Macau’s outgoing Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, assured on Tuesday that there have been no changes in the interpretation of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle, which has been in effect in the city since its administrative transfer and guarantees a certain degree of autonomy.
“We adhere to this principle and work in accordance with it,” Ho Iat Seng stated at a press conference on Tuesday after presenting a summary of his five years in office to the Legislative Assembly.
The concept of ‘one country, two systems,’ originally proposed by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping (1904–1997) and first applied in 1997 and 1999 with the handover of Hong Kong and Macau to China, respectively, ensures a degree of autonomy for the two regions over a 50-year period, protecting citizens’ freedoms and rights.
International bodies, such as the European Union and the United Nations, have highlighted an “erosion of freedoms” in the SAR in recent years—criticisms that the local government has rejected.
“‘Macau governed by its people with a high degree of autonomy’ and ‘one country, two systems’ have not undergone any changes. Looking back, during this term and previous ones, there have been no changes,” Ho emphasised.
Freedom of the press was another topic discussed during the session with journalists, with Ho asserting that he had “done his best to safeguard” this legally protected right.
Earlier this month, the Macau Journalists Association, one of the city’s five main media workers associations, denounced earlier this month a “severe deterioration” of press freedom in the SAR and urged authorities to end “excessive restrictions” imposed on media workers, particularly regarding access to press conferences. In reaction to these remarks, the Government Information Bureau stressed it “has always safeguarded press freedom” in the SAR.
“During my tenure, I tried to do my best to ensure press freedom. As for the future, (…) I cannot answer for them, but I believe they will follow the same direction,” he concluded.
Ho Iat Seng took office in December 2019, with the first three years of his five-year term marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. Reflecting on this period, Ho pointed out that just “ten days” into his role, he had to confront the public health crisis.
“Yet we managed to overcome this challenge and also achieved recovery in our gross domestic product (GDP),” he said.
Since 2020, Macau has only managed to maintain a positive balance through transfers from its financial reserves, which reached MOP 10.5 billion in 2023. However, the SAR is expected to close next year with a surplus of MOP 7.7 billion, according to the budget proposal submitted last week to the Legislative Assembly and presented today by the Chief Executive.
Ho, who reiterated that he did not seek re-election due to health reasons, will step down on 19 December. His successor, Sam Hou Fai, is set to take office the following day, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Macau Special Administrative Region, marking the transfer of administration from Portugal to China.
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