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Macau’s outgoing Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, assured on Tuesday that there have been no changes in the interpretation of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, which has been in effect in the city since its administrative transfer and guarantees a certain degree of autonomy.
“We adhere to this principle and work in accordance with it,” Ho Iat Seng stated at a press conference on Tuesday after presenting a summary of his five years in office to the Legislative Assembly.
The concept of ‘one country, two systems,’ originally proposed by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) and first applied in 1997 and 1999 with the handover of Hong Kong and Macau to China, respectively, ensures a degree of autonomy for the two regions over a 50-year period, protecting citizens’ freedoms and rights.
International bodies, such as the European Union and the United Nations, have highlighted an “erosion of freedoms” in the SAR in recent years—criticisms that the local government has rejected.
“‘Macau governed by its people with a high degree of autonomy’ and ‘one country, two systems’ have not undergone any changes. Looking back, during this term and previous ones, there have been no changes,” Ho emphasised.
Freedom of the press was another topic discussed during the session with journalists, with Ho asserting that he had “done his best to safeguard” this legally protected right.
Earlier this month, the Macau Journalists Association, one of the city’s five main media workers associations, denounced earlier this month a “severe deterioration” of press freedom in the SAR and urged authorities to end “excessive restrictions” imposed on media workers, particularly regarding access to press conferences. In reaction to these remarks, the Government Information Bureau stressed it “has always safeguarded press freedom” in the SAR.
“During my tenure, I tried to do my best to ensure press freedom. As for the future, (…) I cannot answer for them, but I believe they will follow the same direction,” he concluded.
Ho Iat Seng took office in December 2019, with the first three years of his five-year term marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. Reflecting on this period, Ho pointed out that just “ten days” into his role, he had to confront the public health crisis.
“Yet we managed to overcome this challenge and also achieved recovery in our gross domestic product (GDP),” he said.
Since 2020, Macau has only managed to maintain a positive balance through transfers from its financial reserves, which reached MOP 10.5 billion in 2023. However, the SAR is expected to close next year with a surplus of MOP 7.7 billion, according to the budget proposal submitted last week to the Legislative Assembly and presented today by the Chief Executive.
Ho, who reiterated that he did not seek re-election due to health reasons, will step down on 19 December. His successor, Sam Hou Fai, is set to take office the following day, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Macau Special Administrative Region, marking the transfer of administration from Portugal to China.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/ho-denies-changes-in-interpretation-of-one-country-two-systems/
Cash handouts: Outgoing CE reiterates fiscal reserves’ strength
Outgoing Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng has said that any decision to change the existing cash handouts policy would be up to the incoming administration.
The Wealth Partaking Scheme, which has been in place for 17 years, will again distribute MOP10,000 (US$1,248) to permanent residents and MOP6,000 to non-permanent residents.
“The current administration will pass the draft budget on to the next government,” said Ho. “As for any increase, that decision will be left to the next government.”
Macau’s economy has shown significant improvement in 2023, with the gross domestic product (GDP) up by 85 per cent compared to the previous year. This rebound has brought the GDP level close to 80 per cent of what it was in 2019.
In response to inquiries about the 2025 fiscal budget, Ho provided an update on Macau’s fiscal reserves. The public coffers have so far exceeded MOP600 billion, with foreign exchange reserves being over MOP230 billion.
Despite the allocation of MOP160 billion for pandemic relief over the past four years, investment returns, according to him, are expected to boost reserves by an additional MOP50 billion to MOP60 billion by the end of the year.
“By the end of September, an additional MOP40 billion had been generated,” Ho said.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/cash-handouts-outgoing-ce-reiterates-fiscal-reserves-strength/
‘Honoured to lead Macau out of the worst’: Ho Iat Seng
The departing chief executive, Ho Iat Seng, expressed his honour in serving Macau over the past five years and guiding the city through its most challenging times.
During his final appearance at the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, the outgoing official presented a summary of the achievements of the fifth-term government during his tenure and outlined the fiscal budget for the upcoming year.
“It has been a great honour to hold the esteemed position of the fifth-term chief executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region,” Ho indicated. He will be succeeded by Sam Hou Fai on 20 December as the SAR commemorates its 25th anniversary.
“In these five years of governance, which included three years of confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, we have navigated through the most severe challenges since the handover in 1999,” he remarked.
“We have surmounted the formidable obstacles posed by the pandemic and external pressures. Together with the community, we have stood in unity, supporting one another, guiding the Macau SAR through its most challenging times,” he continued.
“We have vigorously driven various initiatives to greater heights, leading the Macau SAR into a new era of stable development,” he added.
Safeguarding national security
Expressing gratitude for the support received from the Chinese central government, the people of Macau, civil servants, and others over the past five years, Ho stated, “Macau has made remarkable progress in various sectors, including politics, the economy, and social affairs.”
“The success of ‘One Country, Two Systems’ in Macau has been demonstrated as viable, feasible, and popular, receiving unanimous backing from Macao residents and high praise from the international community,” he claimed, referring to the constitutional principle governing the Macau SAR.
Detailing the administration’s efforts over the past five years, Ho first emphasised the initiatives in national security. “The government has staunchly upheld the comprehensive authority of the central government [over Macau], steadfastly implementing the principle of ‘patriots governing Macau’,” he added.
Economic diversification and regulation of the gaming industry
The departing chief executive placed significant emphasis on Tuesday on the government’s efforts to stabilise and diversify the local economy over the past five years. “Even amidst the severe challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the government’s drive to promote moderate economic diversification has remained unwavering,” he asserted.
“At present, Macau’s economy is steadily recovering, with major economic indicators stabilising and demonstrating improvement, and some even surpassing 2019 levels,” he stated.
For example, the total value added of the four emerging non-gaming industries identified by Ho’s administration amounted to MOP39.05 billion (US$4.88 billion) in 2023, marking a 6.9 percent increase from 2019.
These sectors encompass healthcare, modern finance, high technology, as well as events and conventions, trade, commerce, culture, and sports.
Meanwhile, the gaming industry’s contribution to the city’s gross domestic product (GDP) only accounted for 37.2 percent last year, representing a 14 percentage point decrease from 2019, Ho said.
The chief executive also noted that the authorities have bolstered the relevant laws and regulations governing the gaming industry over the past five years to combat illegal online gambling, money laundering activities, illegal exchanges, and cross-border illicit fund flows.
“These measures have effectively regulated the development of the gaming industry,” he affirmed.
Housing issues and inflating public works budgets
Over the last five years, the Macau government has also endeavoured to improve the livelihoods of the Macau community, with the portion of expenditure allocated to education, healthcare, social security, housing, and community initiatives within the annual government budget rising from 39.2 percent in 2019 to 44.8 percent in 2024, Ho said.
He further indicated that the housing problems faced by residents have been “largely resolved,” with the government investing about MOP15.88 billion in public housing over the past five years.
Six public housing projects have been completed during his tenure, with over 14,000 units currently under construction.
The official also underscored the “accelerated pace” of public works in the city under his leadership. “In the last five years, close to MOP80 billion has been invested in infrastructure projects of various scales.
As of September 2024, there were 110 projects with expenditures exceeding MOP100 million each, out of which 62 have been completed,” he remarked.
These achievements demonstrate that the government has “effectively tackled issues of cost overruns and delays in public works,” he concluded.
Streamlining government structure
Furthermore, Ho highlighted the progress in public administration reform during his tenure on Tuesday. The authorities have successfully completed restructuring across 47 government departments over the past five years, resulting in a reduction in the total number of departments from 75 in 2019 to 71.
The number of civil servants has also been streamlined, decreasing from 32,540 in April 2020 to 31,712 by September 2024.
He also emphasised the city’s advancement in integrating into national development, particularly the establishment of the Guangdong-Macau In-depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin in September 2022.
Presently, there are 6,461 Macau-backed firms in Hengqin, representing a 39.3 percent increase from September 2022. The number of Macau residents residing in the cooperation zone reached 16,539 in September, marking a 19.1 percent year-on-year rise, while the number of Macau workers in the zone increased by 4.9 percent year-on-year to 5,132, he added.
https://www.macaubusiness.com/honoured-to-lead-macau-out-of-the-worst-ho-iat-seng/