Hong Kong’s John Lee congratulates Sam Hou-fai on becoming Macau’s next leader
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s leader John Lee has congratulated Sam Hou-fai on becoming chief executive-elect of Macau after running uncontested for the position.
A former top judge, Sam on Sunday received 394 votes in favour of his candidacy from a committee of around 400 pro-establishment electors responsible for choosing a leader for the city’s 687,000 people.
Macau passed a new election law last December that gave the election committee the power to vet candidates for the leadership role to their ensure allegiance to the city and its mini-constitution.
In a statement released on Sunday afternoon, Lee praised the “immense contributions” Sam made to Macau during his tenure as president of the city’s Court of Final Appeal.
“Hong Kong and Macao enjoy close geographical ties and share the same cultural roots. Our two places share deep bonds and affinity with frequent people-to-people and cultural exchanges, alongside solid economic and trade relations,” Lee said.
As Special Administrative Regions of China, Lee added that both Hong Kong and Macau “uphold the principle of ‘one country’ and leverage the benefits of ‘two systems’,” and could “tap into the huge markets of the Mainland, whilst staying connected to the world.”
“I have every confidence in working closely with Mr Sam in the future to achieve complementarity and mutual benefits for Hong Kong and Macao, giving full play to the cities’ strengths to serve the country’s needs and making new and greater contributions to building a great country and moving towards national rejuvenation through Chinese modernisation,” Lee continued.
Like Hong Kong, Macau’s retail sector has slumped as its residents’ consumptions patterns have changed since Covid-19 pandemic-related restrictions were lifted, with many heading to mainland China at weekends and for holidays to spend across the border.
During a post-election press conference on Sunday, Sam vowed to support small, local businesses feeling the brunt of the downturn.
Ahead of the pandemic, Macau was one of the most tourism-dependent economies in the world, propped up by arrivals from mainland China who travelled to the city to gamble.
Xia Baolong, the director of China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, last year said the city needed to reduce its reliance on casinos and the gaming industry and diversify its economy.
Macau’s outgoing chief executive Ho Iat-seng, who has led the city since December 2019, announced in August that he would not seek a second term, citing health concerns.
Sam will become the city’s first leader with a legal background, in contrast to his predecessors who all hailed from the business sector, and the first not born in Macau. The 62-year-old was born in Zhongshan, in mainland China, and studied law at Peking University in Beijing.
Under Macau’s mini-constitution, its chief executive must be a Chinese national who is over 40 years old and who has continuously resided in Macau for no less than 20 years.
Sam was appointed president of Macau’s Court of Final Appeal on the same day the former Portuguese colony was handed back to China on December 20, 1999, and held the position until he announced his resignation in August.
Under Sam’s leadership, Macau’s apex court in 2021 outlawed the peaceful candlelight vigil held to commemorate the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown. Also that year, Sam and his fellow judges ruled in favour of the government’s decision to bar 21 pro-democracy candidates from running for the city’s legislature.
Sam will assume office on December 20.
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