The Reminiscences of Zafrulla Khan — Page 252
236 REMINISCENCES OF SIR MUHAMMAD ZAFRULLA KHAN Zafrulla : No, not only he should not, but he cannot. The view of the President either with regard to the election of the chairmen with whom he will have to work - supposing somebody is quite sure that he is going to be elected President or there is every probability that he will be - or with regard to the year following his own Presidency has no relevance to the election of the chairmen. To some degree a candidate for the Presidency who is reasonably certain of his own election can influence the election of chairmen through his own group. For instance, supposing he is a Latin, he can say to his group, if it is understood that the Latins can have the Presidency that year, "Look, the Presidency is your business also. I have to be in the Chair and I shall have to conduct the business, but if there is any credit in it, it belongs to my country and also it belongs to my group. Therefore, you should make it easy for me, as far as you can. My team will be composed of the Vice Chairmen, so far as the General Committee is concerned, and of the Committee Chairmen, but the Committee Chairmen are really my instruments for the purpose of conducting the business of the Assembly in the committees. I, therefore, hope that both in putting up your candidates and in voting for other candidates, wherever there is a choice, you will exercise it in support of the better man, and if you do not mind consulting me on it, perhaps I could give you some advice. " In that way, behind the scenes, he could exercise some influence. But he cannot do even that much if the Presidency is going to be contested, because nobody can arrogate to himself in advance, "I am bound to be elected. " That would militate against his being elected. Question : Well, as a sort of concluding comparative notion of where the President of the General Assembly stands as presiding officer of a great assembly of the world, we have two very different models: the House of Commons, where the President is largely an honorary figure and holds the honour of the House, and we have the House of Representatives of the American Congress, where he holds the agenda, the patronage, the committee assignments and any other number of political plums. One might say that one is almost the strongest possible presiding officer and the other is very nearly the weakest. Where does the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations fit into this spectrum, between the House of Commons and the House of Representatives ?