The banner is brand new. $20 BILLION ROAD PROGRAMME OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED! it shouts in red and green, with the asterisk you almost miss: BETTER ROADS AHEAD*. *IN THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION.
The Minister, beaming behind the Ministry of Promise podium, holds the gold scissors. His “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” badge has been pre-pinned by an aide. TODAY WE CUT THE RIBBON, he says. THE ROAD… WE WILL GET TO THAT.
Behind him, the press release is already drafted. PRESS RELEASE READY! the staffer beams, holding up a folder. The photographer crouches in the mud. SMILE FOR DEVELOPMENT!
To the right, the rest of reality. WORK IN PROGRESS. EST. 2018. RE-EST. 2021. RE-RE-EST. 2024. COMING SOON… A green sign points helpfully: BETTER ROADS — SOMEDAY ↑. The bus behind it reads NOT IN SERVICE. Of course.
A man in a tank top stands ankle-deep in the same puddle his children grew up jumping over. WE STILL IN THE SAME HOLE, THO, he says. His wife, kneeling beside the pothole with a bucket, thinks the better thought. AT LEAST NOW WE HAVE A NICE SIGN.
The pothole itself has earned the recognition it deserves. The plaque at its edge: POTHOLE HERITAGE SITE. EST. FOREVER.
In the background, the National flag waves. The cobblestones run on, broken and patient. The cycle continues.
The ribbon is the project. The project is the ribbon. The road, as the Minister said, we will get to.
Mr. Moredan Satire draws for The Tradewinds Brief. Policy, politics, and the public mood — drawn honest.