Hong Kong is at the crossroads of its political development. This is the best of times for democracy in this city, and the worst of times for a hitherto peaceful, stable society.
Since 1997, anti-government forces, never heard of in the colonial era, have gone astray.
Opposition activities, spreading like a virus, have included: obstructing the city government's policies; using filibusters to cripple the legislature; indiscriminate use of public protests and demonstrations that clashed with police and undermined their efforts to maintain law and order.
Is this what democracy, freedom and rule of law are all about?
The administration, however, is not without its shortcomings. Apart from the many startling scandals exposed among the government's high-ranking advisers and officials, the administration tends to be slow to find the pulse of public sentiment - the landfill extension proposal for Tseung Kwan O is a typical example.
More importantly, the administration, under the leadership of Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying, remains stubborn in its late launching of preparations for the 2017 election, giving rise to the suspicion that it is dragging its feet on democratic reforms.