MALMALIYA is the galaxy's most successful pure meritocracy, or so the Malmaliyans will tell you.  Their territory is divided into larger and smaller subdivisions:  "zilas", "samitis", and "grams".  After every census, if a statistical computation of the region's well-being has declined, that region's leader (or "mukhiya") will be subject to replacement by the mukhiya of the best-performing lower-level subdivision. At the lowest level of the "gram", candidates are selected via civic aptitude tests given to all citizens.  One of the most important measures contributing to a region's score is its average life expectancy, so mukhiyas are very eager to attract healthy people and especially those who can afford Senolyte.  This is where another Malmaliyan tradition comes to the fore.  "Free speech" is taken as license to broadcast whatever advertisements or outright propaganda might help get those numbers up.  Some local mukhiyas who figure they've got nothing to lose even try to decrease the statistics of a neighboring gram by possibly inducing heart attacks.  "We've heard reports that their dam may be about to collapse!" and "There might be a serial killer on the loose!" are among the disturbing news items that Malmaliyans must sometimes be prepared to discount, at risk of potentially ignoring actual dangers.