Legislators yesterday urged the public not to think badly of them after the October 22 meeting was adjourned because there were too few members to make a quorum.

Legco House Committee chairman Dr Leong Che-hung yesterday told members to try to attend all Legco sittings to avoid a repeat.

Dr Leong, who was out of town that day, said: 'A member's absence at a sitting doesn't mean he or she doesn't want to attend. In many cases members wear different hats and may not be able to attend the sittings as they have to attend other meetings related to their public service.' While acknowledging the importance of the Wednesday sittings, The Frontier's Emily Lau Wai-hing said: 'I hope the public will not appraise legislators' performance merely by looking at a particular afternoon or night.' Democratic Party vice-chairman Dr Yeung Sum said: 'I would like to stress that we don't want to give the public an impression that it doesn't matter that we didn't attend the Wednesday sitting because we were working elsewhere. I believe the public might not accept that.' Dr Yeung urged all members to ensure meetings were not adjourned because of the lack of a quorum. 'Even if we have 100 reasons, the public will find the legislature's image tarnished,' he said.