The 21st Century Fox
These is always a reason why people do the things they
do or don’t do!
It is indeed a strange and ironic phenomenon in the
system of governance of Sri Lanka that when it comes to sound policies to solve
issues of a national nature, those in power appear to be at a loss, while those
in the opposition seem to have all the best policies to solve the country’s
ills.
In Sri Lanka today, there is much written and talked
about the perceived inaction of a certain Opposing individual who is looked
upon by many especially his loyal following, as one who is able to salvage our
country from the social and political quagmire it is sinking into. Because traditionally as mentioned above,
those not in power are expected to have all the right solutions.
The perceived ‘silence’ of this Opposing individual
has bewildered many, mostly amongst his loyal supporters giving rise to much
personal attacks, ridicule and criticism.
However I see it differently. Some may regard it as a
figment of my over-dramatic imagination while some may not. But in a democracy
and as a citizen of this country I believe I’m permitted the freedom of looking
at things my way, therefore “outside the Box”.
The
following is an Allegorical Narration of the Status Quo
“Once upon a time there was a Fox and a Bull in a land
comprising mainly of Cattle, Leopards, Reptiles, Owls and Others. The Cattle
were in the majority, followed by Leopards. The Bull was the ruler of the Land,
for reasons best known to those who elected him.
The fox was a descendent of a family that had ruled
the Land before and was not new to the game. However he unlike his predecessors
never quite got to rule the Land except for a very limited period. During this
short space of time the Fox together with his following of some wise Owls and
Reptiles ruled the Land according to some, like a CEO of a massive efficiently
run enterprise.
The Fox’s method of governance was far too
sophisticated for the Cattle majority to comprehend
and appreciate. Therefore the Fox came across more like a Lamb than a Fox
and lacked mass appeal amongst the simple minded majority of the Land made up
of Cattle.
The Bull on the other hand quite unlike those of his
fraternity was a shrewd and charismatic one. Being a talented actor the Bull
came across as more Cattle-friendly than the Fox. He knew exactly how to play
his cards with the masses made up of Cattle known for their limited intelligence.
The Bull’s less sophisticated home-grown methods of
governance therefore appealed to the masses which obviously valued populism
over efficiency and thus ensured the Bull’s victory at every subsequent
election.
This was a time when all was not well in the Land.
Leopards were creating a ruckus disturbing the peace in the Land.
This came about due to a mess created by the
predecessors of both the Bull and the Fox resulting in the Leopards being
marginalized over the years. The unresolved mess which was not nipped in the
bud snowballed into the Leopards wanting to carve out their own niche in the
land. The majority would not hear of it, for they regarded the Land as their
sole property.
The Leopards got mad and killed off all the great wise
Owls who might one day rule the Land, leaving only the Bull and the Fox for the
majority Cattle population to choose from. Therefore it became a Hobson’s
choice situation in the Land.
Meanwhile the Land was going up in flames with the
Leopards intensifying their wrath. The economy of the Land was down to a
dribble and the rulers of the Land were caught between the devil and the deep
blue sea.
The Fox being a moderate intervened and wanted to
settle the issue through dialogue and other diplomatic means. And so the Fox
with great difficulty managed to get the intransigent Leopard chief to agree to
sit down and talk, instead of burning up the Land.
The Leopard chief was a tough nut to deal with and
continued to insist on the niche for his Leopards. The Fox and the Bull were
for once united and said “Nothing doing”.
All hell broke out in the Land with the chief Leopard
unleashing his fury on the majority Cattle and others. The Bull decided that
the Fox’s method was not the way to go and unleashed his armies to finish off
the Leopard chief and his comparatively small army of Leopards once and for
all.
The methods used were questionable because many other
innocent Animals in the Land were killed in the crossfire on the battlefield
but the Bull couldn’t care less because he “Won the War”. This was to become
the Bull’s main weapon to win over the majority Cattle vote base at every
election thereafter.
Animal rights activists from far and wide started to
voice their concerns over what was happening in the Land, but the Bull couldn’t
give a damn for he was now riding high on the hysteria “We won the War”. In the
typical ‘bull-in-a-china-shop’ manner the Bull carried on doing things his way.
His arrogance knew no bounds, so was his stupidity. The Bull appeared to
interpret good governance as pure and simple poppycock.
Meanwhile, the Fox was becoming increasingly unpopular
in the eyes of the majority in the Land. His CEO method of governance had lost
out to the Bull’s street-wise methods. He
had lost his status as a potential ruler of the Land and became the object of
much scorn and criticism.
Many regarded the Fox as a fool and some of the
Reptiles in his camp decided to dump the sinking ship and crossed over to join
the ruling Bull’s camp comprising a large Herd of well pampered Cattle which
offered a rosier future for them personally and to hell with the Land.
In addition to these problems the Fox had to deal
with, there started some rattling and rumblings within the Fox’s camp. Moves
were under way to oust their leader the Fox. But before long the ruckus ceased
as his challengers realised that the Fox was no fool.
By now the Fox had come to be regarded as the Bull’s
coziest asset, for never did he raise a hue and cry over the way the Bull and
his Herd of Cattle were bulldozing around as rulers/ruiners of the land. And on
the Bull’s part he made sure that the Fox had all the comforts he required and
was protected from perceived enemies from within his camp. For the gullible
Bull regarded the Fox as his greatest ally. It appeared to be a win-win
situation for both the Bull and the Fox! Or so it seemed!
Few realised that the Fox was no Simple Simon. This
was none other but the 21st Century Fox himself!
The fox having lost out to the Bull at a record number
of elections in the past realised that he needed to take a short cut to get to
his destination and therefore decided to sit back and wait for his day he was
sure would eventually dawn.
Somewhere down the line the Fox had acquired a
spiritual need shared by the Bull to seek the divine intervention of Gods who
could be consulted only at certain holy shrines in the big Land next door. Both
the Fox and the Bull took turns at visiting these shrines to seek whatever they
were seeking, causing much confusion to the Gods and putting them in an
unenviable situation.
The Bull and his Herd of Cattle meanwhile were running
amok with their self-destructive political gymnastics with the cunning Fox
stealthily egging them on giving them all the rope to hang themselves with. The
Bull was now increasingly becoming like the Emperor with new clothes, with the
majority Cattle population admiring all his new outfits and failing to see his
obvious nakedness.
To make his master plan not too obvious and being the
tactician he is, the Fox every once in a while would make wise utterances at
the regular congregations at the Zoo critically analyzing the problems facing
the Land and urging the ruling Herd of Cattle not to incite religious and communal passions, which once embroiled the
Land in war.
This cunning 21st Century Fox was only too
aware that all his utterances were falling on the Bull’s deaf ears, but
nevertheless he made them anyway, if only for the record. The Cattle were now
starting to wonder why the Bull could not come up with such sensible solutions
himself.
Meanwhile, the Cats and Vultures from far off
well-to-do Lands were starting to take note of what was happening in this small
but strategically located Land in the Indian Ocean. Their concerns and
reprimands fell on the deaf ears of the Bull and his Herd of Cattle. They were
still riding high on the hysteria “We Won the War”.
Given the characteristics of the species, the Bull and
his Herd of Cattle little realised that in the eyes of the rest of the world
the Bull had unleashed his armies only to squash a battle amongst the citizens
of the Land he ruled and not against a foreign invader.
Serious concerns started to be raised by the Cats and
Vultures in the international arena regarding Animal Rights being violated in
the Land. They were being goaded into action mostly by Leopards of the Land who
had fled during the war and become citizens of foreign Lands.
The Bull and his Herd of Cattle taking umbrage at this
treated these concerns with scorn and ridicule, little realising the long term
consequences of their actions and inactions. They stubbornly stuck to their
policy that Good Governance is Good Poppycock.
Not for a moment did they stop to think that if all from these foreign Lands
collectively spat on this tiny Land ruled by the Bull, his kingdom would vanish
beneath the Indian Ocean within moments.
Meanwhile, the 21st Century Fox is lying
low marking time for his final leap, making periodic wise utterances at the Zoo
congregations, while the Bull and his Herd continue to wind the rope around
their necks.
Will the Bull eventually meet his Waterloo in the now
seemingly sleeping 21st Century Fox?”
Disclaimer:
The above is a work of fiction based on the
writer’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, beings, living
or dead is purely coincidental. Any humiliation caused to animals is deeply
regretted.
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