Potential chief executive candidate Sam Hou Fai, who is currently seeking nominations from the 400-member Chief Executive Election Committee, has met with electors on the committee’s labour, religious, and sports sectors, as well as representatives from several associations, according to separate statements by his election campaign office, released yesterday, Saturday, Friday and Thursday.
The ongoing chief executive candidacy nomination period, which started on August 29, ends on Thursday.
Labour sector
According to a statement yesterday, Sam paid a visit to the headquarters of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (commonly known as Gung Luen in Cantonese) on Saturday night where he met with 56 of the labour sector’s 59 members on the Chief Executive Election Committee.
Sam was accompanied by lawyer Lei Wun Kong, the trustee of his election campaign, lawmaker Ip Sio Kai, the election campaign office’s head, and educator Chan Ka Leong, the office’s deputy head.
According to the statement, the meeting was chaired by three of Gung Luen top board members, Ho Sut Heng, Leong Wai Fong and Lee Chong Cheng.
In addition, legislators Ella Lei Cheng I and Leong Sun Iok, both Gung Luen most senior board members, also attended the meeting. Both are also members of the Chief Executive Election Committee, but representing the Legislative Assembly (AL) instead of being in the committee’s labour sector.
Introducing his declaration of candidacy during the meeting, according to the statement, Sam pledged to continue to promote Macau’s patriotism and the improvements in the population’s well-being, adding that fulfilling residents’ desire for a better life will be his administration’s most important task.
The statement said that 22 participants comprising legislators and the labour sector’s electors raised opinions and suggestions during the meeting.
According to the statement, the issues raised by the participants during the meeting covered the protection of local residents’ jobs, housing and urban renewal, the convergence of regulations between Macau and other regions in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA), measures supporting local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), social welfare measures, and regional cooperation.
In concluding the meeting, according to the statement, Ho Sut Heng, who chairs the federation, said she believed that Sam has the vigour and ability to unite all sectors of Macau’s civil society to continue to give full play to the institutional advantage brought about by the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, enabling Macau to make greater achievements in its development in various aspects.
According to the statement, Ho urged electors to nominate Sam for his candidacy, enabling him to serve Macau by uniting civil society to integrate Macau’s development into the nation’s overall development so that Macau’s socioeconomic development can enter a new stage and residents’ desire for a better life can be fulfilled.
Sports & religious sector
Meanwhile, Sam met with 13 of the sports sector’s 17 members on the Chief Executive Election Committee on Wednesday last week, according to a statement by his election campaign office on Thursday.
The meeting was held in an office at the Hotline Centre commercial building in Nape.
The meeting was chaired by lawmaker-cum-restaurateur Andrew Chan Chak Mo, who is also a senior representative of the city’s sports sector.
According to the statement, eight of the sports sector’s electors raised their opinions and suggestions during the meeting.
Meanwhile, Sam met with all six members of the Chief Executive Election Committee’s religious sector on Thursday, according to a separate statement on Thursday.
All six members raised their opinions during the meeting, which was held at Sam’s election campaign office in Nam Tung Commercial Building in Nam Van.
The members suggested that Sam’s administration strengthen support of the organisation of religious festive activities and events. The members represent Macau’s Buddhists, Taoists, Catholics and Protestants.
Meetings with manufacturing, tourism reps, think tank
Meanwhile, Sam met with senior representatives from the Macau Industrial Association on Friday where he said that the meeting enabled him to gain a better understanding of the current situation that Macau’s manufacturing sector is facing, a statement on Friday said.
Sam also met with senior representatives from Macau’s five major associations representing its tourism and hotel sectors where he said that through the meeting he was able to gain a better understanding of the current situation that the city’s tourism industry is facing, a separate statement on Friday said.
Meanwhile, Sam met with representatives from local think tank Collective Wisdom Policy Centre on Saturday morning where they raised opinions and suggestions on topics such as urban renewal, flood prevention infrastructures, transport facilities, and the training of talents.
The two meetings on Friday and the one on Saturday morning were all held at Sam’s election campaign office.
According to the campaign office’s previous announcements, Sam has previously met with electors from the Chief Executive Election Committee’s cultural, professional, business, social service, and education sectors, as well as committee members representing the Legislative Assembly (AL), local deputies to the National People’s Congress (NPC), and local deputies to the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Consequently, Sam is yet to meet with electors representing the city’s municipal organs (Municipal Affairs Bureau/IAM).
This handout photo provided by the Sam Hou Fai Election Campaign Office yesterday shows potential chief executive candidate Sam Hou Fai acknowledging applause by members of the Chief Executive Election Committee’s labour sector on Saturday night, at the headquarters of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions.
