A strange tale

A strange tale

Mr. Coelho's letter 'Economic theory' (The Jakarta Post, March
23, 1996) makes a bold and unorthodox declaration: When
governments sleep, nations march and occasionally even sprint.
Skeptics will ask "How come?"

Let me tell you the tale of two simple souls. They believed
that the nearest government office was the answer to their
problems. So, with a spring in their step, they made their way
there. But it was the afternoon and nobody was there. However,
they managed to find a genial Satpam. They asked in despair "Does
no one work here?" "That they do in the mornings, sir, in the
afternoons they're not here," said the watchman, obviously using
a well-practiced phrase. Here was a lesson, said one of the men.
"Let us vow never to come here again."

In the next office, he started off on a different tack,
thinking "I will give these slackers a piece of my mind." He
barked at the first underling one he came across "Take me to your
top dog." "Can I be of help?" he responded meekly. "Don't you use
common sense over here?" "No," he responded. "We are prisoners
of our office, sir, debarred from using common sense."

In short, governments are an oasis where work waits, leisure
abounds, energy rests, tenure endures, entitlements expand, and
higher echelons thrive. And miraculously, outside of this lies a
bubbling, frantic mix of the good, the bad and the ugly that
creates wealth and prosperity, but is held hostage and adroitly
handled to guarantee a good time for all oasis-dwellers.

G.S. EDWIN

Jakarta