's agenda when he takes the helm of the Portuguese-run territory after it returns to Chinese rule on December 20, Reuters reported. The 44-year-old banker and seasoned politician was chosen on Saturday as the enclave's future chief by a committee of 199 Macau citizens hand-picked by Beijing, trouncing fellow banker Stanley Au.
The task of running the small gambling backwater of 425,000 people might seem less daunting than that faced by Tung Chee-hwa, chief executive of the nearby and much larger former British colony of Hong Kong.
But Ho faces complex problems ranging from secret criminal societies, rising lawlessness, an economy battered by Asia's financial crisis, and the task of creating a team of policy makers and top government officials from scratch.
"Tung Chee-hwa took over from the British governor a clean and orderly government, a sound legal system, order in society and abundant reserves," Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News said.
"What Edmund Ho will take over from the Portuguese is a mess: a corrupt government, a blurred line between officials and criminals, gangs on a rampage, and an empty coffer," it said.
Less than 24 hours after Ho's election, a man was shot in Macau, which has seen about a dozen shooting attacks this year.
At a news conference on Saturday shortly after his election was announced, Ho said devising "strong and effective steps to curb crime and violence" would top the agenda of his government once it is in place.
But his immediate priority in the next two months will be to set up that government and inner cabinet.
"My first task is to set up the first post-handover government. I will get wide views on the requirements and criteria of these principle government officials," he said.
While Ho is no newcomer to Macau's political scene, having made his first foray as a legislator in 1988, cobbling together a new administration will not be easy.
He will not have the luxury of continuity enjoyed by Tung, who inherited a framework of experienced Chinese civil servants from the British. Almost all of Macau's present team of policy makers and top civil servants are Portuguese who will bow out on the eve of the handover.
Under Macau's post-handover constitution, heads of government departments must be filled by ethnic Chinese Macau residents or Macau-born Portuguese. But the seven under-secretaries who come directly under the chief executive must be filled only by ethnic Chinese who are Chinese citizens in Macau.
In the approaching months, observers will also be watching to see how Ho handles conflicting demands by Beijing and Lisbon.
One sticking issue could be China's intent to send in an advance party of its People's Liberation Army (PLA) before the handover to prepare for the eventual garrisoning of some troops in Macau. Lisbon has said it was unnecessary to station troops in the enclave.
But Ho suggested on Saturday his sympathies lay with Macau's new masters.
"I believe the stationing of PLA troops in Macau is in total accordance with China's sovereignty. My position is in 100 percent agreement with the central government," he said. But he did not say what he thought about China's idea of sending in an advance party before the handover. [Reuters]
Macau's future chief vows to crack down on triads (1999-08-25)Europe's oldest Asian colony to return to China (1999-05-17)Crime, economy to test Macau's anointed leader (1999-05-16)Chinese Banker Picked To Lead Macau (1999-05-16)Edmund Ho and Stanley Au Vie for Macau's Top Job (1999-04-24)
