Edmund Ho Hau-wah got his re-election campaign into full swing on Saturday as he temporarily left his post as chief executive of the Macau Special Administrative Region to canvass support.

The popular Ho chose the Macau Chamber of Commerce on Saturday as his first station of his campaign, a body most influential in Macau society.

At the meeting chaired by the chamber's Chairman Ma Man-kei, Ho exchanged views with 17 personages from industry and commerce circles.

The discussion focused on diversifying Macau's economic structure, the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises, the shortage of professionals, the quality of living in Macau as well as urban planning and the traffic network.

Ho garnered endorsements from a total of 297 members among the 300-strong election committee on his nomination form for the chief executive post earlier last week. This made him the sole candidate in the election.

He said that he would take his two-week campaign period to widely solicit opinions and suggestions for the better development of Macau.

Ho also went to the Macau Federation of Workers' Unions headquarters on Saturday afternoon. His election affairs office said Ho has made a tight schedule for his campaign in order to meet face-to-face with people from the manufacturing industry, the trade society, the SME association, the culture circle, the Association of the Neighborhood Community, the Women's Federation, the Portuguese community and others.

Although he enjoys popularity, Ho did not regard himself as re-elected, based on the fact he is supposed to garner more than half of the votes with the election committee to be cast in a secret ballot on August 29.

As the first chief executive ever elected by Macau people, Ho's five-year term will expire on December 19 this year, which will coincide with the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Macau SAR.

(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2004)