Macau’s ex-chief justice will shortly reach the highest leadership role in the Special Administrative Region (SAR). 

On Tuesday, Sam Hou Fai garnered an unprecedented 96% of the nominations to be the only candidate for the chief executive role from a 400-member pro-Beijing election committee. The nomination phase for the SAR's leadership election concluded last Thursday. 

Current leader Ho Iat Seng declared in August that he would not pursue a third term as chief executive due to health concerns. 

Sam, 62, resigned as president of the Court of Final Appeal, Macau's top court, prior to his late August announcement that he would pursue a run for office. He will now run unchallenged in the October election, making the voting process somewhat irrelevant for Macau’s residents. 

 

Worries Regarding the Casino Industry? 

Sam, originally from Zhongshan in Guangdong Province, mainland China, will be the first chief executive of Macau born outside the gambling center. He will also be the first to come from the legal field instead of the business industry. 

The panel’s strong backing for Sam demonstrates his readiness to align with the party's positions. Undoubtedly, his opinions regarding the gaming sector resonate with those of the central government in Beijing, which has consistently advocated for the diversification of Macau’s economy. 

Beijing accuses the industry of enabling money laundering and capital outflow from the mainland. The government is presently taking action against unauthorized currency exchanges that enable mainland gamblers to bypass strict regulations on money transfers. 

Sam has emphasized the necessity for Macau to "reform and innovate" in order to tackle the challenges facing its economic and political growth. He attributes the “straining of 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 operates its own financial system and enjoys a level of political autonomy as a Special Administrative Region under China's one country, two systems framework. Nonetheless, even with its capitalist foundations, it has shown significantly less resistance to the encroaching influence of Beijing compared to Hong Kong, its nearby SAR and neighbor across the Pearl River Delta. 

That’s likely a result of its demographic composition. Over fifty percent of Macau’s 686,607 residents have relocated from the mainland in recent decades. In comparison, the majority of Hong Kong’s residents were born and grew up in a liberal, free-market democracy.