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When Tajirikaleo was in Charge of Money
CHAPTER ONE
Joe Tarijikaleo had reduced success to a single word with an easy formula. And he had devised a strategy – to find someone who knew someone who could take him to His Excellency, Mr. Big Man so he could get the job of the boss of the Great Bank. One day, he got the job of The Boss of the Great Bank and thanked his god profusely with all kinds of sacrifices and prayers. And even though he professed Christianity, he threw in a witchdoctor, as he always did on such an occasion, to thank his ancestors.
Today was his first day at the Great Bank. At 6 am Tajirikaleo was already sitting in his cozy revolving chair in the bank’s spacious office. He patted his sunken stomach. It was clear he hadn’t had enough to eat. “Now you can eat whatever you want, my stomach,” he said to himself, smiling. He walked over to the large window and stared with bewilderment at the giant city below that stretched and disappeared into the Great Plains as far as the eyes could see. At the 30th floor of The Great Bank House, the rest of the expansive city spread out like a carpet below him, ready to be used.
“This whole city, no, this whole country will depend on me. All the money in this land is before me …to do whatever I want!” Tajirikaleo chuckled with quite satisfaction as he strode back to chair and sat for a long time, analyzing he many possibilities the position of the Boss of the Great Bank offered him to be rich quickly. A broad smile fixed on his face.
After a long while, during which he drew up a chart of his urgent and important needs and the money urgently required, Tajirikaleo stood up, donned his jacket, straightened his tie, turned his arm up and read out the time. It was one o’clock, time for lunch. Food –rich food to reflect his success – was one of the Very Urgent, Very Important items.
“Now I need you money. Come into my pocket!” He said to himself, just to remind himself that he was now in charge of all the money in the country of Wasiojali.
To his surprise, he heard a voice. Money told him, “Sir, I do not get into people’s pockets without a reason?”
“What? What did you say?” Tajirikaleo asked incredulously. “You want a reason for what? I am The Boss over here: I say come, you come. I say go, you go. Now come, come quickly into my pocket so that I can get a large, grilled chicken to fill my stomach!”
“If I did like that for everyone without a good reason,” Money continued, “there would be no money in The Great Bank. There will be no jobs and no economy. All the people of Wasiojali will be poor because they will not be able to buy any goods.”
“That’s nonsense!” Tajirikaleo shouted, banging on the table. “You don’t know what you are talking about!”
Money pleaded and explained its position to Tajirikaleo – how important it was to earn only what he had worked for, how important it was to leave a good name when he retired and so on butTajirikaleo would not listen. He forced Money into his huge pockets until money went falling down as he walked.
One day, Tajirikaleo went to see His Excellency, Mr. Big Man, to demonstrate his gratefulness for the appointment.
“Look at you, Tajirikaleo! You have grown big like a hippopotamus!” His Excellency, Mr. Big Man greeted Tajirikaleo. A trim man himself, His Excellency Mr. Big Man was always in a jovial mood.
“It‘s all to your credit, Your Excellency, Mr. Big Man! “ Tajirikaleo blurted out. His fat face was like that of a puffed up frog. His huge stomach dropped like a filled-up sack before him.
“Sit down, my friend!” His Excellency, Mr. Big Man said, indicating a chair with a sweep of his arm.
“Well,” Tajirikaleo said when he had sat and arranged his stomach before him. “I came to thank you,” he said to His Excellency Mr. Big Man. “And I brought you a gift!” he said producing a large gold coin. “Gold is for ever!”
After a loud, prolonged laughter, His Excellency Mr. Big Man examined the gold coin. It was impressive with his portrait engraved on it.
“Tajrikaleo!” he called out, after some silence.
“Talk, Your Excellency, Mr.Big Man! I am all ears!”
“You remember how your stomach was sunken inside your rib case before I gave you this job?”
“How can I forget, Your Excellency, Mr. Big Man!”
“Well,” His Excellency Mr. Big Man said, “as they say a good turn deserves another, you know that?”
“I know. They also say scratch my back, I scratch yours. What can I do for you, Your Excellency Mr. Big Man. Ask and it shall be done!”
“Well,” said His Excellency, Mr. Big Man. “As you know the elections are near. There is unemployment. The schools have no teachers; the hospitals have no medicine…. I need not tell you all because you are aware of all the problems caused by poverty in this country. The people are unhappy. And they want change. I need money.
“Now you see how you can help me? Get me money. Anyhow you can!!”
Tajirikaleo nodded his head. “About how much, Your Excellency, Mr. Big Man?” His Excellency Mr. Big Man glared at him in answer. Who ever asked His Excellency, Mr. Big Man such questions? “Oh, yes! Oh, yes!” Joe Tajirikaleo continued suddenly realizing that His Excellency Mr. Big Man wasn’t an equal. He had an assignment and it was his duty to satisfy the undefined needs of His Excellency Mr. Big Man
That evening, Joe Tajirikaleo sat before his huge TV set to watch the news. It was a habit he had created to monitor those who had gained or lost jobs. His Excellency, Mr. Big Man hired his staff through an announcement in broadcast media and also fired them the same way. So it was the duty of all appointees to listen to radio or watch the TV so that if you were sacked, you wouldn’t embarrass yourself by going to the office in a government vehicle only to have it impounded in humiliating circumstances.
But now, of course, Joe Tajirikaleo had no fear of being sacked. His Excellency Mr. Big Man, himself had given him an assignment. But wait a minute! What was that he had seen on the TV? He read the lines desperately running at the bottom of the screen.
“The Government has doubled the salaries of all the armed forces and Shimo Tupande has been promoted to the highest post of Deputy Commander of All Armed Forces.”
Joe Tajirikaleo could not help smiling foolishly. Simo Tupande nicknamed at the appointee circles as Disgrace Tupande, was well known as the nephew of His Excellency Mr. Big Man. But the much bigger news was that he was too junior to be promoted to such a post. And he was so corrupt he made other corrupt individuals like Joe Tajirikaleo look like angels. The activities of Disgrace Tupande had raised much concern in the country’s media. But His Excellency Mr. Big Man would not comment on the issue. One day, Disgrace Tupande called a press conference to which he invited all the reporters interested in hearing his side of the story. Reporters and cameramen came in huge numbers for the story was of both local and international importance. Many foreign donors had withdrawn their assistance to the government of His Excellency Mr. Big Man because of the corrupt activities of Disgrace Tupande. And some multinational companies had left the country claiming that Disgrace Tupande was forcing them to give him free shares in their business to operate in the country. In deed, Tajirikaleo had a whole dossier on the activities of Shimo Tupande. He had made it his business to gather such information when Shimo Tupande showed an interest in the job of the Boss of the Great Bank.
The journalists took their seats early and waited. They waited and waited. Disgrace Tupande was nowhere to be seen. Some journalists got agitated and shouted, “Where is Disgrace Tupande?” and others shouted, “He’s truly a disgrace!” Soon it seemed like everyone was shouting.
Then in one lightening flash, armed police descended on journalists. They were clubbed and kicked and finally arrested. After a night in cells, they were arraigned in court for shouting in a manner that belittled the Deputy Commander of All Armed Forces, Shimo Tupande.
As the TV news came to an end that evening, Joe Tajirikaleo was no longer a man at ease.
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