Never has the world been agitated by a pair of shoes as what was hurled by an Iraqi journalist at President George Bush - still considered the most powerful man in the world. Many in the Islamic world are delighted at what they consider to be the supreme insult that can be cast on a person.

There are many others in other regions who think that it was not the best way to protest against any person - even if George Bush is now at the lowest end of the popularity scale. Bush displayed admirable sang-froid during the incident.

'The fellah threw size ten shoes at me,' he had remarked nonchalantly. This would have been much to the chagrin of those who are revelling on the heroic insult. When the victim of the insult is amused, much of the intended sting is lost.

The previous occasion which generated the fury of a nation on such a scale over footwear was when Philippine rebels drove out the Marcos family from their Malacanang Palace in Manila to find 1060 pairs of shoes in the chamber of the first lady Imelda Marcos.

Filipinos were furious about this vulgar opulence but the world was amused not only at the collection of footwear of the glamorous Imelda but also with the discovery of 15 mink coats, 508 gowns and 888 handbags in my lady's chamber. The fastidious Imelda shrugged off the public resentment to her affluence. 'Mass follows class, class does not follow mass' she is said to have remarked.

Journalist Zaidi

Journalist Munazher-al-Zaidi who hurled both his shoes at President Bush certainly does not come close to Imelda Marco's standards of footwear. Going by Third World journalist standards, he would have had - at the most - a few pairs of shoes and now he has lost one of them. According to one agency report, the pair flung at Bush has been described as, 'sweaty.'

But an Arabian millionaire has offered to buy his now celebrated shoes for US$ 10 million. Zaidi would not have earned that amount in his entire journalist career but would the pro-American Iraqi President Zuri al Maliki who was by George Bush's side when the shoes were flung, return them to him?

At the time of writing these comments, poor Zaidi was being held in an Iraqi prison with his head bashed by a rifle butt and a broken arm.

Debates will ensue in the journalist profession whether Zaidi did the correct thing by venting his emotions flinging his shoes at the press conference. Usually journalists are invitees by those hosting a press conference - on this occasion by the Iraqi president and most probably by the American Embassy in Baghdad.

For security reasons they can be subjected to body searches but shoes obviously were not considered as 'dangerous weapons.' The outcome of the Zaidi performance could be that only barefoot journalists be given entry to press conferences hereafter. We await the learned opinion of our senior Sri Lankan press pundits, some of whom take to the streets on any issue touching upon rights of journalists.

Different reactions

People of different nations and races react to occupation of their countries and different forms of gross interference in the internal affairs differently. In Sri Lanka we have had a naval rating swinging the butt of his rifle at the head of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi while he was inspecting a guard of honour. Fortunately Gandhi escaped injury but there was jubilation among a wide cross section of people who resented the landing of Indian troops in Lanka under the Indo-Lanka Agreement.

The LTTE however took revenge of Gandhi even after Indian troops quit, by killing him.

Iraqis have not targeted a Western leader in Iraq probably because the chances are few - these leaders being present in the country only for a day or two and under very tight security guard. But hundreds of American troops have been targeted by various factions of Iraqis.

Thus, however loathsome the symbolism of hurling of shoes at the American President may have been and calling him a dog, in reality it was a comparatively harmless exercise...

There are also less harmless ways in which public figures are ridiculed. In Britain the least expensive and harmless methods are deployed by the frugal British such as hurling rotten eggs and tomatoes. This can cause much embarrassment and discomfort but British courts today do not seem to consider it a heinous offence.

In Sri Lanka as the democratic process progressed over 60 years, the projectiles became deadlier - from sticks and stones to crackers, hand bombs, bombs with deadly explosives, grenades and now suicide bombers.

Thus, hurling of shoes, at least in Sri Lanka, will be considered a harmless but expensive exercise, going by the prices of shoes advertised during this festive season.