Current secretary for security Wong Sio Chak is being touted for the position of secretary for administration and justice under the incoming Sam Hou Fai administration, local news outlet Plataforma claims, citing a purported “list of potential secretaries” that had been distributed “among various newsrooms” yesterday.
Plataforma does not state the source of the list, its authorship, how it was verified or to which other newsrooms it was distributed to. However, the Macau Daily Times said Plataforma’s report “was essentially confirmed” by unnamed sources that it had spoken with.
If true, Wong’s selection would make him the second most important official in the Macao government, giving him a key role in the Executive Council, and empowering him to serve as the acting chief executive (CE) when Sam Hou Fai is unavailable.
Citing other unnamed sources, the report stated that Wong and chief executive-elect Sam Hou Fai have a close relationship, which they developed when they were dispatched to Portugal by the central government prior to the handover in 1999.
Earlier this year, Wong, who has over 30 years of experience as a public servant, made it clear that he was “very willing” to continue working for the next government.
[See more: Sam Hou Fai receives formal appointment from Beijing]
According to Plataforma, the Sam administration is also considering O Lam, who headed the chief executive’s office during Chui Sai On’s government, to be the secretary for economy and finance.
Sonia Chan Hoi Fan, who served as the secretary for administration and justice between 2014 and 2019, is purportedly being considered for the role of secretary for social affairs and culture, as is the head of the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes.
Outgoing secretary for transport and public works, Raimundo Arrais do Rosário, is meanwhile expected to step down, with Plataforma saying the replacement “could be resolved [sic] with the current Director of Public Works, Lam Wai Hou.”
Other names that are on the uncorroborated list included the current commissioner against corruption, Chan Tsz King and the commissioner of audit, Ho Veng On.
Sam Hou Fai is expected to officially announce his cabinet picks some time this month. The former head of Macao’s highest court will take over as Macao’s next CE on 20 December 2024, after winning an overwhelming majority in October’s election in which he ran as the sole candidate.
