【明報專訊】THE DECISION of the powers-that-be on the granting of new free-TV licences has raised such an outcry that there is every need for Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying or his government to explain and justify the decision on publicly acceptable grounds. Of course, by distorting the issue into "a battle in defence of the regime", all pro-establishment lawmakers may be forced to toe the line tomorrow (November 6) and, as voting machines, vote down the motion to invoke the powers under the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance to acquire the government's papers on the licensing matter. Still, the unfairness and injustice of the whole thing has given rise to misgivings that will continue to plague society and erode the government and Executive Council's credibility, making effective government unlikely. A public consultation on political reform is soon to be launched. If the Leung government continues to ignore public opinion and refuses to explain its licensing decision, there are bound to be more and more people opposed to the government, rendering the prospects of political reform even more precarious.