Sunday, August 30, 2015

The Peace Crusaders: Chapter 11

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“Human race has been created to fight,” Zintun shared his belief. “I have the first hand experience, I’ve lived it. That’s why I’m so confidently declaring this philosophy.”

“I fully endorse Mr Zintun’s views,” Korruptkin seconded Zintun’s opinion with all the seriousness.

These were the opening remarks espoused by the prime minister of Chinhut and the president of Unon in an exclusive conference. Chinhut was hosting the conference. The opening remarks by Zintun and Korruptkin gave a kick-start to the conference. Then Zintun and Korruptkin left the conference venue for Zintun’s private office.

A large number of CEOs of armament designing, producing, and marketing companies of both the countries were already busy in another meeting in another conference hall. A huge entourage of more than 70 CEOs and governmental bureaucrats had arrived in the western part of Berth all the way from the eastern hemisphere. The flight time of travel from Unon to Chinhut was over 24 hours and it would cost exchequer a fortune to finance such a massive tour. Yet the president of Unon thought the expenditure would bring in few thousand times more returns and a significant chunk of it will further enrich his personal kitty.

A CEO of arms producing company, the largest one in Chinhut remarked, “Welcome all the delegates. As you are aware we hold these meetings periodically. Chinhut is hosting the conference this time. Make your stay comfortable while you are here. Now allow me to turn to the business side of the meeting quickly. I will request Mr Richman, the CEO of Unon’s largest company designing and selling the most sophisticated missiles to take over from me.”

Richman spoke, “Thanks Mr Takagin. As you all know the purpose of the meeting is to review the current business status and think of ways of bolstering the sale of military weapons in the future. Statistics confirmed time and again that the most profitable business that existed in the entire planet was to design, produce, and sell military weapons. It is glaringly true in the current scenario. Each one of 138 countries of planet Berth wants to keep itself militarily ready to fight the wars. Lately killing has emerged as the biggest need of human race and the products whose use is to kill are the most sought after products. Therefore the governments of all the countries of planet Berth have allotted a much bigger chunk of their GDP to buy all kinds of fancy weapons in the ensuing years. This expenditure far exceeds the budgets allocated for education, healthcare, food, shelter, and such noble causes.”

The audience was listening intently.

This was the flavor of the conference and the daylong deliberations continued.

As the CEOs’ conference was in progress, in Zintun’s private office a one-on-one confidential meeting between Zintun and Korruptkin started concurrently. Zintun further played on his highly loaded philosophy of human beings’ liking for the wars. He said, “Therefore our cash register will keep clanking. The governments of all the countries of planet Berth will keep buying arms and weaponry from us for years to come.”

Korruptkin hurriedly complemented this statement. He said, “And the two of us will keep the overall control over all the countries and all the politicians. It is not for nothing that your fame as a political strategist has spread far and wide. And who doesn’t know about your meteoric rise as its result?”

But at this stage of conversation Zintun had one serious objection. He expressed, “Korruptkin, if you keep designing the same hackneyed products, all the nations will keep fighting with the same boring toys. They cannot tomtom any differentiating features of their armies. This boredom will affect our sale. So please ask your designers and developers to put their cerebral faculties to test. Ask them to come out with more and more interesting, lethal, and sophisticated weapons every now and then. And we promise to produce them in our country with all the aplomb.”

“I see your vision. I agree. We have to have varieties and new models just like any consumer product. It will enthrall the public,” Korruptkin said. “I’ll instruct my labs and research centers accordingly.”

“I have one more observation to make. You are not paying my workers enough. If that continues my popularity among my public will be adversely affected. You have to raise their compensation,” Zintun spoke forcefully.

“Zintun, how’s that possible? We are in a position to market and sell these weapons at a price that brings in optimal returns. Paying more to your workers will create problems in pricing and selling.”

“All hogwash! Price has nothing to do in armament sale. The two of us are already monopolizing this business much better than Bigland despite Gushnell’s feverish push to sell weapons from Bigland. Therefore the governments of all the countries of Berth have no option but to buy them from us. And I know that you are already jacking up the prices and keeping all the extra margins to yourself without sharing any part of it with us,” Zintun retorted irritatingly. “Pay us more, jack up the price further, sell, and make still more profit. The suckers will pay thorough their nose.”

“I can never win over you. Done. My CEOs will be instructed accordingly. Are you OK now?”

Zintun pondered over with a long pause. Then he broke the silence. He suggested, “But I won’t accept anything less than 30% rise.”

Korruptkin thought, “I need to go along with this crazy guy though his demand prima facie seems quite unreasonable. But it seems I have no other choice but bow to Zintun’s demand. He and his country finance our research- our trump card. So we are in debt to our necks because of this heavy financing. Our economy will crumble as soon as Zintun stops cooperating. Great recession will hit everyone but it will hit me the hardest. I will lose my job, my political career, and my power.”

So he agreed and confirmed, “OK, done thing.” He was convinced that he had no other choice.

“Now that done, I want you to work on another front,” said Zintun.

“What?”

“Increase the demand.”

“How?”

“Produce more wars. Create more terror. It’s all that simple. I would do it easily. But it’s your department. You are marketing and selling. So it’s your job now,” Zintun spoke a bit mischievously.

That didn’t go unnoticed by Korruptkin. Korruptkin put a brake on his thoughts and replied to Zintun, “We are doing our best to promote wars. I know you are also trying your best in this direction. I’ll be grateful to get enlightened from you on the subject.”

Zintun felt flattered that Korruptkin was seeking his advice. He happily tutored him, “Korruptkin, do you know what fear psychosis is? Create it in a big way on the planet. War has to start in human mind. Make people of one race and color believe that people of other race and color are their enemy. Make people of one ethnicity and ideologies believe that the people of other ethnicity and ideologies are their foes. In short make everyone believe that his or her existence is under threat from the others. One will definitely like to win over the other when it comes to fighting. So each one will like to buy more and more weapons of higher and higher potentials. We will supply to each one- to both the adversaries. Do you get this mantra?”

“Thanks to convey your brilliant philosophy of marketing the weapons.” Korruptkin played on Zintun’s ego.

Zintun felt satisfied with the meeting. He said, “Great. We seem to have done a great job today to keep the entire planet busy for the next decade or more. Now please give me your company in celebrating the moment.”

Then the two of them moved to the anteroom where their private seven-course lunch was to be served to mark the celebration. A troop of most provocative belly dancers would entertain them during the luncheon.

As they marched toward the anteroom, Zintun gave an impish gesture. He said, “Korruptkin, you and me know how to keep our subordinates busy.”

“Yes, I know you have arranged a working lunch for them so as not to disturb them from the conference.”

“But to compensate I have also planned a lavish banquet for them in the evening,”
Zintun boasted.

“But without the belly dancers!” Korruptkin laughed out loud.

The seven-course lunch was served with the choicest and heady drinks and cocktails that the two heads of the two powerful countries cherished.

Later the two intoxicated brutes exchanged lewd, loud, and dirty jokes with each other. Two limousines were in readiness with their respective drivers. The two drunken men would be dumped in them and deposited in their seven star abodes in absolute secrecy.

The two were revered as great men of the planet in the 1% club and even many in 99% crowd also felt awed by Zintun and Korruptkin. Zintun was made famous by the media as punyatma (meaning sacred soul in Chinhut’s local language) and Korruptkin as a visionary.

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