Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa made a public act of contrition at his press conference last Thursday, confessing that he had made mistakes and promising to do better in future. However, he refused four times to apologise, merely saying that he accepted ultimate responsibility on all matters.
The first key test of whether the government has really opened the door to change will lie in the way it handles the Article 23 legislation. To his credit, the chief executive said the administration will begin another round of public consultation on the controversial legislation, which drew half a million people onto the streets on July 1.
It is important that the public consultation this time be done in a different manner than the last time, when it was more a case of the government trying to convince the public of its views than listening to the public's views.
The Hong Kong government this time should release a white bill to consult the public. Previously, despite widespread demands for a white bill, the government had refused to issue one.
At his press conference on Thursday, Mr Tung refused to answer a question as to whether there would be a white bill. But, in explaining his plans, he said: 'Let me emphasise that the purpose of this round of consultation is to win the maximum understanding and support of the community as a whole for the legislation.'
In Beijing on Saturday, President Hu Jintao, too, expressed the belief that after wide-ranging consultations, 'the relevant legislation will certainly be understood, supported and endorsed by the Hong Kong compatriots'. This suggests that, in the minds of both Mr Hu and Mr Tung, the problem lies not with the bill but with the public. It also suggests that Mr Tung may not have much room for manoeuvre where the contents of the bill are concerned.
There is a danger that this second round of public consultation may backfire on the government if the public again perceives it as not genuine consultation. A public consultation, by definition, is to find out what the public's views are, not to persuade the public of the correctness of the government's views.