RAISING expectations and then failing to meet them is like playing with fire. The British Government's decision to replace Governor Sir David Wilson with Mr Chris Patten led many Hong Kong people to think that London might handle Hong Kong slightly differently.
After all, Britain was not going to abandon the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration under which it agreed to deliver six million Hong Kong people to Chinese Communist rule in 1997.
Neither was Britain expected to handle the transition radically differently from its long-held policy of fostering commercial relations with China. It is widely known in the colony that Hong Kong interests have always been secondary to Anglo-Chinese relations.
However the appointment of Mr Patten did raise expectations because he broke with tradition by acting in a robust and outspoken manner. His willingness to be questioned in public and not ducking controversies was breath of fresh air, some supported him because they thought he was standing up to Beijing.
Government officials described his sometimes unpredictable and confrontational style of dealing with the Chinese Government as the Mad Governor Syndrome. Mr Patten is certainly not mad. He knows he is here to carry out Britain's policy.
While the British Government may disagree with many Hong Kong people's cynical interpretation of British motives and intentions, they should not deny that Britain has not been able to win the hearts and minds of Hong Kong people. The nationality issue has done enormous if not irreparable damage to Anglo-Hong Kong relations. The failure to embark on the democratisation course earlier still rankles.
Thus while there is little illusion about what Britain can and will do for Hong Kong, the arrival of Mr Patten last year did kindle expectation. The constitutional reform package unveiled in the policy address last year was well received because it wentmuch further than former governors would ever propose.