Amid an air of doom and gloom, the success of the pan-democratic forces in gaining entry to contest the chief executive election could already, to borrow the words of Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, be hailed as a 'job done'.
Democrats could have declared that they had accomplished their mission to try to 'subvert the small-circle election'. Even their political rival Tsang Yok-sing, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong, has observed that the poll has become 'mock universal suffrage'.
Thus, for the first time since the initial chief executive election in 1996, a member of the pro-democratic force - Alan Leong Kah-kit - has succeeded in becoming a candidate. In the lead-up to the March 25 voting day, he will be able to grill Mr Tsang, the incumbent, over his visions, policies and ruling plan and team.
More than two decades after Hong Kong embarked on its trouble-strewn journey towards democracy, this election has emerged as a catalyst for change that may have a far-reaching impact on the city's political development.
A traditional Chinese saying has it that opportunity and danger come hand in hand. True, Mr Leong and his allies have nothing to lose as far as the election is concerned; it is a lost battle.
But it is equally true that the stakes are higher for both candidates after they vowed to go to the masses to seek support.