Sam Hou Fai formally announced his candidacy for the position of Chief Executive at a press conference this morning.
“I have officially decided to announce my candidacy for the sixth chief executive election,” he told reporters at the Macao Science Centre, adding that he had the “confidence and the determination” to “open a new chapter in Macao SAR with the support of the central government and the various sectors in society.”
The 62-year-old, who has been the SAR’s most senior judge and president of the Court of Final Appeal, will relinquish his judicial posts with effect from today in order to focus on his election campaign.
[See more: What would it mean for Macao if Sam Hou Fai becomes the next chief executive?]
“Macao continues to face many challenges,” he said. “I hope to unite the various sectors of Macao and enable its residents to live even better lives.” He stressed his commitment to the city’s mini constitution – known as the Basic Law – and the “one country, two systems” policy that governs Macao’s relations with the Chinese mainland.
In response to questions from reporters, Sam demonstrated his multilingual ability, authoritatively fielding questions in both Cantonese and Portuguese. He said that despite the short period of time that had passed since 22 August – when he first gave an indication that he was considering running – he had since carefully weighed up the decision with family members and friends, who encouraged him to serve the country and the SAR.
The former judge is expected to run on a platform of economic reform and diversification – especially through greater ties with Hengqin – while maintaining official support for Macao’s vital casino industry and adopting a firm stance on national security matters.
[See more: New CE will maintain ‘status quo’ for gambling, say analysts]
“Reform and innovation are things that we must do,” Sam said, noting that there were challenges both domestically and abroad. He mentioned the importance of law-based governance and the need to improve laws to ensure that the city’s 30,000 civil servants could provide the best service to residents.
He also mentioned that Macao’s development was closely tied to mainland China, and that the city must “integrate into the national development.”
“We must leverage our strength under the one country, two systems policy,” he said, “to boost our interaction with other countries and attract talent.” At the same time, he highlighted the role of the Southeast Asian region and Lusophone countries, which have a combined population of roughly a billion people, in helping to spur Macao’s diversification.
[See more: Nominations of candidates for the Chief Executive election begin on 29 August]
Analysts have pointed to Sam’s lack of business experience as a potential drawback, but say this could be overcome if he is able to work with trusted advisers. Sam said his office would closely collaborate with local associations and businesses to study ways to help struggling local firms, especially in the Northern District.
In response to a question relating to his familiarity with Macao, Sam, who was born in the mainland city of Zhongshan, said “I have lived and worked in Macao for 40 years. My children [and grandchildren] were born here… I think most Macao residents would agree that I’m a Macao native.”
He also drew attention to the continued importance of the Macanese community and the role of the Portuguese language, stating that the Macanese community’s development would continue to progress.
[See more: Here’s what to know about Sam Hou Fai, who could be running in Macao’s CE election]
Sam’s announcement has put to rest several days of mounting speculation that he would put himself forward for the territory’s top job. Since incumbent Ho Iat Seng’s disclosure last week that he would not stand for reelection on health grounds, Sam’s name has been widely tipped as a potential candidate.
Under election rules, Sam must lodge a formal nomination between 29 August and 12 September. The nomination requires the support of at least 66 members of the 400-strong Chief Executive Election Committee, which will vote on Ho’s successor on 13 October.
Sam is all but certain to garner sufficient support, with some media already speculating that he will be the only candidate in the election – as was the case for the previous three CE races. His only other potential rival at the moment is a little known businessman named Jorge Chiang, who announced his intention to run back in July.
