(Macao – 19 January 2025) The Chief Executive, Mr Sam Hou Fai, called on civil servants to realise the aspirations and requirements put forward by President Xi Jinping, while taking into account the practical situation of Macao and maintaining a big-picture mentality.
Mr Sam said the number-one priority of the sixth-term government was to raise the standard of public governance.
The Chief Executive made the directives at a total of seven symposiums from 8 to 17 January, held to study and promote the implementation of the spirit of the important speeches made by President Xi during his latest visit to Macao.
The seven symposiums were attended by in aggregate more than 500 management-level civil servants from respectively, departments and entities under the Chief Executive, the five Secretariats, the Commission Against Corruption, and the Commission of Audit.
Speaking in the symposiums, Mr Sam noted President Xi was in Macao from 18 to 20 December 2024, when he attended the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Macao’s return to the motherland and the inauguration ceremony of the sixth-term Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR). During his inspection tour to Macao, President Xi delivered a series of important speeches and instructions. These were profound and insightful, providing a high-level perspective that clearly indicated the direction for Macao's future development, as well as expressing high hopes for the MSAR.
Mr Sam summed up President Xi's speeches and instructions made in Macao with four key words: “depth”, “foresight”, “detail”, and “acuteness”. These referred to the “depth” of President Xi’s concern and care for Macao; the “foresight” of his strategic planning for the great cause of the “One country, two systems” principle; the “detail” of President Xi’s strategies regarding development of various undertakings in the MSAR; and the “acuteness” of his expectations for the new-term MSAR Government.
The Chief Executive stressed the importance of adherence to the spirit of President Xi’s series of important speeches and instructions, in addition to taking practical steps to push forward MSAR Government work. Civil servants should uphold ethical standards in public administration, serving with loyalty and fulfilling their duties comprehensively, fully implementing the “Four Requirements” of President Xi.
At the symposiums, Mr Sam stressed the importance of interdepartmental collaboration, and laid out specific requirements for each administrative area and department. These mainly covered: building service-orientated governance, continuously optimising public services and improving governmental structure and personnel management; enhancing the construction of e-Government; building a pioneering governance system; and actively integrating into national development.
Mr Sam also asked public servants to: focus on Macao’s appropriate economic diversification, rolling out a series of targeted and effective economic and industrial policy measures; push forward for greater substantive results from the “1+4” industrial development policy; accelerate the improvement of Macao’s business environment; and increase support for small- and medium-sized enterprises.
He also called on civil servants to perform detailed and thorough investment promotion work; give better play to Macao’s role as a ‘precise connector’ for Portuguese-speaking countries; maintain high-quality employment for residents; and accelerate the construction of the Guangdong-Macao Intensive Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, pushing for greater substantive progress and results.
Other duties were continuously to enhance capabilities and levels for safeguarding national security. There was also need to: focus on maintaining the harmonious stability of Macao society; implement a new civil protection model, continuously enhancing disaster prevention, mitigation, and relief capabilities; fully implement the policy of strengthening police capability through science and technology; and to improve further the facilitation of boundary clearance for personnel and goods, Mr Sam said.
The Chief Executive also called for further effort to: perfect the social security system, ensuring basic living standards; enhance medical and health service capabilities, ensuring the health of citizens; enhance education and youth work to ensure Macao’s sustainable development; effectively advance the construction of the “One Base” strategy; and to deepen regional cooperation in livelihood-related matters.
Other tasks included: rationally utilising land and marine resources, strengthening land and marine-environment planning and management; creating a high-quality and sustainable urban environment; enhancing comprehensive transportation planning and levels of smart transportation; optimising housing policies and supervision mechanisms; promoting the transformation of Macao’s development mode towards green and low-carbon activities; and strengthening anti-corruption efforts, as well as advancing the high-quality development of auditing work, said Mr Sam.
In his closing remarks, Mr Sam noted the Central Government and President Xi have bestowed high praise on Macao as well as affirmation, providing the MSAR Government with the greatest support and encouragement for its work. Nonetheless, complacency should be avoided, and proactive steps should be taken, in order to create a new and promising landscape for the MSAR’s development.
