Donald Tsang Yam-kuen's inability to tackle poverty and revamp the welfare system during his seven years as chief executive are the main reasons for the city's widening income gap, according to his critics.
Tsang admitted as much two weeks ago, during his final question and answer session in Legco, when he finally acknowledged that his belief in the benefits of the trickle-down effect might not work in reality.
'I used to believe that different social stratums could enjoy the fruits of economic development as a result of the trickle-down effect. However, there were discrepancies between the theory and reality,' Tsang told lawmakers.
For some social workers, his realisation has come far too late, and is of little use to the disadvantaged.
'I repeatedly told him over the years that the trickle-down effect does not work. It was too late for him to admit the problem,' said Nelson Chow Wing-sun, a social work and social administration professor at the University of Hong Kong.
'His misjudgment is probably the main reason for the widening income inequality.