THE election of Andrew Wong Wang-fat as President of the Legislative Council is a welcome indication of his fellow legislators' desire for genuine democratic debate. In a democratic society, it is rare to cheer an unopposed election. The essence of democracy is choice. Without it, the public has good reason to suspect jobs have been divided up by cosy arrangement rather than fair competition. This is not necessarily so, however, in legislators' choice of Mr Wong, who is expected to be wholly impartial and independent of any party. Competition for the post could all too easily politicise it and undermine its impartiality.
Mr Wong is a good choice. We are fortunate to have a number of strong-minded independent legislators, although several have tended to align themselves in practice with a particular party or to form loose coalitions of their own. In the last session, the new President himself was a member of the so-called Breakfast Group, which provided a forum for independents to discuss issues informally, and sometimes co-ordinate their vote. However, he had a reputation generally for judging each issue on its merit.
As President, Mr Wong will not be expected to vote, except in the case of a tie. Then convention has it that he should vote in favour of the status quo and for continued debate. But he will be in a position to guide debates, decide the order of speakers and, on occasions, to prevent a member from speaking.
Those are powers which must not be abused. He must be equally balanced in his use of other powers. He will have to decide whether a subject goes forward for debate or whether a proposal or amendment conforms with Legco standing orders. He will also be under constant pressure from Government.
The new President has said he will represent members' views in his contacts with the administration, not be a go-between for the Government. He has pledged not to take sides between political parties. But his powers will also require strength and subtlety in other areas. His interpretation of standing orders and of the constitutional provisions concerning relations with the Government will be crucial in any dispute - especially if the Governor threatens a veto. How Mr Wong reacts or directs legislators to react will be the real test of his skills and impartiality in the months to come.