DRIZZLE OF MAYHEM Read online

  “Do not fret. Robben Island didn’t kill the zeal in Madiba!” Jasper shouted as he was shoved into a police van.

  Applauds from the Great Patriots rose like dust for their leader.

  Chapter Three

  N ewspapers were splashed with Jasper’s arrest:

  Radical activist Jasper Jabari arrested.

  Jasper Jabari in hot water.

  Jabari taken into custody.

  Bahati Kellan, twenty-nine-year-old lawyer and politician. She ran as an independent candidate in the Le-Croff mayoral elections.

  Bahati, oval-faced, sable eyes, plump and chic, her prismatic dhuku head wraps, embroidered blouses, colourful beads and stilettos made her distinct. Bahati was legal counsel to Jasper and the Great Patriots.

  “Mister Vinor is here to see you,” Bahati’s secretary informed her.

  “Let him in,” Bahati replied.

  Vinor walked into Bahati’s office pensive.

  “I couldn’t secure bail for Jasper,” he blurted out.

  “Because you are a member of the Great Patriots?” Bahati asked.

  Vinor nodded in the affirmative.

  “You should have notified me pronto. They can’t deny him access to his lawyer,” Bahati said.

  Vinor looked at Bahati like a sheep looking at a shepherd for guidance.

  “It’s been reported in the dailies that Jasper breached public peace,” Bahati said.

  “Yes, which is ridiculous,” Vinor replied.

  “Jasper has been in detention for ten hours. Vinor, let’s go get him out,” Bahati said.

  “Are they going to drop the charges?” Vinor asked.

  “Breach of public peace is punishable by a fine or a suspended sentence,” Bahati replied.

  “How much is the fine?” Vinor asked.

  “Seven thousand liquets,” Bahati replied.

  “That’s a lot of money,” Vinor said.

  “That’s the law, and the law is no respecter of anyone,” Bahati replied.

  “Are we going to be able to do our thing?” Vinor asked.

  “The Great Patriots should lay low and avoid run-ins with the authorities,” Bahati said.

  “So, Jasper will face a magistrate?” Vinor asked.

  “That’s how the cookie crumbles, my friend,” Bahati said.

  “He’s never been charged with breach of public peace,” Vinor lamented.

  “Vinor, it’s a volatile political climate. The mayor of this region is missing,” Bahati said.

  “That shouldn’t stop us from speaking our minds,” Vinor said.

  “Tempers are fervid in Le-Croff. Like I said, the Great Patriots should lay low,” Bahati said.

  Vinor sighed ponderously.

  Bahati secured a confidential bail for Jasper. Jasper was arraigned before a magistrate and fined seven thousand liquets.

  Disenthralled from his legal travails, Jasper appeared on Critical Discourse, a political talk show on Channel Sixty Six, a local television station in Le-Croff.

  Interviewer:Welcome to Critical Discourse. I’m Cosh Slabash, controversial figure and founder of the very radical socio-political group, Great Patriots. Jasper Jabari is my guest on the show. Jasper, an avid critic of Mayor Frank Kaars, is a journalist-turned-activist. Jasper, it’s an honour having you here.

  Jasper:It’s a pleasure.

  Interviewer:What are the aims and objectives of the Great Patriots?

  Jasper:Our aims and objectives are to ensure the election of accountable leaders. Accountability from leaders constitutes good governance, which surely improves the lives of the citizens.

  Interviewer:Is your vision beyond Le-Croff region?

  Jasper:Absolutely it’s beyond this region. Patriccar Island deserves good headship. Martin Luther King said “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

  Interviewer:The Great Patriots, according to your website, has a hundred and fifty members.

  Jasper:It’s not about the size, it’s about how resolute we are.

  Interviewer:How do you intend to push your ideology into other regions, since you only have footings in Le-Croff?

  Jasper:Revolution starts as droplets which grow into a tsunami that consumes the land.

  Interviewer:That parable went over my head.

  Jasper:[chuckling] Maybe it wasn’t meant for you.

  Interviewer:Are you of the opinion that Le-Croff has elected bad leaders?

  Jasper:People are influenced by the media, and not rightly informed.

  Interviewer:Can you expatiate?

  Jasper:Bahati Kellan, an independent dismissed by the media as inexperienced and not qualified. Attention wasn’t given to her manifesto. The media also made a fuss about her affiliation with the Great Patriots.

  Interviewer:Experience is paramount when it comes to running for public office, isn’t it?

  Jasper:Bahati is a constitutional lawyer, but she wasn’t favoured by the media and she didn’t have donors like the establishment parties. How experienced was Frank Kaars before becoming the Mayor of Le-Croff?

  Interviewer:Mayor Frank Kaars was abducted from his home. What’s your take on that?

  Jasper:If it’s true, I objurgate it. Political violence is appalling, but that’s if he’s truly been abducted.

  Interviewer:If truly? What do you mean?

  Jasper:I have doubts about Mayor Frank’s abduction. Something isn’t adding up.

  Interviewer:Why do you have doubts? The chief constable of Le-Croff, Zul Baxter, is leading the investigation.

  Jasper:I think it’s a scam.

  Interviewer:A scam?

  Jasper:Yes, a scam to get re-elected.

  Interviewer:That’s a very insensitive thing to say, especially to Frank Kaars’ family.

  Jasper:The truth is a bitter pill, but that pill is good for your wellbeing.

  Interviewer:The citizens, Le-Croff Assembly, Acting Mayor and even the Prime Minister are not in doubt.

  Jasper:Well, I beg to differ. I have doubts about it.

  Interviewer:You said this mayor must be flushed out by any means necessary. Is there a correlation between your speech and Mayor Kaars’ kidnap.

  Jasper:The Great Patriots is not a criminal organisation. Violence is not our mantra. There is none.

  Interviewer:There wasn’t clarity in what you said.

  Jasper:There was a hundred percent clarity. I was encouraging people to use their civic power to get wind of Mayor Kaars.

  Interviewer:It’s semantics. It could have been interpreted differently by your members.

  Jasper:Great Patriots do not engage in reprehensible activities.

  Interviewer:There’s been thesis that you are a member of the Liberation Party. That’s why you are anti-Mayor Kaars.

  Jasper:I’m not a member of the establishment parties. I support an independent . . . Bahati Kellan.

  Interviewer:Why are you against the establishment parties?

  Jasper:They don’t represent the electorate. They prioritise their donors.

  Interviewer:But the establishment parties run the country.

  Jasper:That’s why the country is falling into shambles. The mayors from the Liberation Party have no policies of their own. They take directives from the prime minister.

  Interviewer:Le-Croff must be lucky to have a mayor that’s not from the Liberation Party.

  Jasper:Not at all. Both the Liberation Party and Democratic Advancement are charlatans.

  Interviewer:Mayor Kaars has his own policies because he’s not from the Liberation Party.

  Jasper:Very bad ones . . . ill-thought-out policies.

  Interviewer:Mayor Kaars’ policies aren’t all bad.

  Jasper:Very pathetic.

  Interviewer:Can you cite one pathetic policy by this administration?

  Jasper:Oh yes, I can cite several. Sixteen years for cannabis possession is wrong. It’s high time cannabis was legalised in Le-Croff, like other regions.

  Interviewer:Legalised? This substance wil
l get into the hands of minors.

  Jasper:By not legalising it, it’s already in the hands of minors. Alcohol is legal but you can’t find minors buying a bottle of whisky at a shop because there are regulations around the sale of alcohol. Legalisation comes with regulations. You have to be at least eighteen and have to prove your age by showing ID. It can only be sold in certain places and times it can be sold.

  Interviewer:How about the health implications? Especially mental health. Cannabis causes memory impairment, addiction, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, low blood pressure. Regular use of cannabis causes bronchitis.

  Jasper:Tight regulations should be in place. This will ensure improved quality and safety control. Cannabis has medical benefits. It is efficient in the control of epileptic seizures. It is also a pain reliever. The police will focus on serious crimes.

  Interviewer:Cannabis can be highly addictive. People might become increasingly addicted to cannabis in Le-Croff.

  Jasper:It’s legal in other regions. There isn’t an addiction upheaval in these regions because it is regulated.

  Interviewer:These regions might face an addiction endemic in years to come.

  Jasper:In countries like the Netherlands and Canada, it is legalised and regulated. These countries are not battling with an addiction endemic. Addiction is more likely where it’s criminalised.

  Interviewer:Mayor Kaars’ policy on cannabis might be contentious, but others are progressive.

  Jasper:Frank Kaars isn’t a progressive head. He scrapped community policing, then requested a motorcade.

  Interviewer:Mayor Kaars’ policy on the reduction of CO2 emissions is commendable, isn’t it?

  Jasper:Jacking up the vehicle tax on cars over five years old isn’t commendable.

  Interviewer:Global warming is impacting our planet adversely. An administration poised to eradicate pollution should be commended.

  Jasper:Frank Kaars’ policies are ill-thought-out. If the mayor was really poised to eradicate pollution, he would be championing electric cars in Le-Croff, not increasing vehicle tax.

  Interviewer:Jasper, let’s talk about national politics. Have the prime minister and Liberation Party mayors delivered?

  Jasper:Liberation Party mayors are the prime minister’s mouthpieces because they do her bidding in their region. Privatisation of the transportation industry, which has hiked the prices of goods and services, increasing VAT from fourteen percent to twenty one percent, ballooned inflation. So, they haven’t delivered.

  Interviewer:It’s been a pleasure having you on the show.

  Jasper:Thanks for having me.

  Interviewer:That’s it for this episode of Critical Discourse. Thanks for watching.

  Chapter Four

  T he prime-ministerial plane landed in Le-Croff amidst watertight security.

  Secret Service and the police scanned the airport vicinity.

  Lilian Loixe alighted from the aircraft graciously. Two naval officers bearing the blue with a dove at the midst flag of Patriccar Island saluted her.

  The prime minister was received by the acting speaker of the Le-Croff Assembly.

  Lilian hopped into her limousine, bedecked with the national flag. Her convoy brisked off.

  Aria Kaars, thirty-three-year-old wife of Mayor Kaars, got a solidarity visit from the prime minister.

  Aria, soft spoken, dark eyes, high cheekbones, cropped hair, a dentist and ex-Miss Patriccar Island, looked a shadow of herself.

  The prime minister commiserated with Aria, hugging her and holding her hands as reporters’ cameras clattered.

  “We are praying for your family,” the prime minister said to a despondent Aria.

  Lilian Loixe had a town hall meeting with citizens, Ricor Marsh, Democratic Advancement Party, Liberation Party, and the media in attendance.

  Prime Minister’s speech:

  “Dear people of Le-Croff. The kidnapping of Mayor Kaars for a month now is barbaric.

  “I have received daily briefs from the Central Intelligence Base. There’s a propensity to be partisan but we should be bipartisan in defeating the foes of our country. Those who cause unease are our foes. Schadenfreude shouldn’t be elicited from the abduction of a father and husband. This is not a political victory. It’s a loss for both the Democratic Advancement and the Liberation parties. A thriving society permits contrasting views. Therefore, there is no place for savagery in our politics.

  “Dalai Lama said compassion and tolerance are not a sign of weakness but of strength. I’m flummoxed that we have deviated from our national maxim of peace, tolerance and compassion. These values are intrinsic to who we are as a country.

  “People of Le-Croff, Martin Luther King said darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. So I say intolerance cannot drive out intolerance, only tolerance can do that.

  “The Acting Mayor Ricor Marsh and myself are resolute in the pursuit of justice for Frank Kaars. Mayors of other regions are on deck too. So this is not just a Le-Croff nodus, it’s national.

  “As Prime Minister, every region is under my jurisdiction. The welfare of every citizen, irrespective of the region they reside, is of the utmost importance to me.

  “Therefore, this will not go unresolved.

  “I met with Mayor Kaars’ wife. The Kaars family are going through unforetold anguish, uncertain if or when they would see their loved one alive again. The family home is now a purgatory. No family should undergo this fortuity. My heart goes out to them.”

  “Hypocrite! Hypocrite!” a man yelled truculently as he leapt towards the prime minister. He was tackled by eagle-eyed Secret Service agents. Lilian Loixe was whisked off into the bulletproof limousine. Her motorcade wheeched to safety.

  Acting Mayor, Ricor Marsh, was snaffled by his security team.

  The hall broke into confusion. Murmurs filled the hall like air in a balloon. The cops arrested the man.

  “Hypocrite! Bloody hypocrite! She’s a bloody hypocrite!” he cried again.

  Man disrupts town hall meeting.

  Secret Service foils attack on prime minister

  Town hall meeting deserted after implosion.

  Lilian Loixe back in Terre de Gloire after mêlée in Le-Croff.

  Newspapers were plastered with these headlines.

  The man, identified as Jito Maite, a twenty-five-year-old from the Unified Alliance. This sparked outrage.

  Chairman of the Liberation Party in Le-Croff, Stivo Cobbler, middle-aged man with a goatee, bemoaned:

  Thanks to the Democratic Party, Le-Croff is now infamous for lawlessness and debacle.

  Jasper Jabari posted a rant on Rantpage:

  Unified Alliance of savages. Democratic Advancement Party is a disgrace.

  Bahati Kellan also chimed in:

  The instability in Le-Croff is hurting everyone.

  The Democratic Advancement Party secretariat was vandalised by supporters of the Liberation Party. Tension thickened like stale bread in the region. Democratic Advancement Party followers tried setting their rivals’ secretariat ablaze, but they were chased off.

  Police officers were deployed to strategic spots for de-escalation of the wranglings.

  Chairmen of both parties appealed for peace as the tensity in Le-Croff geared to a boiling point.

  Chairman of the Democratic Party, Albert Guites, advised faithfuls:

  “When emotions override logic, the outcome could be tragic. We mustn’t fuel cataclysm.”

  Chairman of the Liberation Party, Stivo Cobbler, also appeased stalwarts:

  “Calmness in the face of provocation is bravery not cowardice.”

  The acting mayor, Ricor Marsh, waded in:

  “On behalf of the people of Le-Croff and my party, I would like to apologise to the prime minister for the skirmish at the town hall meeting. The prime minister has been an ally and I hope there won’t be a clog in the wheels of our partnership in reinstalling stability.

  �
�The unease in Le-Croff should not be compounded by squabbles between political parties. Vandalism of properties, arson, which could lead to loss of lives, should be dissuaded by both political parties.

  “Lastly, the Democratic Advancement Party should boot out anyone or factions whose credo goes against the party’s.”

  Ricor pushes for the Unified Alliance to be booted from the party.

  “Unified Alliance is schismatic,” says Acting Mayor.

  Rico’s revenge.

  Unified Alliance could be expelled from the Democratic Advancement Party.

  These were headlines on newspapers in Le-Croff the next day.

  Jito Maite was incarcerated for his flare-up on the prime minister.

  Chapter Five

  U nified Alliance, the controversial faction within the Democratic Advancement Party, chaperoned by Chanley Kuplor. Thirty-eight-year-old Chanley, stocky, bushy eyebrows and facial stubble, was highly revered in the party. The faction had been lambasted by some for compelling the party to espouse their favoured candidates when controversy for the mayoral nomination of the Democratic Advancement Party, Ricor Marsh, dubbed the faction as a virus because of their unethical conduct of maligning everyone.

  “Unified Alliance has hatched an uneven playing field in the Democratic Advancement Party,” Ricor affirmed.

  Frank Kaars, who got endorsed by the faction, lauded them:

  “Unified Alliance is the pillar of our party,” he adduced.

  The Unified Alliance raised eleven million liquets for Frank Kaars.

  Unified Alliance had been expelled from the Democratic Advancement Party in other regions. They fingered for the party’s demise. The election and re-election of Frank Kaars as the Mayor of Le-Croff prevented them from suffering a similar fate, like their counterparts in other regions.

  The faction was founded in the forties by merchants who joined the Democratic Advancement Party and spouted their financial muscle into the party, thereby gaining leverage.

  Chanley Kuplor held a press conference at the luxurious Magnifique Jardin Hotel in Le-Croff:

  “Ladies and gentlemen of the press, Mayor Kaars was taken away by bandits. It’s our prerogative as citizens to be informed. The Unified Alliance is hereby demanding that the Acting Mayor, police and the Central Intelligence Base issue an update on the investigation.