SATIRE | They gathered in hushed reverence, not with the usual discordance of yam sengs or champagne corks, but with just air bandung in quiet awe of the miracle workers of their community leaders.

The leaders were no ordinary Joes. They included the maestros of bureaucracy, the geniuses of red tape, and the experts of public policy.

With a flick of the wrist and a flourish of the pen, they could conjure solutions out of thin air. Or at least, they could conjure the illusion of solutions.

Five days ago...