The Chief Executive, Mr Edmund Ho Hau Wah, said today the Government would allocate resources next year to help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), cushion the impact brought about by the global financial crisis and economic downturn. These measures would spur the economy and help the people and SMEs to get through these trying times, Mr Ho said at a press conference shortly after he delivered the Policy Address 2009 at the plenary meeting of the Legislative Assembly. When asked about the future development of Macao’s gaming industry faced with the global economic adjustments, Mr Ho said the Government has pre-arrangements in case a gaming operator experienced “great difficulties”. Mr Ho said existing law allowed the Government to take over a gaming company if it was on the verge of bankruptcy, in order to guarantee the employment of local residents and maintain the normal operation of the entire economy. But he quickly emphasised that this was just “a pre-plan”, adding that Government officials would not be appointed to manage a gaming company. He added the management and the employees of a gaming company could be retained in their jobs even if it was taken over by the Government. According to Article 44 of the Law No. 16/2001: Gaming Industry Regulatory Framework, temporally administrative intervention is allowed when any of following circumstances happens to a gaming operator, including “unjustified interruption of its business”, “serious disturbances and deficiencies in its organization and operations”, “insufficient business installations and equipments under general situation”. Mr Ho said the Government did not want to see a massive layoff in the gaming industry facing economic adjustments, adding that the Government would negotiate with gaming operators to guarantee the employment of local workers.
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