Everyone wins in this game

I recently visited Macau and had lunch at Government House.迷你倉 Macau is famous for its local cuisine, especially its Portuguese-style food, which has a fusion flavor. The meal came with eight courses, including coffee, which was rather more abundant than the menu of Hong Kong's official receptions. Appetizers alone comprised whole-prawn toast, beef croquette and western sausage barbecued in Portuguese style. Crispy and not greasy, the prawn toast was a perfect match with the sausage and a glass of Portuguese white wine. Other courses included Jamon Iberico ham with honey dew, grilled bacalhau and baked coconut chicken with rice - all classic Portuguese favorites. I was most impressed with the tasty western chicken congee. Smooth and made with a lot of ingredients, it was similar to the Guangdong-style ones. Dessert was fried egg buns with syrup dip, which was a bit like the French toast at Hong Kong's cha chaan tengs. The buns were served with the famous Portuguese port wine, and the meal was roundeself storage off perfectly with a cup of Espresso. We were chatting after lunch, and a Macau old-timer told me the government is able to do a lot for the people because it is cash-rich. Taking office in 2009, in the wake of the global financial crisis, Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai-on is well aware that Macau's gaming sector is vulnerable to drastic ups and downs. As such, the government's welfare policies address both short and long- term needs. With a fiscal reserve of close to 400 billion patacas (HK$388.34 billion) - equivalent to six years' public expenditure - the Macau government can, of course, afford to improve the people's quality of life. Chui's 2014 policy address introduced new old- age allowance and pension initiatives and greatly enhanced social benefits, including medical and housing. In other words, Macau citizens are not only receiving a cash handout of 9,000 patacas each but are benefiting from all-round improvements in community welfare as well. Siu Sai-wo is publisher of Sing Tao Daily 迷利倉