After the contentious Legislative Council by-elections last month, the central government's liaison office in Hong Kong took the unprecedented step of conducting formal talks with members of the Democratic Party and the pan-democratic camp on the city's constitutional reform.
Public opinion has mostly supported the historic talks, but some have questioned whether the liaison office has replaced the administration to lead the discussions on political reform and is playing the role of a second governing body in Hong Kong.
To prove that the administration is still in the driver's seat, Chief Executive Donald Tsang Yam-kuen is actively promoting the government's constitutional reform package. First, he challenged one of the opposition leaders, Civic Party chief Audrey Eu Yuet-mee, to a televised debate this month. Then, he led his team of senior officials in a city-wide street campaign - 'Act Now' - to publicise his message and lobby for public support.
The city's silent majority seems to favour passage of the government proposal to pave the way for universal suffrage elections for the chief executive in 2017 and all the legislature in 2020. Tsang hopes his campaign can help break their silence. It seems that the administration has not given up the leadership role in the reform fight: Tsang is determined to go directly to the people to explain the significance of electoral progress.
Those who have been excluded from the landmark TV debate have made claims that sound like sour grapes. Meanwhile, the Civic Party is still arguing over the format of the debate, demanding that there should be a public audience.
It seems to have forgotten the meaning of an open debate. The event is to allow Hong Kong citizens to better understand the pros and cons of passing or rejecting the reform package. There is no need for a live audience; the entire process will be witnessed on television by many of Hong Kong's 7 million people.