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Macao People Able to Govern Macao
"Macao People are capable of governing Macao." This was declared a year ago by government officials from the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) to show their determination to fulfill their duties in implementing the principles of "one country, two systems" and "Macao people governing Macao".
The idea of Macao people governing Macao was heard once again recently, when the SAR government delivered its report on the fiscal year of 2001. Local media regarded the report as a positive appraisal on the successful governance of the enclave by the SAR government and Macao people over the past year.
"When the SAR government took over Macao a year ago, it was a place plagued with numerous problems and difficulties," recalled Susana Chou, president of the First Legislative Council of the Macao SAR. At the time, Macao was suffering from a declining economy, social disorder and sluggish administration, according to local people.
A year ago, the new SAR government swore in to lead Macao, led by Chief Executive Ho Hau Wah, even though few of the top SAR government officials had ever held senior government positions before. The previous Portuguese Macao government was reluctant to appoint local people as officials until the early 1990, when the localization of government officials was launched, resulting in a scarcity of experienced government officials in the territory.
"At the time, we were obliged to take over the load only with the enthusiasm that came from being in charge of Macao," said Fernando Chui Sai On, secretary of the Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR government.
"I gave no consideration to my own interests, when I made up my mind to run for the chief executive," said Ho Hau Wah, "I was just thinking of how to contribute my wisdom and abilities to the people of Macao."
The young SAR government soon won the hearts of locals by carrying out moderate economic policies, which have been widely recognized as seeking the truth from facts, pragmatic and active.
The SAR government took its first steps by dealing with the chaotic social order and the worsening economy, the two top issues concerning local people.
Over the past year, local authorities have launched harsh crackdowns on organized crime and other crimes, with assistance from Guangdong Province and the Hong Kong SAR. The number of murders and rate of arson have been brought down by 72 percent and 40 percent, respectively. Judicial departments are also widely praised for their greater efforts and better performance in handling cases.
Nowadays, local people are no longer afraid of gangsters as the social order has improved remarkably.
Meanwhile, the SAR government has adopted various measures to develop local tourism and the processing sector, which are seen as the largest traditional industries of Macao.
By October this year, the number of tourist arrivals was already 200,000 more than the total 1999 figure, according to local tourism authorities, who forecast this year's number of tourists would reach a record high of eight million.
In the government report, Ho announced that in 2000, Macao will see an economic growth of four percent, ending a decline for four years in succession.
Many local experts observe that the SAR government has successfully implemented the "one country, two systems" principle in the first year. The success is attributed to trust, assistance and backing of the SAR government by the central government and the Chinese people as a whole, as well as Macao people's tradition of "love the motherland and Macao".
Local public servants are working harder than ever; local groups are more active in participating in local development; and local media are more objective in covering local events, according to some local scholars, who believe it is rare to see such a united relationship between the government and the people in other regions that are under the same political system.
A clear-minded SAR government has set a two percent growth goal for the fiscal year of 2001, which is widely recognized as more moderate and cautious compared with the previous goal.
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