The plight of Hong Kong's poorest people has become difficult to justify and impossible to ignore. One in four children is estimated to live in poverty. Statistics suggest that the wealth gap - one of the world's widest - is growing. And our basic social security net is looking increasingly inadequate.
A photographic exhibition in Tsim Sha Tsui this week powerfully conveyed how serious this problem has become. It depicted children scavenging on our city's streets to help their families make ends meet. The scenes were more in keeping with the developing world than with 'Asia's world city'.
This worsening situation requires a bold response. The government has been slow to react. But Tuesday's announcement by Tung Chee-hwa suggests it is listening to the public's concerns - and taking the problem more seriously.
The chief executive revealed he intends to establish a poverty commission. This is a welcome and potentially ground-breaking development. In the past, officials insisted there was no need for such a body.
The details are, so far, limited. More will be made known in next month's policy address. But the commission will include members from outside the government. It provides an opportunity to get to grips with the problem and to devise a more sophisticated and comprehensive policy.
Mr Tung says he is keen to break the poverty cycle. But the familiar three-pronged approach he cited is unlikely to be sufficient on its own.
He argued that poverty would be alleviated by the rebound in the economy. The benefits of the recovery have not, however, reached many poorer sections of the community - nor are they likely to in the near future.