In keeping with his pledge to work closely with the new legislature, Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa has been meeting elected members of all the major political parties. Presumably, he will also be building bridges with the independents and minor parties as well. The gestures and meetings we have seen in the week since the election are surely welcome, especially amid speculation that Mr Tung may have a hard time passing much-needed budgetary and policy measures if he does not have firm support among the lawmakers. However, for these contacts to be translated into productive working relationships, there will likely need to be even more communication, backed by genuine intentions. One-off, post-election group meetings may make for nice photo-opportunities or even provide chances for some politicians to grandstand. But the business of government, which Mr Tung and the new Legco will have to attend to once it is sworn in, will require much more than that. There is already speculation that Mr Tung will be reshuffling the Executive Council, which effectively functions as his cabinet in making major policy decisions. The chairmen of the largest pro-government parties, the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong and the Liberal Party, may well be invited to join. It is unlikely that the Democrats will be invited, or would accept an offer. Nor would any of the independents and smaller-party politicians, including Emily Lau Wai-hing and 'Long Hair' Leung Kwok-hung, who met Mr Tung yesterday. It is arguably with legislators outside his ruling coalition that Mr Tung has to work hardest to bridge differences. The meeting with the Democrats last week seemed to set the right tone, with chairman Yeung Sum calling the atmosphere 'very good' and remarking that Mr Tung jotted down the party's concerns. What remains to be seen is whether Mr Tung will follow through after such meetings. High-profile canvassing in the post-election period and the odd meeting ahead of his annual policy address, without any meaningful contact during the rest of the year, is unlikely to be sufficient to build good faith and genuine collaboration. Of course, co-operation is a two-way street and the new legislature should also be seeking to step up dialogue with Mr Tung. Nearly 2 million Hong Kong voters turned out last Sunday, and they deserve representatives who will take seriously their mandate to supervise the executive branch of government. This cannot be done unless both sides understand each other's policy aims and political agendas. The past week's meetings are a good start, but what Mr Tung and Legco manage to accomplish over the next four years will depend in part on whether these initial efforts can be kept up and even intensified.
