In politics, family ties can be invaluable. Past and present members of the American 'political royalty' include the Adams, Tafts, Kennedys, Bushes and, of course, the Clintons. And, for us, we need to look no further than Macau.
The Chui family name no doubt propelled Fernando Chui Sai-on right into the seat of the new chief executive-[s]elect the same way that Dr Chui's predecessor, Edmund Ho Hau-wah, inherited Macau's top post a decade ago. Dr Chui's uncontested victory came as no surprise, especially since he ended the election even before it began by getting 286 nominations from the 300-member Election Committee.
Macanese politics has been dominated by the Ho, Chui and Ma families since the 1960s; their influence stems firmly from their philanthropy as much as their riches. The earliest Ho-Chui-Ma trio (Ho Yin, Chui Tak-kei and Ma Man-kei) earned their political pedigree by getting the colonial government to apologise for the 1966 riots and gaining the trust of both Beijing and Lisbon. Even to this day, many who lived through Macau's turbulent days remain loyal to anyone bearing one of the three family names.
But today, just as many Macau residents - especially the young and the immigrants - are not happy about the families' political domination. And for Dr Chui, his family ties are hurting him as much as they have helped him. The Chui family's wide span of commercial interests led to staunch resistance against his candidacy, leading some to place an ad in Hong Kong newspapers to voice their objections. Tainted by the Ao Man-long corruption scandal and plagued by social ills brought on by phenomenal economic development, Macau's political royalty is losing the public's loyalty.
While Dr Chui secured his seat with ease, his toughest campaign has only just begun because, clearly, winning the hearts of 550,000 residents is far more challenging than winning over the Election Committee. With 80 per cent of netizens having voted against him in an online poll in June, and the election for Macau's legislature next month, Dr Chui's political survival will depend on how quickly he can translate his pledge for reform into action.
Already seen as being no different from his predecessor, Dr Chui must escape the shadows of the past administration by building his cabinet with new faces whose credentials amount to more than just a family name. With new faces must come new ideas - not only cash handouts to placate social discontent - to tackle real social issues like illegal labour, unemployment, the wealth gap and unaffordable housing.
