Ho’pe

Commentary by José Álvares*

Unfortunately, this columnist never had the chance of meeting Dr. Stanley Ho in person as by the time I set foot in this place, he had long shied away from public life. Yet, be it in my professional or personal life, I can’t avoid running into him on a daily basis. Many think his activities were limited to operating casinos, but scratch beneath the surface and you realise he had a hand in every major project of the past decades that made Macau what it is today.

Undoubtedly the casinos helped his fortune soar, but a chunk of the revenues (which, is worth noting, came from outside of the region) made their way back to the community – from transportation, banking, entertainment and even landfills, he helped shape the fabric of modern Macau. Perhaps his biggest deed was believing that this tiny region with traditional industries could become such a powerhouse with a name to be reckoned on a global scale – he indeed connected Macau to the world and extended the baton to those willing to make a gamble on the city like he did years back.

He also proved that the relationship between the public and private sectors doesn’t have to be awkward and can actually work seamlessly, as he worked with more than a dozen governors that were sent from Portugal depending on the wind of politics at any given time. Politicians and businessmen in essence have the same goal – a prospering Macau, as that would help the people of whom the government was a representative and also further feed Stanley’s businesses. In fact, provided there is sufficient transparency, public officials and private entities should undoubtedly continue to work together as their interests are, in the end, aligned.

Luckily for us living here, many were [and are] keen and capable of picking up the mantle, both new players and those within his own family, eager to continue the work of creation boldly envisioned by Dr. Ho for the city and with it lifting the fortunes of those around.