The presidentship

WE have already announced that in view of representations made to the Governor that it was desirable to give members of the Punjab Legislative Council more time for discussing the nomination of candidates for the office of president, His Excellency has postponed the council meeting that was scheduled for today. The first meeting of the council will now be held on the 16th, and this matter will come up for consideration. We have expressed our gratification at the action taken by His Excellency because it is both right and wise in itself. If, however, this action is to produce good results, it is essential that both the government and the council should realise the seriousness of their responsibility in this matter. The government is not and cannot afford to be a neutral party in this case because it has a considerable number of votes at its disposal. These votes, under the strict letter of the law or more precisely the recommendations of the Joint Committee, could be given, except in the case of members of the government, to whomsoever the official and semi-official members chose to give them, but which, judging from past experience in analogous cases, will in all probability be cast in favour of the person whom the government itself will have decided to support. So far as these votes are concerned, and their number is large enough to turn the scale in any fairly close contest, the government has it in its power to use them to prevent the return of an impossible or otherwise undesirable president and to facilitate the return of someone who has the capacity to conduct the deliberations of the council with knowledge, fairness and impartiality.