To my daughter,
Sorry dear, I think I will not be able to make it to your place this winter. There are developments here, things are brightening up for us and it could be a game changer …I have been able to work my way up the higher echelons of Lakwizinn… it's a govt within a govt ; a Lakwizinn with untrammelled powers ; I think my recent claim to royal lineage has helped ; my contention that my forefathers are of Punjab descent related to the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh is bearing fruits …..
• First I will have to register my new company- RC Investments Ltd, with me and your mum as Directors and we will rope in two to three well-connected big shots to firmly cement it with an aura of professionalism and savoir-faire. It is the right time to display a pretence of entrepreneurial skills in the family – I know, I know, but you do not have to be so cynical about that-u are like the typical doubtful Thomases with the perpetual question marks above their heads ; the little of the skills that we have will be enough, enough for cronies ! ...it is the perception that matters as long we give it a semblance of drive, conscientiousness and momentum, well patched up in a fool proof business plan and mind you, just by being part of the right network of patronage and clintelism is more than enough...the freemasonry of the new breed of business gangsters and cronies
Second, I am sensing that it is a now or never moment , i‘ll not be settling for anything less than some prime land in some prime location- that’s their problem if they have to snatch it from other low-ranking cronies without royal lineage-preferably at Ebene to construct a 12-storey commercial building…I am already apprehending your objections that we have so much of excess office space and and other inconveniences in the area etc.
Who cares ! - that’s’ a knowledgeable fashionable expression these days in the elitist circles reflecting the mindsets and practices of our Lakwizinn-appointed CEOs and Chairmen – Who cares as long as we are able to secure cheap loans and advance payments from the many Chatwas who will not miss the opportunity of renting a whole storey in our Rs 600m building to be in the proximity and befriend the descendants of the Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Third, as it is more acceptable these days given the state of our institutions , we can divert some of the cheap loans to our side business in the Mad-Reu-Mts triangle and I may even indulge myself in some enterprising moves, like purchasing one the powerful speedboats that I had been dreaming for years, which will inevitably be a booster for our side business, given that the horse-racing business is out of reach now that it is being taken over by the betting mogul who may have not have the class and cultural upbringing to show some deference to royal descendants.
Please do not worry about the probable uproar from some of the parliamentarians of the opposition who were not quite different in using public goods for partisan ends ; our goalkeeper-cum-goonda is there to “bar goals” and worse come to worse, he will eject them out of the National Assembly for the lack of proper etiquette and respect for royalty. They may even be suspended for life for putting at risk the special relationship between the two nations which have been forged assiduously and knitted over millenniums into a unique blend of camaraderie, entente and trust. Can we allow these lousy and tortuous minds to wreck the specific quantity and quality of the big brother assistance which has imperiously ensured that little brother is cajoled in staying docilely in line for his own good ,however,at some cost ?
The grudging media that is being starved of govt adverts and support may prove to be a painful thorn , even a heavy handicap; they are likely to raise the issue of transparency and accountability and other such disturbing queries, highlighting the fact that when public funds are involved, RC Investments Ltd is answerable to the institution ,to the public and to the Nation .
If we cannot hide behind the confidentiality clause, we will have to spin a more or less convincing narrative that soothes the resentments of the many who have been waiting in the long line of "rodeur-boutes" to have a bite of the morsel that happened to have passed them by.
If these do not work out we can still parlay some of the criticisms into effective rhetorical attacks by polarising some of the grudgers along communal lines-that they are targeting us because we are upcoming business people from a distinct community which is providing gainful employment to so many people; they do not want to see the advancement of our community; they want to maintain the dominance of the traditional ethnic groups in the business sector !
These are some of the tricks of the trade which have come in handy in the corridors of power; it has been used profusely and it works wonders every time. How could it be different with no signs of promised change at institutions sapped by an absence of meritocracy and by graft and cronyism that most of us have grown to revile especially the lot of sycophants and supplicants that are piling up in these institutions everyday !
Do you still expect the people to open their minds, ears, eyes and mouth to finally react and become the masters of their fate ? Arret rever ma fille !
So, do not worry, let us make hay while the people take its own time to wake up from their stony dun slumber , scarcely disturbed by the ravages of a listless, corruption-ridden regime
Your loving
Royal Descendant
Disclaimer: Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead,or to situations/events, is purely coincidental.
