Macao Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah has pledged that he will continue to implement the "one country, two systems" policy and the Macao Basic Law if re-elected later this month.

Ho made the commitments in his election manifesto, which he handed in to the Macao electoral committee on Thursday, reported the Xinhua News Agency.

Macao voters will go to the polls on August 29 to elect a chief executive of the SAR. Ho, whose current term expires on December 19, is currently the sole candidate.

In his election manifesto, Ho promises to raise Macao residents' standard of living and ensure that the region continues to make progress.

The "one country, two systems" policy will always be a success in Macao, said the manifesto.

Looking back over Ho's first five years in office,, the programme said the initial success of "one country, two systems" is due to the fact that the policy is correct, the Macao Basic Law provides the region with sufficient legal guarantees and the central government gives Macao powerful support.

The past five years have seen Macao making use of its advantages and accelerating the pace of its opening to the outside world.

Ho's manifesto adds that Macao residents have been supporting the government of the special administration region.

But it also points to some weaknesses during Ho's first term. The performance of the government needs to be improved and there should be increased co-operation between the government and non-government organizations.

As the first chief executive of the Macao SAR, Ho enjoys popularity for his clear-cut and effective strategy that has ensured Macao's smooth political transition and impressive economic recovery.

Under his term, Macao's economy has enjoyed sustained growth for four years in a row and realized its fastest growth in history -- 15.6 percent last year.

(China Daily August 21, 2004)