Call me citizen Cassandra, if you will. Methinks this civil society is on the cusp of a revolutionary social change. This revelation came in a blinding flash when we celebrated the 25th anniversary of the promulgation of the Basic Law, which coincided with the first anniversary of the Occupy movement. Lo and behold, at a Basic Law conference, director Zhang Xiaoming of Beijing's liaison office in Hong Kong bestowed upon the city's chief executive a "transcendent" status. If we had to coin a word for the chief executive's unexpected elevation, we could do worse than calling him "transcendent". We could call him "transcendental", as in transcendental levitation. READ MORE: ‘Hong Kong leader is above the executive branch, legislature and courts’, says Beijing’s liaison chief However, we take comfort from the Basic Law which provides for equality before the law, whether one is transcendent or not. While much is ballyhooed about the Basic Law, the Occupy movement has its own critics. Some describe the movement as "a pack of dragons without a head". Others believe the Occupy movement is multiplying in myriad different ways with a multitude of young leaders emerging from nowhere and yet everywhere. Young flag-bearers of democracy are parachuting into various districts to contest next month's district council polls. In the full glare of publicity, other young people emerge as leaders to right any perceived wrong over controversies of one kind or another. In this digital age of cutting-edge technology, people are internet-savvy and connect with other internet-savvy people in real time, beyond geographical boundaries or physical constraints in a decentralised and democratic way. This is the city's new paradigm. Facing this new paradigm is not easy and takes many of us out of our comfort zone. So, it is to the credit of the city's police force that it has cottoned on to the use of new technology to engage the community through social media, including Facebook. READ MORE: Hong Kong police 'friend' request: force launches Facebook page to overcome post-Occupy negativity However, engagement is a two-way process. And the cutting-edge technology, like a double-edged sword, cuts both ways. Any meaningful engagement of an amorphous general public needs time to establish trust. And in the short run, courage is needed to cope with slings and arrows from some members of the public. Perhaps this is what the head of the civil service, Chief Secretary Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, meant in the Legislative Council last week when she modified an ancient Buddhist script to say that when humans are spiritually pure and have nothing more to desire, they become courageous. The upshot of all this could mean the civil service is throwing down the gauntlet, fighting fit. It could also mean this already divided civil society might dichotomise even more. Elizabeth Wong Chien Chi-lien was secretary for health and welfare from 1990 to 1994 and a lawmaker from 1995 to 1997