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