Chief Executive Edmund Ho of Macao said lifting the general living standards in the SAR is the objective of his government.

Ho, who is seeking re-election for a second term as Macao's chief executive, made the remarks at a meeting with representatives of the ethnic Portuguese community, Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday.

The election will be held in Macao this coming Sunday.

At the meeting with the ethnic Portuguese community, Ho said that should he be elected for a second five-year term, he would safeguard their interests according to the principles of "One Country, Two Systems", Macao people ruling Macao, a high degree of autonomy and the Basic Law.

He pointed out that the ethnic Portuguese in Macao had made significant contributions to cultural exchanges between China and the West.

"Quite a number of ethnic Portuguese have lived in Macao for a long time and have taken the SAR as their home. They are rich in administrative and life experience," Ho said, looking forward to their continued contribution to the government's objective to raise the living standards of Macao as a whole.

Secretary for Security Cheung Kuoc Va said the law-and-order situation in the SAR had improved substantially over the past five years. "There have been marked improvements in law and order," Cheung said.

In 2003, violent crimes such as arson, drug trafficking and kidnapping dropped 20 per cent, 15.9 percent and 33.3 percent as compared with the previous year respectively.

For the first half of this year, the overall crime figure also decreased 5.3 percent compared with the same period last year.

Cheung said reform of the security authorities in Macao had been smooth and successful since the enclave returned to the motherland in 1999. He pledged that the authorities would maintain a safe environment in Macao so that the SAR could continue to develop and prosper.

Ho has secured over 290 members in the 300-strong Election Committee to endorse his nomination. In spite of the high level of endorsement, he is still subject to the Election Committee meeting on August 29 during which he must obtain more than half of the votes in order to have himself re-elected for five more years.

(China Daily HK Edition August 25, 2004)