THE SOLE CANDIDATE ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL | Chui Sai On: More land resources needed for housing

Seeking a second term as Chief Executive, Mr Chui Sai On has made housing his top priority, but stated yesterday in a public hearing session that the government can only provide more housing units if they have increased land resources.
Hundreds of Macau citizens gathered at Keang Peng Secondary School in the Iao Hon neighborhood yesterday, asking questions addressed to the sole candidate for the Chief Executive Election, which will take place on August 31.
One attendee voiced his concern regarding the lack of housing units and troubles faced by youngsters when trying to buy or rent a house. “Some have to live in mainland China, don’t have financial resources to buy a house, some don’t even have money to eat,” he said.
Chui Sai On recognized that young people are particularly worried about the hardships of buying a house or building a family in Macau. He explained that the government has stepped up efforts to provide more housing units, and added that it will keep an eye on the increase of real estate prices.
“Young people should have more self-confidence. The Basic Law only allows me to seek a second term. So I hope future [Macau] leaders will continue giving you confidence [that you will find houses] either in the private or public [markets],” he reiterated.
Chui Sai On stressed that “we can only have [more] houses if there are land resources.”
Yet the candidate promised to work towards building more housing complexes in Macau so that young people need not buy a house right after they start working.
“I don’t have a magic wand, but I will make an effort to build more housing [units]. Young people don’t have to acquire a house right after they start working. They should have, however, aspirations for the future,” he said.
On Saturday, during a similar public hearing, Chui Sai On promised that the authority is reserving land space for affordable housing, whilst trying to recover unused land.
Of the 17 people who directed questions at Chui Sai On yesterday, some chose to focus on housing, whilst others raised issues concerning problem gambling, social policies, and transportation.
A man in the audience voiced his concerns regarding the development of the casino industry, stressing that there aren’t enough measures in place to to tackle problem gambling.
Chui replied that the government has launched policies for developing the gambling sector over time. Although the industry has created a high number of jobs, it has also raised issues inevitably influencing Macau’s society, he acknowledged.
The candidate said that the concept of responsible gambling must be reinforced, whilst designing policies to prevent families from suffering.
Still, the current CE stressed that statistics indicate that problem gambling isn’t too serious in Macau, since its society has been surrounded by the gaming industry for quite some time.
“Macau has been a gambling city for quite a while now. Statistic figures show that the number of problem gamblers isn’t too high (…) gaming operators also need to work towards easing this problem,” he added.
In the candidate’s point of view, another solution lies in diversifying the economy, as he recognizes that a great majority of residents choose to work for the casino industry or public services.
He promised to continue working towards the diversification of the economy, focusing on the meetings, conventions, and Chinese traditional medicine sectors, amongst other professional areas.
An increasing divorce rate and troubles faced by single-parent families was another issue raised by a local teacher in the audience. With more parents living apart, she warned that more young people are living “at risk.”
Chui Sai On regards divorces as a problem emerging not only in Macau but in other societies too: “In other countries, the divorce rate is also high; people get married, people divorce, and then might marry again. It’s not up to the government to say if that’s normal or not. We have been supporting single-
parent families.”
He concluded by saying that the administration will study new ways of helping these families, whilst also tackling problems related to drug abuse and violence in schools. Yesterday, Chui also met with representatives from the Portuguese and English local press and with members of the Macanese community.

public consultation on casino licenses

Chui Sai On has promised to launch a public consultation before revising current gaming concession contracts. In a public hearing on Saturday, the sole candidate for the Chief Executive election replied to residents’ questions and concerns. He pledged to launch a public consultation on the matter, whilst agreeing that operators need to expand their non-gaming offers.

Catarina Pinto