I , am Ambrish Rangan , the President of Mundosa . My country is surrounded by crocodiles, in the form of powerful developed nations and given our topography, the weather conditions and the poor decisions of the men in the past, I took over the office with little ammunition . In my zeal to win popular votes, I can't make decisions that make the outgoing Government look bad. I have to carefully enact policies that don't reflect decelerative politics. Describing the previous Leader in bad taste is an indirect way of me saying the people don't know how to vote. This can backfire. Hence, I can't undo everything that was already done before , I also can't restart something from scratch. I have to pick where it was and give it a new polish. To drive a country which is dependent on the resources it imports and the few items of value that gets exported, managing the internal and external affairs by winning everyone's heart and still driving a tough bargain like a vile fox is no easy feat. I chose my office and cabinet with great care, keeping in mind the power hungry jackals around me. I had to satisfy some of them to get me the support I need , when I made certain big decisions affecting the entire country. I know that at the end of the day, I can either be a good man in the country or a good leader in the world. Expecting an overall good rating is a bit far fetched indeed. Being a top politician means we will always be vilified in someone's perception and this is out of their hands. I am fully aware of my priorities and the resources at hand, yet I have to make decisions that will burn some bridges from time to time. My career was built with good education, carefully chosen company of friends and intelligent association with my arch nemeses, done simply with the intention to study their game in bringing me down.
The increasing debt, the weather disasters, the communal riots and the precarious position I am in , to take a side between two warring countries in both sides of our border - I don't know which battle to take , how long I should put a fight, where do I have to submit and how to understand what actually can be seen as a win for me. Some days, I just feel like encashing my exchequer and quitting all this nonsense once and for all. But with someone like me, who has seen the insides of this country, it will be an abuse of my breath if I chose to let all this influence I have go in vain. I might not be able to rewrite the entire book. But sure, I can change some of the chapters for as long as I hold the pen and sign under the prestigious label, 'The President'. I can't trust anyone anywhere, yet I have to give the impression that I do. The decisions I take are always a hit or a miss and either way, the pressure of converting a situation to the better is always on my shoulders. Simply because I sit in the highest chair and no one else shares my stock of responsibilities.
I sometimes wanted to call up a friendlier nation and seriously bitch about the battles I am facing, but as much I would like to do that , it is the task of my diplomats and officers in charge of external affairs to do the handshakes and exchange notes. If it comes from me, it should be legit, always official and I am always quoted and under oath at all times. Imagine being seen by all, and still you have to hide your blinks and burps. I am tested most, when I have to prioritize between my 4 states during crisis situations. I naturally had to present a manifesto that was popular and sounding beneficial for 'everyone'. But to implement it takes time as I have to battle the holes that drill my wallet out of nowhere. While the country of Vidola and Naikoli were at severe loggerheads and Mundosa being in the middle had to take a stand on where it will support with it's resources, I also had to deal with a volcano situation in the State of Hultopy and a flood situation in Danitoba . The opposition keeps firing bullets ruthlessly at me , giving me no second to slacken or make ONE wrong move. Internally and externally, the carefully thought out decisions by my Informed officers finally go out from my mouth and in my voice as I am the one who signs under the dotted line in Green Ink.
My own health , though with great assurance and support from the highest facilities I get to experience, is just but ONE decision of Life. If Life decides to not wake me up the next day, whatever I held the previous minute ceases to exist with me. I feel so powerful and so powerless at the same time during many times of the day but I am fully aware of this journey as I willingly wore the saddle and got up on the Horse. Sometimes I am caught in a moral quandary, as my personal sentiments are against the official code but I have to swallow what I feel to give way to what I should do.
Besides all this, I am also required to be aware of what happens in Wacamby , a country to the extreme opposite of us on the other side of the Earth because the Cameras never waste a moment to get my thoughts on what goes on everywhere. I sometimes question if all this is worth it, to be under fire and trying to do the right thing always. As time flies and every now and then there is a fresh line of attack and I have to reorient everything with fresh perspective. No plan of mine goes through the estimated schedule or adheres the timeline. I Try. I simply try. Whatever impression sticks to the public, sticks and as much as I can fool myself into thinking I control the narrative, I know I am but a pawn in the hands of destiny but wearing the King's Blazer for a brief while. My situation can be compared to the tender pistachio inside a rough exterior. I am roasted, licked and tossed around, according to the situation but I am always sought after for what I have to offer from the inside. And when the time comes, I break out of my shell only to be consumed by the first pair of eyes that see me, waiting ravenously to finish me off.
But I will not give up, for I am the chosen one and as long as I hold the office that matters the most, wield the pen that matters the most , I will do everything in my domain to get this country up and running with all that I have. Even the sun is frowned for the heat while some look forward to the summer in some places. Who am I , after all. A Human , with some elevated responsibilities and tools to handle that. I can try my best to pivot the status quo of Mundosa to the better. If it indeed humors my efforts and becomes better, I am lucky. If not, I know I join a long list of Men and Women, who have been in this chair , trying to do the same all these centuries. We all try . For some of us, it works out. For the Rest , we are just a 'yet another' and no one outside is privy to what actually goes on with someone who are in our shoes.
To be a human and to be in Politics, makes a politician live 9 lives of drama in a single life.
