The 10 principal officials of the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) sixth-term government, including its five policy secretaries, took their oath of office yesterday under the supervision of President Xi Jinping, and the quintet pledged that taking on board Xi’s four aspirations for the new government, they would thoroughly implement the president’s important instructions, vowing to enhance governance quality in their respective portfolios.
The four points of hope put forward by Xi for Macau’s principal officials are to develop a holistic mindset; to take on responsibility and be enterprising in their work; to strengthen solidarity and cooperation; and to perform their posts with impartiality and integrity.
The new government held yesterday evening a reception at the China-Portuguese-speaking Countries Commercial and Trade Service Platform Complex (also known as Forum Macao) in Nam Van, with about 1,400 people attending the reception, including local government officials and civic leaders from all walks of life.
The new and reappointed principal officials, including Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Ip, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture O Lam and Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man talked to the media one after the other.
André Cheong Weng Chon
Reappointed as secretary for Administration and Justice, Cheong thanked the central government for its trust in him to continue to serve Macau, saying that Xi’s hope for the new government, which emphasises the need to enhance the effectiveness of Macau’s governance and to improve its institutions, mechanisms, laws and regulations, “is a clear indication of the direction of Macau’s future development”. Cheong vowed that he would continue to improve the legal system in the light of the new situation and requirements of national security.
Wong Sio Chak
Wong, who was also retained in his post as secretary for Security, said he “is greatly encouraged and inspired” by the “four points of hope” put forward by Xi to the new government, which clearly expressed Xi’s higher requirements and expectations for the principal officials of the new government, as well as his demands on their personal qualities and style of governance, vowing: “I and all my colleagues in the Secretariat for Security will do our utmost to carry out our work in accordance with the relevant requests of the president”.
Wong also quoted Xi as affirming the work of the previous MSAR government in safeguarding national security, reaffirming that “the amendment of Macau’s national security law is a new starting point, not the end point, and that there are still other legislative amendments, relevant mechanism adjustments and capacity development measures to be done in the future”.
Tai Kin Ip
The secretary for Economy and Finance said that his “economic and financial affairs team” will fully implement in the next five years Sam’s philosophy of governance and the various tasks put forward by the new government in line with the president’s important instructions and expectations for Macau’s development. In response to Xi’s expectations for the Guangdong-Macau In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, he added, “We will steadfastly implement the plan and introduce more specific measures to promote the appropriately diversified development of Macau’s economy and facilitate the life and employment of Macau residents”.
When asked by reporters about the feasibility of continuing the soon-to-be-concluded “Macau Consumer Grand Prix”, Tai said that the effectiveness of the campaign would be fully analysed and reviewed after the conclusion of the event tomorrow, and that the prospects for future economic development would be “critically” reviewed with new measures to revitalise the economy to be “carefully” examined.
Wallis O Lam
O, who said that her confidence and determination to do a better job was further strengthened by President Xi’s important speech, pledged to implement a people-centred approach in the social affairs and cultural fields, saying: “We will implement the concept of people-centredness and take meeting the public’s aspirations for a better life as the starting and ending point of our work”.
She also said that the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture would be more proactive in reaching out to the community and engaging with the general public to understand their needs and, at the same time, also be more proactive in listening to the views of all sectors of the community, especially youth groups, with a view to formulating policies and measures that better meet the needs of young people, thereby creating an environment more conducive to the growth and development of young people.
Raymond Tam Vai Man
Tam said that a raft of important recent policies in terms of infrastructure, transport, communications, environmental protection and urban renewal, including various reclamation projects and the opening of more Light Rail Transit (LRT) lines, were inseparable from the central government’s ongoing “strong support” for Macau, adding that under the “deep encouragement” of XI’s important speech yesterday morning, all staff in the field of transport and public works would work in conjunction with the development of the “smart city” concept for Macau, apart from optimising cross-departmental decision-making and services with innovative thinking, while giving priority to tackling urgent social and livelihood issues in accordance with a priority approach, so that “we can fly higher, go further and achieve better development”.
Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon (from left to right), Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Ip, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam and Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man talk to the media after yesterday’s reception at Forum Macao in Nam Van. – Photo combo: Yuki Lei
