CHAPTER V

Looking out through a window of his vehicle, Slade could see people running after vehicles, trying to sell snacks, drinks, electronics… He could not think of any reason to get any electronic device; he needed food.

He remembered that as a kid, he used to be amused at the scene of sellers running as fast as they could to catch up with vehicles where their goods had been bought so they could get their money. The success rate was usually high since the event mainly occurred when vehicles could not move so fast because of heavy traffic.

The scene did not seem funny to him anymore. He realised these people were doing everything possible to make a living; that was their job! They didn’t have the luxury of sitting in offices with computers in front of them, earning at the end of the month. They had to stay under the sun, sometimes in the rain, if they would make any money.

Slade was going to graduate from his university very soon, and whenever he thought about the probability of getting a job when he was done, he always felt sad. Here was why: the unemployment rate in Nonce was about thirty-three percent. Let me describe to you how bad that was. There were over one hundred countries on Terra, and Nonce’s unemployment rate was the second highest in that continent. Slade didn’t know about this statistic but knew things were bad.

What did the government do about it? “Shit,” was the general answer of the citizens of Nonce. Depending on whom you asked, shit could mean the government did nothing or that all they did was useless.

Slade began to think that all the government did was to ensure that the country never got better and that people remained in poverty.

About two weeks prior, the government banned the sale of goods on highways. On the surface, it seemed like a good thing since people could get injured or some other bad event could occur. But the government had provided no other avenue for these people to make money; hence, the sellers disobeyed the order. Slade thought it was good they disobeyed; otherwise, he would not be able to get anything to assuage his present hunger.

Some time ago, the Leader of Nonce said the country’s youths were “lazy,” which was why they had no jobs. Slade could see many people selling all sorts of things, many of whom were about his age or a little older. Yet, the government wanted to take away their only means of livelihood without providing an alternative. The problem was definitely not with the youths, Slade thought.

He called the attention of a seller to buy what he wanted. The seller would not have to run after a vehicle this time since all vehicles on the highway were no longer moving. Reports got to them that there had been an accident somewhere before them and that it would take some time to clear the road.

Slade had been in a hurry to leave the house that morning and had skipped breakfast. He was eating now, and it felt good.

He wondered why Nonce was the way it was. He decided that good people in governance could improve things, but not according to his parents. His parents had told him that only bad people were in the government and that a good person who decided to join the government would become evil. He had heard a quote so much, with no idea who made it or when it was made:

Slade had decided the quote made no sense. Surely, Slade thought, we are absolutely in charge of our actions, and nothing could make us do something we would not want to do.

Slade believed that if a gun were pointed at him so that he could carry out an action or die, whatever decision he made would entirely be up to him. He hated it whenever he heard people say, “I had no choice.” He disagreed with that.

He had read a book some time ago and agreed with the writer’s view on power:

Slade thought this made more sense since his country was one of many places where evil people were in government. The difference was that in some countries, bad people were often held accountable when they did something against the law and the people’s interests. They were not untouchable. Slade did not think the same applied to Nonce. Those in the government did ridiculous things but were never held accountable. He was worried that things would only get worse if corruptible people kept getting into the government while those who really could help citizens of the country and impact change didn’t bother getting in because “power corrupts,” and they didn't want to become bad people.

In high school, Slade had been told that the form of government practised in their country was a democracy. Here is how democracy was described:

A government of the people refers to the government's composition. It refers to the fact that the government had to be made up of people who came from the people. A government by the people refers to who chose those people who made up the government. A government for the people refers to the fact that every policy and decision the government makes should be in the people’s best interest.

Slade was not eligible to vote during the previous election; he had always been home during such periods. The most dominant reports during such periods were about rigging. Videos of people stealing ballot boxes and paying people to vote for a particular person permeated the internet and could be seen on television. Slade could not understand why the government wouldn’t want to do everything possible to ensure the people’s votes were counted. He thought they played some game amongst themselves: may the best rigger win!

Slade thought it was evident that the government was not for the people. They usually made many promises like the provision of electricity, jobs, and good roads… but they seemed to develop dementia once they got into power. Slade thought it was incredible that Nonce had no consistent power supply, even though the politicians always claimed they would fix that if elected. He realised that those in power could not be bothered by that since they had all the money of taxpayers, all the money generated with the country’s resources in their hands, and could generate electricity in their homes through some other means.

Slade decided that only dumb people, or people with no regard for human lives, could behave the way the government of Nonce acted. Either way, he thought they were shallow beings with little emotional and intellectual depth and that people like them should not be allowed to govern a nation.

Slade made up his mind that he was going to go into government politics at some point in his life. “I could be an agent of change,” he said to himself.

Would Slade have turned around the fortunes of Nonce for good as a politician if he got the chance? You will never know, and neither did he.

He was done eating and decided he was tired of sitting down. Regardless of how that would make him feel, he would get out of the vehicle and walk around for some time.