The election of a new chief executive of Macau may be three months away, but the central government in Beijing appears to have already endorsed local businessman and veteran politico Ho Lat Seng for the post.
Local news reports have it that according to Zhang Xiaoming, director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council𑁋Beijing’s political liaison with the two self-governing territories𑁋Ho, who is president of Macau’s Legislative Assembly, fulfills all the requirements for the job: patriotism, love of country, “capacity for good governance and social recognition,” and he enjoys the trust of the central government.
The 61-year-old is managing director of Ho Tin Industries, a family firm. He has been Legislative Assembly president since October 2013. He entered the assembly in 2009 as an indirectly elected legislator representing Macau’s industrial and financial professionals. Prior to that he was a member of the Executive Council, an advisory body to the chief executive.
But his close ties to Beijing are seen as the biggest asset for Ho, who was a long-serving member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress prior to his resignation at the end of last month to run for chief executive.
Local observers also point to another plus in Beijing’s eyes𑁋the fact that he has no direct ties to the territory’s dominant casino industry. This is viewed as key because the new chief executive will oversee a public tender for the six gaming concessions, all of which expire in 2022.
It’s well-known that the central government wants to see more determined policies from Macau aimed at diversifying the local economy away from its dependence on casino gambling by Mainland Chinese, especially its dependence on the VIP segment, the volatile, super-high-stakes wagering controlled by loosely regulated junket operators who arrange for travel from the Mainland, provide credit and collect on it because gambling debts are unenforceable under Chinese law.
Not surprisingly, perhaps, with Zhang’s announcement, Macau Economy and Finance Secretary Lionel Leong, considered the territory’s second most powerful official after Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On, promptly withdrew his candidacy and said instead he would finish out his term to assist with the transition to a new government under Chui’s successor.
Ho, meanwhile, said he is assembling his campaign team and plans to formally announce his candidacy and release a platform later this month.
The chief executive, who serves a five-year term, is not directly elected by the people of Macau but is chosen by a select committee of 400 representatives from commerce and industry (including gaming), finance, labor and the education sectors. Reportedly, 388 electors have already been selected. The remaining 12 are slated to be chosen in June.
