Respect and tolerance for all must be enshrined in Hong Kong policy

Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's second policy address nailed his government's socially progressive credentials to the mast. Apart from middle class cries of "me too", and the usual opposition from those who will never give any credit to this government, support for the city's poor has been well received.

One area in particular is educational support for Hong Kong's ethnic minorities. Long overdue, a new school curriculum could prepare these students for a better life, with greater potential to contribute to the good of Hong Kong.

Yet, just as it seemed one aspect of Hong Kong's multicultural landscape was being addressed, another, less positive element emerged. This was the very public exposure of alleged abuse against foreign domestic helpers that led one international news outlet to refer to Hong Kong's "slave maids".

The television and print media have been relentless in their pursuit of the issue and the secretary for labour is contemplating induction courses for newly arrived domestic helpers to acquaint them with their rights.

There are other blots on our multicultural copybook, too.

Last March, the Court of Final Appeal made it clear to the government that a unified screening mechanism was necessary to deal with the city's refugees and asylum seekers. The government has been relying on the UN refugee agency to make judgments about who was and who was not a refugee. But a lack of resources on the part of the UNHCR often meant claimants waiting for years for a decision to be made.