<B>By Deepa BHOOKHUN</B>

Once upon a time there was a leader of a political party who expressed himself forcefully at a public gathering and protested against what he called ?the anti- democratic tendencies? he thought were being displayed in the light of the arrest of three journalists.

Once upon another time (like the next day), another politician was invited to talk crap (as they do ? this is not personal) on a private radio. He happily obliged and recounted on air something that supposedly happened to him a few days before. He was unhappy that

?l?express? hadn?t printed word for word the speech he had made in Parliament (because of course that?s what us, microphones, erm sorry, journalists should do, according to this not so very gentleman) and he said that he had spoken to the journalist who wrote the article and that she told him she had written generously about him but her editor-in-chief had subsequently scrapped the part where his name was mentioned.

The poor girl nearly had a heart attack when she got to know what this person had said on air because of course that?s not what she had said to the politician at all. When she called him to confront him, he made some pathetic excuse but couldn?t explain why he said what he had. Then the journalist said to him that even if she had said those very compromising words to him ? which she hadn?t ? it wasn?t very elegant or ethical of him to come out and say those things in public. I do not know what he said to that and frankly I do not care.

Episode three. Once upon another next time (two days after the radio affair), a political party held a press conference and announced proudly (I am somehow recalling Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and prejudice telling that dashing Darcy the difference between pride and vanity) that they had decided to ?boycott? ?l?express? ? I use inverted commas because I really do not know how a political party boycotts a national newspaper - I guess they?ll soon learn it works the other way ? because a journalist who went to one of their public gathering had written that there were 500 people at this meeting! Please don?t laugh; I promise you, I am so not joking ?

I?ll admit it is funny though!

Shall I tell you who stars in each of the three episodes? You must have guessed already but humour me and let me tell you. Actor number one is none other than Pravind Jugnauth. Supporting actor number two is former leader of the opposition Nando Bodha and Joe Lesjongard represented the villains in episode three.

All three of these gentlemen belong to the MSM. All three of these gentlemen tell you they believe in a free press and all three of these gentlemen will look at you in the eye and swear that they believe in democracy.

I don?t think there?s anything else to add. Do you?