Fernando Chui Sai-on, Macau's fourth-highest government official, told more than 400 youths how he dealt with stress. 'I go to the supermarket and buy something I like to eat,' said Mr Chui, Macau's Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, last week. 'Many friends see me at the supermarket on Sundays.' Mr Chui oversees tourism, education, health care and cultural development in the former Portuguese enclave. Usually he appears tense at ceremonies or legislative assembly sessions, fending off questions from reporters and lawmakers. In a two-hour discussion last Thursday titled 'Heart to Heart Talk', organised by the Macau New Chinese Youth Association, Mr Chui answered 35 questions from secondary school and university students, as well as recent graduates. Mr Chui maintained his poise, and although he did his best to avoid negative questions, he gave some useful advice to his young audience. When one student asked him what the worst crisis he had faced after five years in the post was, Mr Chui said he could not recall any crisis. Another student asked whether he had ever contemplated suicide. 'I really cannot remember any extreme crisis or problem that I could not solve,' he said. 'At night when I get home after work, I can go to sleep straight away, because I know there is no problem I cannot solve, especially since I can rely on my colleagues and my superior. I know I can sleep first and discuss the problem the next day.' During the question-and-answer session, several university graduates shared their frustrations about finding a job. One graduate who has a physics degree said there was no job for him in Macau except in a casino, but he did not want to work there. 'I understand your concern, but sometimes we have to be practical,' Mr Chui said. 'Not everyone can find a job related to their field of study upon graduation. 'The important thing is that they do not stop learning, whether in school or at work.' Mr Chui said society should not disapprove of young people who choose to work in casinos. 'Youths have the freedom to choose what they study and to choose their profession,' he said. 'We should respect their decision. 'Youths who work in a casino are not necessarily lacking ambition or looking to make a fast buck. 'Those who choose not to work in casinos are not necessarily better or more successful people. We should stop imposing such a view on our next generation.'
