Macao's former top judge is chosen as the Chinese casino hub's first leader born in mainland China

MACAO — Macao’s former top judge, Sam Hou Fai, was chosen as the Chinese casino hub’ s next leader in a largely ceremonial election on Sunday, setting him up to become the city’s first chief executive born in mainland China.

Almost the entire election committee stacked with Beijing loyalists — 394 of 398 — voted for Sam, the sole candidate, in a departure from the longstanding custom of having chief executives who were born in the former Portuguese colony, typically from influential business families. The remaining four were blank votes.

The shift in the city’s leadership to someone from the legal profession is likely to create expectations of a declining influence from business circles, which critics have often accused of colluding with officials, analysts say. They anticipate Beijing’s policy agenda for the city will take priority.

Sam, 62, is widely seen to have Beijing’s blessings. During the nomination period, he had already secured endorsements from 386 election committee members who voted in batches in a conference hall on Sunday.

Influential figures among the 400-strong committee were Shun Tak Holdings’ group executive chairperson Pansy Ho, daughter of late casino tycoon Stanley Ho, lawmaker Angela Leong, one of Ho's widows, and former chief executives Edmund Ho and Fernando Chui.

After being announced as the chief executive-elect, Sam walked onto the stage to applause from the committee members.

“It is the highest honor of my life," Sam said.

He pledged to uphold national sovereignty, accelerate economic diversification of the city and better integrate it into the national development plans.

Sam is expected to assume office in December, when the city marks the 25th anniversary of its handover to China's rule.

After the election, China’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, Macao’s incumbent city leader Ho Iat Seng and Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee congratulated Sam in separate statements.

Most of the territory’s 687,000 residents lack voting rights, leading to mixed sentiments about the election. Some hope Sam will heed public opinion and avoid prioritizing business interests, while others feel disconnected from an election process they can’t participate in.

Still, political observers said many residents are comfortable with Sam’s non-local origin in a city that has been home to migrants for decades.

With Sam’s victory guaranteed, the real challenges await in the governance hurdles that lie ahead.

Macao is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal. Beijing has called for the city to diversify its gambling-reliant economy.

Sam has promised to accelerate the current government’s plan to boost tourism and other sectors such as traditional Chinese medicine, finance, exhibitions and commerce. However, the city will still need to rely on the gambling industry for government revenues to support the city's welfare and accomplish other goals laid out by Beijing, analysts say.

China wants Macao to develop into a world-class tourism and leisure center and play a bigger role as a bridge for trade between China and Portuguese-speaking countries.

Small local businesses have been hurt by residents who spend money in the neighboring mainland city of Zhuhai, which offers a wider selection of items with good value for money. Chinese tourists are also now spending less than before.

It remains to be seen whether Sam, with a lack of government leadership experience, can form a capable cabinet to tackle these pressing issues.

Sam told reporters on Sunday that Macao’s development cannot be separated from the support that comes from China, saying the city would have to “actively” participate in the development of the Greater Bay Area — Beijing’s plan to integrate the casino hub and Hong Kong with other mainland Chinese cities in neighboring Guangdong province.

Sam said that just because the city has a capitalistic economy doesn't mean the government needs to play a passive role.

“In the future, we have to enhance the government’s ways of making decisions and such capabilities,” he said.

Seafood restaurant operator Ip Weng U, 49, said Macao faces social and economic problems that cannot be resolved quickly. He hopes Sam will do a better job than his predecessors.

“He was a judge, so people have expectations toward him,” he said.

Sam was born in neighboring Guangdong province in 1962. He graduated from the prestigious law school of Peking University in Beijing. He also studied the Portuguese language, culture and law at the University of Coimbra in Portugal, and once practiced law in mainland China.

When Macao returned to Chinese rule in 1999, Sam was appointed the city’s top judge, a role in which he served for nearly 25 years before resigning in August to participate in the election.

He handled some politically sensitive cases, including rejecting an appeal of a police ban on a vigil commemorating China’s bloody 1989 military crackdown on the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests. His court also upheld a decision to bar pro-democracy figures from running in the 2021 legislative elections.