Chief Executive-designate Sam Hou Fai says that he expects to complete the selection of his incoming administration’s top officials later this month and then report his choice to the central government requesting their appointment by the State Council.
Sam made the remarks during a 30-minute press briefing at the local airport in Taipa on Saturday, after returning from his three-day working visit to Beijing where he received his appointment certificate from Premier Li Qiang on the sidelines of his meeting with President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on Friday, which was also attended by Li and several other top officials from the central authorities.
Sam also laid out seven criteria for him to choose his administration’s top officials, i.e., seven requirements that they must possess, namely the central government’s trust and recognition from Macau’s population; patriotism and love for Macau; determination to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests; a commitment to serving the population; team spirit; governance capability and a sense of shouldering responsibilities; plus integrity.
Sam in particular stressed that integrity is a fundamental and indispensable one that his top official must possess, underlying that without integrity, even very capable officials will undermine the image of the entire government as well as its reputation among residents.
Sam also elaborated on the other six criteria.
Sam said that as Macau’s top officials are appointed by the central government, they must be trusted by the central government.
Sam also said that patriotism and love for Macau is a fundamental requirement for ensuring the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
Sam said that it is very important for top officials to be committed to contributing to the development of Macau’s civil society.
Sam said that top officials without team spirit would hinder the government from implementing its policies and measures.
Sam also said that only top officials with a sense of responsibility will have the courage to solve Macau’s various problems and to tackle its different challenges.
Sam also said that he was now looking for his future principal officials from among the current principal officials, as well as people with a good reputation from civil society, including distinguished professionals who everybody thinks can shoulder a heavy responsibility.
According to Article 50 of the Macau Basic Law and the current structure of the local government, Macau’s principal officials comprise the government’s five policy secretaries, anti-graft commissioner, audit commissioner, head of the Unitary Police Service (SPU) and chief of the Macau Customs Service. According to Article 63 of the Basic Law, Macau’s principal officials shall be Chinese nationals who are permanent residents and have ordinarily resided in Macau for a continuous period of no less than 15 years.
Sam mentioned the selection process concerning his future principal officials in response to a TDM reporter’s question about his requirements for choosing them.
Macau’s incoming chief executive made the remarks amidst raft of media speculation and rumours about his future team of policy secretaries.
According to the Macau Basic Law’s Article 50, the chief executive “nominates and reports to the Central People’s Government for the appointment” of Macau’s nine principal officials and the chief prosecutor, and recommends to the central government the removal of them.
The Central People’s Government shall appoint or remove the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) chief executive, principal officials and chief prosecutor, according to Article 15 of the MSAR Basic Law.
Sam was elected the MSAR’s sixth-term chief executive on October 13, after which the State Council appointed him on October 25 as Macau’s next chief executive, before he received his appointment certificate, officially known as State Council Decree No. 794, from Li on Friday afternoon last week during his three-day visit to the nation’s capital between Thursday and Saturday last week.
The nation’s news agency Xinhua reported Friday’s meeting between Xi and Sam on Friday night.
Sam is now Macau’s chief executive-designate until his swearing-in by one of the top leaders of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on December 20, coinciding with the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the MSAR.
Xi’s instructions
During Saturday’s press briefing, Sam was asked what expectations and instructions Xi had given him during Friday afternoon’s meeting in Beijing for his administration, which will start on December 20, 2024.
Sam noted that his meeting with President Xi at the Great Hall of the People was also attended by Premier Li as well as two other members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, who is also the first-ranked vice premier.
The Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee comprises 24 members, seven of whom are members of its standing committee, headed by Xi in his capacity as the general secretary of the CPC Central Committee. The standing committee’s seven members include Li, Cai and Ding.
According to Friday’s Xinhua report, in addition to Li, Cai and Ding, Xi’s meeting with Sam was also attended by Shi Taifeng and Chen Wenqing, both members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, as well as Xia Baolong, the director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (HKMAO).
Sam went on to say that this meant that he was met by a “very strong” composition of top leadership members of the central authorities, where “everybody” witnessed Premier Li presenting him with a State Council decree appointing him as the MSAR’s sixth-term chief executive.
Sam said that the meeting’s arrangements show the central authorities’ care for the MSAR’s population and also vividly highlight Xi and the central authorities’ determination to continue with the comprehensive implementation of the principles of “One Country, Two Systems”, “Macau people governing Macau”, and the MSAR’s high degree of autonomy, ensuring their implementation without being distorted.
Sam said that after briefing Xi on his future governance philosophy, Xi gave him many instructions, such as requiring him to possess a sense of shouldering responsibilities, to show determination to assume his upcoming role as the MSAR’s head, and to work with various segments of Macau’s civil society to consolidate the achievements made through the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle with Macau characteristics over the past 25 years.
During Friday’s meeting, according to Sam, Xi said he requires Macau to continue to comprehensively, accurately and unswervingly implement the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
Sam said that the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle requires a very important measure, which is the local government’s determination to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security and development interests, adding that his future administration will have to improve Macau’s system for ensuring their safeguarding.
Economic diversification
According to Sam, Xi and the central authorities also pay very close attention to Macau’s economic diversification, adding that his future government must create favourable conditions aiming to promote the city’s economic diversification. Sam pledged that his future administration will give full play to the local government’s “One Centre, One Platform, One Base” development concept, which refers to Macau developing itself into a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, a commercial and trade cooperation service platform between China and Portuguese-speaking countries (PSCs), and an exchange and cooperation base with Chinese culture as its mainstream and co-existence of different cultures.
Sam said that Macau will continue to actively participate in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area (GBA), adding that it will be very important for his future government to start implementing the second-phase development goals of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin.
Improvements in people’s well-being
Moreover, Sam said, Xi also pays very close attention to the improvements in the well-being of Macau’s population, adding that Xi has a very good understanding of Macau’s current social situation in various aspects. According to Sam, Xi requires his future government to place strong emphasis on working on fields such as senior citizens’ retirement, healthcare, transport, and supporting parents in raising their children, adding that Xi even mentioned Macau’s urban renewal campaign.
Sam said that his future administration will roll out new measures to improve the city’s social welfare in a way that will be fair and targeted and aims to help those in need more accurately.
Chief Executive-designate Sam Hou Fai addresses Saturday’s press briefing at the local airport after returning from his three-day working visit to the nation’s capital where he received his appointment decree from Premier Li Qiang on Friday. – Photo: Tony Wong
Media workers take photos of Chief Executive-designate Sam Hou Fai during Saturday’s 30-minute press briefing at a pressroom in the airport. – Photo: Tony Wong
