My Take | Let’s hope Macau can retain its charm amid the challenges ahead
As the gambling enclave elects a new leader, he will need to comply with Beijing’s order to diversify and revitalise the post-pandemic economy
No matter how much you love life in Hong Kong, taking a break from the busy, bustling city is essential. During my many years as a resident, I felt regular trips away helped keep me sane.
One of my favourite destinations required just a short ferry ride. Macau, with its long history as a former Portuguese colony, offered a welcome slice of European culture.
For many years before its return to China in 1999, the territory was routinely – and rather patronisingly – referred to as a “sleepy enclave”. Not any more.
On Sunday a new leader will be elected for Macau. As is often the way with special administrative regions, there is only one candidate. Sam Hou-fai, 62, who stepped down as the city’s top judge in August to stand for chief executive, has secured 386 nominations from the 400-member election committee.
The new leader will mark a break from the past. He is the first not to have been born in Macau, having moved there from the mainland in 1986. Unlike his predecessors, he speaks and writes Portuguese.
Sam’s lack of a political or business background has, however, raised doubts about his ability to meet the challenge of revitalising the city’s post-pandemic economy.
