing in mind the fact that most of the city space is public, unless the administration is willing to provide an alternative space, or authorize a change of purpose of some previously existing land concession, such a space does not seem to exist. (Not to mention that such a development would get us to another dimension in cynicism, which we presume not to be the case.) But the past teaches us that there is great creativity in this domain, so we cannot ever rule out fully any – yes, any – possibility. When a few interests align, no ‘solution’ or ‘interpretation’ appears to be beyond the conceivable. But until then, we have to assume this activity is doomed. It helps that the neighbors’ association seems to concur. They want the activity out of their area of residence – which is understandable – and they want the space to have a public usage – which is laudable. If that happens – for example, the space becomes a park with sporting and other public facilities – it will be an achievement almost as amazing as the winding down of the dog races themselves. Such a plot of prime land would make many salivate – metaphorically of course; I’m not talking here about dogs running after a make-believe rabbit. (Declaration of interest: for the sake of transparency, I have to declare that I am a member of Anima, an animal welfare organization that has long argued for the closure of the activities associated with the dog races in Macau, and is actively promoting an international boycott on the transportation of new dogs to Macau.)