Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa told the public he had heard their views and understood their aspirations shortly after the end of the major anti-government rally on Thursday. Estimates of the turnout ranged between 200,000 and 530,000. By any account, the scale of the rally was massive.
Compared with his failure to respond after a similar rally last year, when an estimated 500,000 turned up, Mr Tung's timely statement was a major improvement. Last year, he uttered not a word after the unexpectedly large crowd took to the streets to express their opposition to the national security bill. For three days, the press corps waited outside his office, but he just said 'good morning' as he walked past. Worse, he still tried to push through the bill, only to be forced into retreat by the Liberal Party's withdrawal of support.
Despite his assurance on Thursday to improve governance, Mr Tung's administration has clearly become increasingly untenable. The governance crisis that he precipitated last year is showing no signs of abating.
By turning up on an extremely hot day, the people of Hong Kong have told the world that they are not merely economic animals. The measures taken by the central government over the past year to lift the local economy out of the doldrums have worked, but they have failed to dampen the population's political aspirations.
While the Basic Law stipulates an executive-led governmental system, it fails to provide for a harmonious working relationship between an unelected administration and an elected legislature. Come September, there is every possibility that the pro-democracy camp will win more seats in the Legislative Council election, further hampering the Tung administration's ability to govern.
The implications of the governance crisis on the social policy front cannot be underestimated. Over the past year, in view of its weak position, the administration has become much less active in initiating new policies. Even so, it is facing difficulties in pushing through reform initiatives already in the pipeline. For example, the school management bill, which was widely endorsed when it was tabled, now has only a 50-50 chance of getting through before the legislative session ends in two weeks. The Democratic Party's decision to side with religious organisations that oppose the bill is a complete turnaround from its original stance.
