Lalapore was a neat little country. It was small, but it had a
good trading location. This attracted a Colonial occupant who
helped develop its trading capacities, and who brought lots of
migrants to work there.
After a hundred years or so, the Lalaporeans got rid of the
Colonial occupier so that it could take charge of its own
destiny.
The beginning of this new nation was fraught with hardship. No
hinterland, no natural resources, a poor, mostly uneducated
populations required drastic political measures to set her on the
right path.
Up rose a party - the Papsmear Party - that towered over many
others; one Party that was schooled in the Colonials way but whose
heart was in Lalapore. This Party was overwhelmingly endorsed in
the inaugural election and its leader, Mr Leeder, became the
beloved leader of a new nation.
The new Leeder of the Papsmear Party and his merry men were
geniuses. They got their priorities right and ensured that kids
were educated for the future, that infrastructure was conducive for
foreign investments, that country was sanitary and green etc.
Election after after election, the Papsmear Party gained ground.
Despite the presence of opposition voices in this democratic
country, dissent was crushed; not by illegal means, but by
efficient enforcement of anti-defamatory laws that the Papsmear
Party regularly used to sue and bankrupt opposition politicians
(and also foreign media), making them ineligible for future
elections. As such, the opposition exists in Lalapore as a
concession to its democratic constitution but it is weak and
definitely unprepared to form the governement overnight.
The population of Lalapore largely votes for the Papsmear Party.
Some do so out of appreciation for its good work. Some do so
because the opposition are not strong enough to be trusted in
parliament. Yet others do not even get to vote because the
opposition cannot field enough candidates to challenge the Papsmear
Party. But over the years, the wealth of the economy and the
stability of Lalapore society have made many Lalaporeans apathetic
to politics due to complacency. The Papsmear Party has done a god
job, so why rock the boat, right?
But storms brew in the horizon. Leeder of the Papsmear Party, dies
one day, despite rumours of his immortality. After a firm grip on
the Papsmear Party and Lalapore for more than 50 years, Leeders
death spurred pro-Leeder and anti-Leeder camps within the Papsmear
Party to scamble for the spoils. As blows are traded, the Papsmear
Partys squeaky-clean image takes a beating as Papsmear
Party-members use underhanded methods to oust fellow members.
Finally, in the brouhaha, a massive Scandal hits the Papsmear
Party, and no spindoctoring can save them. With mounting pressure
from Lalaporeans for justice to be meted out, the President has no
choice but to dissolve Parliament and call for fresh
elections.
All Papsmear Party members immediately quit the Papsmear Party to
form their own parties. But the stain from the Scandal means that
their names are now not worth the price of the ballot-papers that
they are printed on. The opposition, on the other hand, had a field
day generating support from disgruntled Papsmear Party
supporters.
On election day, the opposition wins, while the spinoff parties
from the Papsmear Party taste defeat for the first time.
Lalaporeans sit in front of the live-update TV screens, in tears.
Some cried for the downfall of the Papsmear Party, while others
teared in happiness of the long-awaited victory of the oppostion in
Lalapore. But yet others cry because the the Pillar of Lalapore -
the Papsmear Party - has given way to an untested, un-united
opposition who have never tasted power before.
In the immediate aftermath of the shocking election results,
ex-Papsmear Party members were quick to denounce the credibility of
the now-in-government opposition politicians. Like karma coming
back to back their asses, the now-in-government opposition
politicians use anti-defamatory laws to sue and bankrupt the
ex-Papsmear Party members. Ex-Papsmear Party now taste the fury of
the leading party.
Rolling in his grave, Leeder, the dead founder of the ex-Papsmear
Party, finally sees his glowing political folly in the darkness of
his crypt. In his eagerness to ensure a top-down one-party
dominance in Lalapore for the sake of political and governmental
efficiency, his deliberate marginalisation of the opposition had
been calculated to keep them weak. A weak opposition was good for
the Papsmear Party while the Party was infallible, but the collapse
of the Papsmear Party exposed an ugly wound that the weak
opposition so ably exploited.
Now, Lalapore under the new government is having its first taste of
democratic freedom. But with the new government being untested
and inexperienced - thanks to the oppressive Papsmear Party -
Lalaporeans can only sit and wait to see if everything is a sweet
dream or a bitter nightmare.
Moral: You reap what you sow. But with an entire country at risk,
we are not simply looking at a worthless bushel of wheat going up
in flames.
(1st blogged here http://blueheeler.wordpress.com/2006/11/24/a-tale-of-a-fictitious-country-lalapore/)