Sam Hou Fai, the sole candidate for Macau’s sixth-term chief executive, has embarked on a series of walkabouts in various neighbourhoods recently.
Sam visited the Seac Pai Van public housing estate in Coloane yesterday, accompanied by about half a dozen community leaders. During his walkabout, he spent most of the time talking with senior citizens to understand their living conditions.
Sam’s first stop was outside Seac Pai Van Health Centre, where he spoke with two elderly residents and listened to their comments on the government’s public health services.
At a bus terminus in the sprawling housing complex, Sam observed the bus services and raised concerns about overcrowding, particularly in areas heavily populated by local residents and non-resident workers (NRWs). Sam expressed the hope that the completion of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Cotai-Hengqin section, scheduled to open by the end of this year, would help address the community’s transport needs.
Sam also visited a community canteen to ask its users about its food quality and prices, and also spoke with people in the street, including those with disabilities, to gain better insight into their living conditions.
Concluding his visit to Seac Pai Van, the 62-year-old former president of the Court of Final Appeal (TUI) acknowledged quality issues that surfaced during the construction of Seac Pai Van public housing. However, he underlined the collaborative efforts of the government and developers in implementing remedial measures. Sam underlined the present inclusion of comprehensive ancillary facilities in the public housing complex, and he anticipated that the forthcoming LRT extension would enhance transportation accessibility in the vicinity.
When asked by reporters about ensuring the quality of public housing, Sam underlined the need for a more hands-on approach during the progression of public housing construction. He underscored the importance of bolstering thoroughness and precision in design, construction, renovation, supervision, and post-quality management procedures to systematically reduce the likelihood of quality concerns.
Sam also highlighted that the government has garnered significant insights from the Seac Pai Van public housing construction, adding that future public housing endeavours, including the Zone A public housing project development, will prioritise a more thorough consideration of residents’ needs, in order to ensure increasingly suitable public housing solutions for the community.
So far, Sam has visited the Iao Hon district, San Kio district, Inner Harbour area, central Taipa, and Seac Pai Van. The chief executive election campaign period will end on Friday night, with the election slated to be held at the Forum Macao Complex in Nam Van district on Sunday. By law, electioneering is prohibited on the eve of an election.
Sam Hou Fai talks with senior citizens in a community canteen during yesterday’s walkabout in Seac Pai Van. – Photos: William Chan
Sam Hou Fai speaks with a bus station employee in Seac Pai Van yesterday.
