Former Judge Sam Hou Fai to Stand Unopposed for Macau Leadership
Macau's previous chief justice is set to soon achieve the highest leadership role in the Special Administrative Region (SAR).
On Tuesday, Sam Hou Fai garnered an unprecedented 96% of the nominations from a 400-member pro-Beijing election panel to be the only candidate for the chief executive role. The nomination timeframe for the SAR’s leadership election concluded last Thursday.
The current leader Ho Iat Seng declared in August that he would not pursue a third term as chief executive, referring to health issues.
Sam, 62, resigned from his position as president of the Court of Final Appeal, Macau’s top court, prior to his late August declaration that he would campaign for office. He will now run without opposition in the October election, making the voting process somewhat insignificant for the citizens of Macau.
Worries about the Casino Industry?
Hailing from Zhongshan in Guangdong Province, mainland China, Sam will be the inaugural chief executive of Macau born outside the gambling center. He will additionally be the first to come from the legal field rather than the business industry.
The panel's strong backing for Sam indicates his readiness to adhere to the party's stance. Indeed, his perspectives on the gaming sector align with those of the central government in Beijing, which has persistently advocated for the diversification of Macau’s economy.
Beijing attributes the facilitation of money laundering and capital flight from the mainland to the industry. The government is presently intensifying efforts against illicit money exchanges that enable mainland gamblers to bypass strict regulations on money transfers.
Sam has emphasized the importance for Macau to “reform and innovate” in order to address challenges to its economic and political progress. He attributes the "strain on societal resources" and the limitation of career options for youth to the casino industry.
“For a period of time, the tourism and gaming industry developed in a disorderly manner and expanded wildly,” Sam said at a press briefing last month. “Having one dominant industry is not beneficial for Macau’s long-term development and has had a very negative impact.
“Macau’s long-term development is only possible with the country’s support,” he added, alluding to heightened cooperation with Beijing.
Pro-Beijing
Macau possesses a distinct financial system and a level of political independence as a Special Administrative Region within China's one country, two systems framework. Nonetheless, even with its capitalist system, it has shown considerably less resistance to the encroaching influence of Beijing compared to Hong Kong, its neighboring SAR across the Pearl River Delta.
This is likely because of its demographic composition. Over half of Macau's 686,607 residents have migrated from the mainland in recent decades. In comparison, the majority of Hong Kong’s residents were born and brought up in a liberal, free-market democracy.