Two months after Tai Kin Ip’s resignation, habemus Secretary for Economy and Finance. There are at least two immediate readings. First, the appointment was only approved by the State Council after Xia Baolong’s meetings with local officials — not in Macau, as might have been expected, but just next door, in Zhuhai.
Second, a jurist with a master’s degree in Criminal Law from Guangzhou, whose career has been spent in the civil service — at the Public Administration and Civil Service Bureau and the Labour Affairs Bureau — followed by a spell in gaming regulation, is hardly a political heavyweight, much less an obvious fit for the post. The preference for experienced bureaucrats, who understand the workings of the administrative machine better than political manoeuvring, is becoming increasingly clear.
It is also evident that Ng Wai Han deserves the benefit of the doubt until she shows what she intends to do and what she is capable of. Better still would be for her to build broad support across business networks, the public administration and the population at large. The post is sensitive and the task before her is extremely difficult: economic diversification and regional integration, the management of Hengqin, and the crisis facing traditional commerce.
To achieve this, she must open the doors of her office, explain, persuade and share. I would even echo the advice given by the deputy director of the Liaison Office: “Get out onto the streets and see what is happening.” We will soon find out whether that is Ng Wai Han’s style. It is not the reputation she has, nor the impression left by her previous posts.
The political and economic transition facing Macau is an extremely difficult mission. It is not the responsibility of the Secretary for Economy and Finance alone; it belongs to the entire Government, starting with the Chief Executive. In fact, it belongs to everyone
There was much speculation about candidates with greater visibility and political weight: O Lam, Ip Sio Kai, Vong Sin Man, Che Weng Keong… That is a more difficult reading to make. Either those who could avoid the job did so, protecting themselves from a post that threatens to become a political bonfire, or each of them came with limitations and problems that led to their being passed over.
In these matters, the combination of both circumstances often turns the last choice into the first. In the end, what matters is who deserves the appointment and has the courage to serve to the best of their knowledge and ability.
In the current context, two further points should be recognised. First, the political and economic transition facing Macau is not solely the responsibility of the Secretary for Economy and Finance. It is the responsibility of the whole Government, beginning with the Chief Executive. Indeed, it is everyone’s responsibility. If businesspeople, traders, civil servants and service providers sit back and wait for the Government to solve everything, it can only end badly.
Second, what could truly accelerate the process is a combination of factors, including the skill and speed with which the Central Government and regional governments resolve the numerous bottlenecks in Hengqin and the Greater Bay Area, and then connect regional integration with the China–Portuguese-speaking countries platform.
All of this must take place within the context of a strategic plan which, although it exists, is still far from being properly understood or pursued with clarity, courage and agility. Above all, it is up to the new Secretary to understand what she has in her hands and help ensure that all the parties involved board the same train.
There is a political dimension to the plan, both national and regional, which is naturally more discreet. There is also a public dimension, which Tai Kin Ip lacked and which has been missing from the Government as a whole. What is being asked of Ng Wai Han is that she accelerate both dimensions, because her success will be everyone’s success.
Good luck, because the road ahead is rocky — and full of thorns.
