Tsang gave up his neutrality, and the legislature's credibility

Legislative Council president Tsang Yok-sing is highly regarded by the public and the media because of his self-styled political neutrality and fair and open attitude. As a result, he is often rated one of the most popular Legco members.

Last week, Tsang single-handedly destroyed the procedures of Legco by halting the debate over the controversial by-election amendment bill. He should be condemned by history as a 'sinner of a thousand generations'.

Over the past few days, Tsang has been trying to crawl out of this deep political hole by coming up with numerous excuses. It's obvious he gave in to the political pressure exerted by the central government's liaison office and chief executive-elect Leung Chun-ying, and surrendered the independence of the council.

This is a political disaster because we have now lost the traditional tripartite separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government.

Now the Hong Kong people, including those who didn't support using the filibuster to delay proceedings, can see the extent of the damage. Tsang has done irreparable harm to Legco, our democratisation process and democratic politics.

We are left with a Legco president who is neither fair nor open because he is willing to bend common-sense rules to protect vested interests. As a result, the nature of our legislature has been distorted; it has lost its operating principles of being unbiased and open.

The current political system, which allows voting by groups to guarantee the government a smooth passage of pending bills, already disadvantages the minority opposition. With the latest development, we will almost certainly see the continued rise of the tyrannical majority within the council while the minority politicians, who represent the masses, will continue to be suppressed. Without a voice for the people and with the loss of its fundamental principles, Legco has lost the purpose of its existence.