Macao's Chief Executive-elect Sam Hou Fai has stressed that he will uphold integrity in his tenure to put forward the work the general public are most concerned about while advancing long-term economic development for the region.
Sam was elected on Oct. 13 as the sixth chief executive-designate of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR), garnering 394 votes from the 400-member election committee, and appointed by China's State Council on Oct 25.
Sam, 62, is set to succeed incumbent Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng on Dec. 20 for a five-year term.
He was born in Zhongshan of south China's Guangdong Province in May 1962 and moved to Macao in the 1980s. He joined Macao's first group of judicial auditors in 1995, was appointed president of Macao's Court of Final Appeal on Dec. 20, 1999 and held the post for nearly 25 years until Aug. 28.
Sam, who has lived in Macao for 38 years, started his family there and now has three generations under one roof, and he built a career in the region.
While some are doubting his capability of running the economy due to his lack of experience, Sam said in a recent interview with the China Media Group (CMG) that his career of being a judge has helped him gain a panoramic view of the region and its people, which bears significance for him to assume office.
"The role of the chief executive is not to be an economics specialist. A pure economic expert is not enough. I believe that he must have a big picture in mind and come to know and understand various fields of the Macao Special Administrative Region. I will work together with the entire government team and all sectors of the society to think, discuss and do together," he said.
The incoming chief executive highlighted integrity for a new government team.
"The government needs to serve the society and economic development. You need to put loyalty in this endeavor. If you are not loyal, how can you run a government? Loyalty matters a lot. Great truths are always simple. It is very simple if you pursue a just cause," he said.
Sam said strong public support has instilled confidence in him. He pledged to dedicate all his efforts to meeting the expectations of Macao's residents and seize opportunities to achieve prosperity of the region. "So I am very confident about the future. We have such great patriotic and Macao-loving communities, and such lovely Macao residents of nearly 700,000. So I am really confident that together with my team, we can move Macao toward a better future. We will do our utmost and live up to the expectations of Macao residents. This is my wish," he said.
The casino hub is seeking to become a world center of tourism and leisure, with plans to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the Portuguese-speaking countries.
Macao SAR's incoming chief executive stresses integrity, big picture for governance
