Those who could tear themselves away from reading about Michael Jackson's death and his various artificial body parts got to talk about happenings on other constructed landscapes. The Maldives' Artificial Beach saw some real action, when a segregated group of demonstrators gathered to protest Minivan News's publication of articles on flogging, accusing them of being – oh the sting! – anti-lashing. The three flagged logs included statements by Amnesty International and government officials on a 100-whip punishment branded on an 18 year-old-woman for admitting to extramarital sex. The small group of protestors took their positions in pious segregation, whisking words with flagellating tongues. When a male protestor was approached by a female TV reporter not wearing a head scarf he reproached, "You are naked!" And the two un-clothed sinners stood before each other in shamed silence, borne of the sudden realisation of their nudity.
Here is media controversy before the fact. Nascent as the Bhutanese democracy is, discussions on transparency and accountability are already taking centre stage in the country. In late June, the country's upper house, the National Council, announced that all of its sessions would be broadcasted live on the BBS state-run television broadcaster. But this advance has been checked by the National Assembly, the lower house, which has refused to allow live broadcasts of its discussion, wary that this would set off the best-avoided closet-personas of MPs, be it the shy or the shameless. Efficiency is, undeniably, an issue. But the argument that a few TV cameras would grind the country to a halt is hardly convincing. Chhetria Patrakar sees continued exposure to the activities of the National Council as likely to embolden the people of Bhutan, leading them to demand greater transparency and accountability from their politicians. The National Assembly's cold-pressing would seem difficult to justify.
But maybe there is cause for concern when, in Bharat, BJP leader L K Advani feels it necessary to caution his party patriots not to run to the media-mama for every minor nose-itch. He admonished his colleagues against the "small temptation" of seeking vain snatches of fame from news outlets. With several BJP leaders having recently revealed details of the BJP's election failure and internal requests for the reconstitution of the party, Advani's remarks are understandable. Why would one want to reveal one's shortcomings to the very public that resolved to put them in their unpopular position? One would rather project optimistic calm – and maybe even delusional confidence, in the way of Advani's follow-up assurance that "the party has a bright future."
More on Delphic visionaries, astrologer Chandrasiri Bandara was recently put behind bars by the dear leader for predicting the demise of President Mahinda Rajapakse's regime come September/October. While the incident does concern violations of free speech, the journalist community has remained snootily silent on the sabotage. This may be because reporters worship the rational and the real, and themselves make a mockery of the pseudo-scientific projections of astrologers. But with much news based on dubious source-erers, the correspondent may just as well be a conjurer. President Rajapakse was being his Sagittarius self (a particularly knowledge-thirsty sign) when he seized the messenger for a thorough investigation of the evidence. CP wouldn't be surprised if, in the process, he decided to dispatch his now-idle army to outer space: who knows, maybe the Tamil Tigers made some kind of pact with the planets?