The old man
wandered the dishonoured farm, encapsulated by a profound sadness, fatigue
engraved on his worn face. The regret grew more profound each year he spent in
his decrepit, troglodytic house, the solemn walls resurrecting the god-awful memory
of the losses he'd made in a previous life. He starred in the obscure mirror,
lost in its unfamiliar reflection. No longer could he see that ambition, that
desire, that raging fire in his eyes. All that remained was the deceiving
hollow soul that reflected in the tear-stained glass, the marks leaving no room
to see his true self anymore. He was just a shell of what was once a great man.
This old man was
a simple farmer man, also ex-head of government of the country, Gerald. In his
glory days, he lost the trust of the public and was swiftly demoted before
being fired. Now, he was a pathetic being of what was once acknowledged as
leader.
Gerald had been an endorser of narcissism, believing
himself to have possessed superlative influence on the country. His arrogance
led to his inevitable downfall.
Gerald prayed
day in day out for redemption, a chance to turn back time to when he was
puissant. “I wish for a chance to go back in time, to mend my mistakes as Head
of Government. God please answer my prayers!” his voice crackled and broke over
his desperate words.
God answered
Gerald’s prayers.
Gerald awoke,
crawling out of his bed. He found a queer abnormality. His bed was remarkably
softer. This unfamiliar flocculent bed was pappy and gelatinous. His eyes
widened in shock. He found himself waking up in his room; his room from decades
back.
“Taxes shall be
reduced by 20%,” Gerald proposed. All the men in long pants were taken aback.
This would mean that the funding the country obtains from taxes would greatly
drop. The President expressed his disapproval, explaining the consequences. To
this, a smirk crept on Gerald’s face. “By reducing the taxes, let’s use the
example of a farmer, the money saved from taxes will go to buying proper and
quality tools, this will in turn result in better quality harvests. Now, assume
you are a merchant. One would have to pay taxes to bring goods into a country,
as a merchant, you would rather go to the country with lower taxes to sell your
goods, will you not? Think about this way, merchants across the world would swarm
towards our country, for the reason they would only require to pay mere cheap
taxes and their profit will be higher. So which country do you think will earn
more money in taxes? A country with low taxes with an abundance of people or a
country with high taxes with few people?”
A shock of
realisation was evident on the government officials as Gerald explained his
reasons for lowering taxes.
Gerald continued
to propose what appeared to be preposterous ideas to the government officials;
he introduced the concept of having a capitalist economy albeit with a
socialist system. All his proposals went through the system and were in effect
as soon as possible.
The country
prospered, while other countries attempted to compete with its low taxes, they
realised they lowered their taxes so much that they barely made anything.
With the
capitalist economy, many aspiring youths were able to successfully make the
correct investments and shoot into the league of rich men.
Another meeting
took place.
“We should
advocate nature. We should build massive gardens and plant an abundance of
trees!” Gerald proposed. The other men in long pants were filled with
inquisitiveness, why should the country do so? “By doing this, we can raise our
country’s merit. Why so? By instilling more greenery, foreigners will be
attracted to our country to indulge in nature and allow the locals to breathe
in fresher air. We can envision a garden city!”
It seemed
Singapore would further prosper...
Gerald woke up.
His back aches as he moans in pain. The usual morning for any ordinary old man.
His river-silver hair striking, with a face creased like vellum. His brumous
eyes flashed, as a repulsive laughter escaped his revolting lips. Everything
was a lie; a figment of his imagination.
A SUBMISSION FOR ROYAL COMMONWEALTH ESSAY 2018
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