[ad_1]
“For everything has a time, an appointed time, under the stars.” This quote from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible describes the upcoming sixth Chief Executive election very well.
Long before Ho Iat Seng announced that he would not run for re-election due to health reasons, messages posted online had hinted at his successor. In fact, everything developed as expected by those in the know. On August 28, after the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal, Sam Ho Fai, was authorized to resign, Sam Ho Fai immediately held a press conference to announce his candidacy for the sixth Chief Executive. The election date remains October 13, and it is expected that the majority of voters will elect the only candidate.
Serving as the Chief Executive is an honor, but it also means taking on great responsibilities. Serving as the President of the Legislative Assembly of Macau and the President of the Court of Final Appeal requires fulfilling professional duties. Compared with the position of Chief Executive, their scope of responsibilities is smaller and there are fewer conflicts of interest. In performing the duties of the Chief Executive, one must be absolutely loyal and supportive of the Central Government, ensure that the Central Government fully governs, respect the principle of “patriots governing Macau”, and organically combine it with the “high degree of autonomy and governance of the Macau people”.
It can be said that being the Chief Executive is a thankless job; any slight deviation may lead to accusations of abusing power for personal gain or favoritism. On the contrary, if we strictly abide by the principles, we will inevitably offend some vested interest groups. Therefore, I hope that Ho Iat Seng will fully recover soon after giving up his re-election bid.
Since Shen Haohui announced his candidacy, I have noticed that some media have used the phrase “nominations replacing places” to describe the changes in the central government’s governance of the Macau Special Administrative Region. The late Macau Diocesan Bishop Lin Zongming once called Macau an “immigrant city” and pointed out that it is very rare for people to be born in Macau for three generations. According to Intercensos data in 2016, about 40.7% of residents were born in Macau, while 43.6% were born in mainland China. As long as you are a permanent resident of Macau, meet the qualifications to run for the Chief Executive, and are a “patriot” rather than a “traitor patriot”, your birthplace is not a problem.
Macau should be governed by people who have been in charge of the legal field for a long time. Lack of administrative experience is both a weakness and a strength, while lack of “heavy heritage” is actually a strength.
The effectiveness of regional governance depends on leadership and team strength. The composition of the future management team and the quality of advisors must be fundamental considerations.
Looking back at the work of the Legislative Council over the past decade, in addition to the amendments to the National Security Law, the Chief Executive Election Law, and the Legislative Council Election Law, the laws that have the greatest impact on Macau and involve more conflicts of interest are undoubtedly the Urban Planning Law, the Land Law, and the Cultural Heritage Protection Law promulgated in 2013. The efforts of the two chief executives of Macau to defend these three laws have met the expectations of the central government. But whether Macau can become a society ruled by law or still be dominated by social organizations, only time will tell.
[ad_2]
Source link
