【明報專訊】None of the three Hong Kong Chief Executives is regarded as competent (勝任的). Because of their administrative missteps, occasional faux pas (失言) and policy U-turns, they are considered weak and inadequate.
The story is different in Macao. Elected 15 years ago today, Edmund Ho Hau-wah (何厚鏵) was strong and determined. He succeeded in turning his city around.
1. Early career
Edmund Ho was born into a prestigious family. His father Ho Yin (何賢) was a leader of the Chinese community in Macao, called ''King of Macao'' and known as ''foreign minister'' for his negotiation skills.
At 14 Edmund Ho went to Canada to pursue his studies. He graduated from York University (約克大學) and became an accountant and auditor (核數師). In 1983 he returned to Macao and went into business, engaging himself in accounting, finance and banking, insurance, public transport, the mass media, technology, property development and public utilities. A successful businessman, he entered politics and became a member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, 全國政協) as well as a lawmaker. He also became actively involved in the preparation of Macao's reversion to Chinese sovereignty.
2. Elected as CE
Edmund Ho faced Stanley Ao (區宗傑, right), a Macao businessman of much less political influence, in the 1999 Chief Executive election. He won easily. He was sworn in on 20 December 1999 as the first CE of Macao. He was re-elected in 2004.
3. Achievements
Before the handover, Macao was rife with organised crime. Murders, robberies, kidnappings and gunfights were common, and corruption was widespread in the police force.
Edmund Ho was determined to bring law and order to his city. He set up the Commission Against Corruption, which is modelled after Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption. He also reorganised the law enforcement agencies and stepped up intelligence sharing with the Hong Kong and mainland governments.
Ho's efforts produced immediate results. The crime rate dropped significantly, making Macao a much safer city.
Ho's another major achievement was the reform of the gambling industry (博彩業), which Stanley Ho Hung-sun (賭王何鴻燊) had monopolised since 1961, when his consortium (財團) obtained the only gambling concession. In a bold move that evidenced his resolution, Ho announced in 2001 that gaming operators from abroad would be admitted. The next year saw the shattering of Stanley Ho's monopoly. Wynn Resorts, Limited (永利度假村), owned by American tycoon Stephen Alan Wynn, and a consortium jointly owned by Hong Kong businessman Lui Che-woo (呂志和) and Venetian Macao, part of Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands (拉斯維加斯金沙集團), received gambling concessions from the Macao government.
4. Criticisms
It has been suggested that Edmund Ho has close links with gangs. He made no outright denial of such rumours and once said that, given his family background and the fact that he had long lived in Macao, it was impossible for him not to know some such people. Nevertheless, he insisted that he had never colluded (勾結) with any criminal group in any illegal activity.
Edmund Ho was criticised for his disregard for democracy because he had had an Article 23 national security law adopted. The freedom of speech and that of the press in Macao are considered to be limited.
Think & Study
In your opinion, how would Edmund Ho fare if he were Chief Executive of Hong Kong? Would he be as successful as he has been in Macao? Base your answer on the differences between the two cities.
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