Fernando Chui


Fernando Chui Sai On is a Macau politician who served as the 2nd Chief Executive of Macau from 2009 to 2019. He served as Secretary for Social and Cultural Affairs from 1999 to 2009.
Chui was born in 1957 to local construction tycoon Chui Tak Seng and Chan Keng Fan, the second son after Chui Sai Cheong. His wife is a niece of the late Hong Kong tycoon Henry Fok Ying-tung.

Education

In Macau, Chui attended Lingnan High School and then finished high school at Hawaiian Mission Academy in Honolulu before pursuing his post-secondary education. Chui obtained his university training in the United States where he obtained his various degrees:
He was guest professor at the Huanan Teachers Training University.
Due to studying in the United States at a younger age, Chui did not have the opportunity to study Mandarin, and thus does not speak it well. This was evident when he made his oath of acceptance as Chief Executive of Macao in front of President Hu Jintao.

Chief Executive of Macau

Prior to becoming Chief Executive, Chui served as a member of the 5th Legislative Assembly of Macau.
In June 2009 Chui was declared to be the sole candidate for the position of Macau's chief executive. He was nominated by 286 members of the 300-member election committee. On election day, 26 July, 282 committee members voted for Chui, and was subsequently appointed by Wen Jiabao, Premier of China. He assumed his new role as Chief Executive of Macau in December 2009.

List of policy addresses

YearEnglish titlePortuguese titleChinese title
2017""
2016""
2015""
2014""
2013""
2012
2011""
2010""

Election results

Legislative Assembly

Chief Executive

Charities

Chui is also involved in youth and education causes including:
Chui has been linked to several scandals during his time as a minister of Edmund Ho's administration.
Most notably, the East Asian Games in 2005 were run under Chui's portfolio and put him in the midst of the Ao Man Long scandal. The games ran over budget by 70%. Ao allegedly received a MOP50 million bribe in connection with the construction contract for the games' centerpiece, the Macau Dome indoor arena. Overall, that project wound up costing MOP640 million, MOP285 million over budget. As a result, he was extremely unpopular amongst the pro-democracy camp even before he was elected as the chief executive.
In 2016, Chui was caught up in allegations of transferring Macau's reserves to the mainland. He was accused of favouritism after the Macau Foundation – a quasi-official foundation of which he is chairman and of which his brother heads the supervisory board – donated 100 million yuan of public money to Jinan University in Guangzhou, of which he is deputy head of the board. The Macanese government said that the donation was made in return for China's long-standing support to the SAR.

Honours