The 3rd Chief Executive of the Macao SAR (2009–2019). A public-health PhD by training, he previously served as Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture. His decade saw debates over economic diversification and the 20th anniversary of Macao's handover.
From scholar to secretary, and from secretary to Chief Executive — Fernando Chui spent ten years steering Macau from the boom of high-growth gaming towards the long debate over diversification.
Fernando Chui Sai On was the 3rd Chief Executive of the Macao SAR (2009–2019). A public-health PhD by training and former Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, his decade in office spanned the diversification debate and the 20th-anniversary handover commemorations.
Profile
- Chinese Name: 崔世安
- English Name: Fernando Chui Sai On
- Region: Macao
- Domains: Politics
- Industry: Public administration · Public health
- Subject type: Official
Principal Roles
- 3rd Chief Executive of the Macao SAR (2009–2019)
- Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture (1999–2009)
Career
I. Academic background
Born into the prominent Chui family, Fernando Chui earned a public-health PhD in the United States before returning to Macao for teaching and public-administration work alongside multiple civic association roles.
II. Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture (1999–2009)
At the 1999 handover he was appointed Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture in the first SAR government, overseeing education, health, culture, sport, and social welfare. Across two terms he left strong policy marks in public health, cultural heritage, and education reform.
III. Chief Executive (2009–2019)
Elected the 3rd Chief Executive in 2009 and re-elected in 2014, his decade spanned the gaming-revenue peak, the wider 2014 anti-corruption shocks, and a major expansion of welfare. He presided over the 20th-anniversary handover ceremony on 20 December 2019 and handed over to Ho Iat Seng.
Key Achievements
- Two terms as Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, defining early SAR social policy
- Two terms as Chief Executive over a decade
- Major expansion of welfare including the cash handout scheme
- Hosted the 20th-anniversary handover commemoration
Contribution to Macao
Chui's tenure framed the long-running debate on "moderate economic diversification", launched major infrastructure, and built out a stable system of welfare distribution. Diversification progressed slowly, but his decade marked Macao's turn from rapid expansion to structural reflection — laying the policy ground for the later adjustments under Ho Iat Seng.