Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai says that his administration is drafting his first policy address, which is slated to be delivered early next year, in a way that meets civil society’s expectations.
Sam, who took office as the Macau Special Administrative Region’s (MSAR) new chief executive on December 20, made the remarks on Boxing Day, Thursday of last week, the first working day of the new-term government, in a statement released through the Macau Government Information Bureau (GCS).
Sam was sworn in by President Xi Jinping on December 20 as the MSAR’s sixth-term and fourth chief executive at the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Macau’s return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the MSAR’s sixth-term government.
According to the GCS statement, Sam had a meeting with Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon on the new-term government’s first working day where they discussed the government’s work plans under Cheong’s portfolio.
According to the statement, Sam underlined that Xi’s important speech made during the celebration on December 20 has provided the MSAR government with clear guidance for its administration. Sam said that all public entities must deeply study the spirit of Xi’s important speech and carry out their tasks in compliance with it.
Sam also reaffirmed that over the next five years his administration will strive to achieve the four major visions of Law-based Macau, Vibrant Macau, Cultural Macau, and Happy Macau. The chief executive stressed that the MSAR government will continue to comprehensively, accurately and unswervingly implement the “One Country, Two Systems” principle, ensuring its implementation will not be distorted.
According to the statement, Sam ordered members of his team to strengthen their sense of unity and responsibility, pledging that he will firmly serve his role as the MSAR’s leading person responsible for resolving Macau’s long-standing problems, strengthening the city’s appropriate economic diversification, and improving the population’s well-being, with the aim of enabling Macau to achieve greater breakthroughs in its development based on the solid foundation created by the implementation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle.
Sam said that his administration’s current priority is to review the still incomplete tasks that were launched by the previous-term government, ensuring the effective implementation of the policies and measures that need continuity.
According to the statement, his administration will come up with details aiming to ensure the implementation of the policies and measures laid out in his election campaign manifesto, with the aim of drawing up his 2025 Policy Address in a way that meets civil society’s expectations.
The statement also underlined that before the new-term government’s first official working day on Thursday last week, Sam and his team had already started carrying out their duties, including his one-day visit to Guangzhou on Christmas Eve, his first working visit in his capacity as the MSAR’s chief executive, where he met with top leaders of Guangdong Province, discussing the promotion of Guangdong-Macau cooperation.
In his working visit to the provincial capital, Sam met with Communist Party of China (CPC) Guangdong Provincial Committee Secretary Huang Kunming and Guangdong Governor Wang Weizhong. The other members of Sam’s delegation comprised André Cheong, Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Ip, and Sam’s chief-of-cabinet Chan Kak.
5 policy secretaries’ work
Moreover, the GCS statement also laid out duties carried out by Sam’s five policy secretaries respectively on the new-term government’s first official working day on Thursday last week.
According to the statement, André Cheong convened a meeting with top officials of public entities under his portfolio where he underlined that the government will improve the city’s legal system for its public administration, push ahead with public administration reform, continue improving the legal systems concerning the safeguarding of national security, and set up more municipal facilities.
Tai administered the oath of office of the newly appointed director of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT), Yau Yun Wah, on Thursday last week, the statement noted.
The bureau had been headed by Tai since 2016 until December 19. After he took office as the secretary for economy and finance the next day, he appointed Yau as the bureau’s new director effective from December 20. Yau joined the bureau in 2003 where he was promoted to a department chief in January 2017, but he was appointed by the Macau government as a deputy director of the Commercial Services Bureau of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin in April last year, before moving back to Macau on December 20.
According to the GCS statement, Tai said that he and officials under his portfolio will visit various commerce associations and other community associations in the near future to gather suggestions on promoting Macau’s economic development, with the aim of drafting his portfolio’s policy guidelines for next year.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak convened a meeting with top officials of public entities under his portfolio where he underlined that Macau’s public security is still facing certain challenges despite being good currently, adding that the government still needs to carry out a great deal of work concerning the safeguarding of national security and the prevention of crimes.
According to the statement, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Wallis O Lam also convened a meeting with top officials of public entities under her portfolio where she said that the entities must draft their respective policy guidelines for next year in compliance with Sam’s election campaign manifesto. She also said that officials must more extensively gather opinions from residents.
Secretary for Transport and Public Works Raymond Tam Vai Man administered the oath of office of the newly appointed director of the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), Ip Kuong Lam, on Thursday last week, the statement noted.
The bureau had been headed by Tam since 2016 until December 19. After he took office as the secretary for transport and public works the next day, he appointed Ip as the bureau’s new director effective from December 20. Ip joined the government’s Environmental Council, the bureau’s predecessor, in 2001. The bureau was established in 2009 where he was promoted to a deputy director in 2015.
According to the statement, Tam said that he will work with officials under his portfolio to rise to challenges with the aim of improving the population’s quality of life.
Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai (centre) pays a visit on Thursday last week to the government’s newly-built Macau Open-Air Performance Venue in Cotai, before the facility’s first trial concert was held on Saturday, which drew around 11,000 spectators. – Photo: GCS
