ON June 30, 1994, the Legislative Council rejected, by 21 to 20 votes, my private member's bill requiring all 60 members of Legco to be elected by direct election in 1995.
At that time, many people were surprised that I had lost by such a wafer-thin margin.
One and a half years later, the ghost of democracy returned to haunt Legco.
Last Wednesday, the council voted 26 to 26 on my motion calling on the Chinese Government to make immediate preparations for electing the Special Administrative Region (SAR) chief executive and legislature by universal suffrage.
Acting according to parliamentary practice, the Legco president, Andrew Wong Wang-fat, broke the tie by voting against my motion.
The vote on January 31, though narrowly defeated, was significant because it has recorded for posterity Legco's desire for the SAR chief executive and legislature to be directly elected.