There is no worse way to wrap up the Legislative Council session than with more chaos. The chamber descended into a circus on Thursday when the chief executive showed up for his last question time before the summer break. Lawmakers traded insults, interjected across the floor, disrupted proceedings, and challenged the president, turning the televised meeting into such a farce that president Tsang Yok-sing lost his temper. Raising his voice, a stern-faced Tsang lamented: "Haven't you acted enough in front of TV cameras?"

The public has had enough of such farce. It's a shame that disrupting the chief executive's question-and-answer session has become the norm rather than exception in recent years. The scripted theatrics no longer attracts prominent media coverage, but it adds to the impression that Legco is more an arena for pointless bickering rather than doing real business. This is not helped by the rival camp being increasingly provoked by the stunts; and they worsened the situation by pushing Tsang for stricter enforcement of the rules.

The ugly scenes do nothing to restore confidence in the legislature, whose image has been undermined by negative publicity over filibustering, poor attendance and other political mishaps. Just a month ago, pro-government lawmakers made international headlines with a botched walkout during the electoral reform vote, leaving the government's package defeated with embarrassingly low support. The fiasco escalated when members' exchange in a group chat on mobile phones was subsequently leaked and reported by the media.