Financial Times

Wise Old Owl was woken from his sleep by the bang of a bell announcing the beginning of the Charter Night of the Rotary Top Quartile Business held in the Opal Room of the Ton by the Hill. The Rotarians stood to attention, sang the National Anthem, made their commitments and sang praise of fellowship and service that won them the Charter from the Rotary International.

The President then lifted his glass of “Dom Perignon” Champagne in unison with the rest of the members and recognized the happy occasion celebrating great achievements of the club, its members in the top quartile of business profits and the nation in their eyes yielding them unforeseen prosperity. He ended with a wish that the evening be a “Big Bang” for all here present, announcing that Blue Label will follow, with a five course dinner and three premium wines and the finest XO Cognac to end the evening.

The wise old owl had one of his best evenings listening to the chatter over the pouring of drinks and back slapping that went on merrily in the room below.

“Machang, the Peace Kakka’s are talking of a ‘big bang’ in the North and East, leading to humanitarian suffering and requesting support for refugees and active support for peace making.

I only know of the wife complaining of a rise in fish prices with supplies from the north and east now limited as result of the big bang “.

“The Big Bang is a dominant scientific theory about the origin of the universe, created 10 to 20 billion years ago from a cosmic explosion that hurled matter and in all directions.”

“Adai, ‘big bang’ was my long weekend at the seven star hotel in Dubai entertaining my mentor Minister who gave me the big contract, sharing two suites with two dames each selected from the Far East and Eastern Europe”.

“I have employed a firm of international Risk and Security Managers and they are putting in place training and mitigation plans to cover all risks from kidnap, to mob violence, to bombs and natural disasters. So I am ready for any big bang from the south or the north”.

“I have nothing to worry I have shifted my business and my family down under and any bang can come and I will be far away”.

“I have had my ‘big bang’ of profits thanks to the Rathu Sahodhraya and the Treasury big boss threatening the NGO’s and INGO’s that unless the tsunami funds are cashed and used action will be taken that will hurt.

Then the NGO’s and INGO’s rushed in to cash inward forex yielding a big forex trading profit for the bank”

“I have been warned that there is a sinister move behind the peace committees that are being formed by the government in the south and that the sinister forces behind the yellow robes are also behind it, tacitly supported by retired big wigs in the Police and forces though now holding big responsibilities.

Their training sessions are said to be packed with devotional songs that raise patriotism, nationalism and religious isms related blood pressure. Some one compared it to the goon squads that Sadam Hussain’s son Uday built as a barrier of protection, self preservation and also to act as an attack squad against political opponents.”

“I have already accounted with a ‘big bang’ this quarter, the tax free profit in excess of one point five billion we made selling off the controlling interest in a subsidiary to a foreign company, a subsidiary to which we added no shareholder value in the form of technology, best advice nor guidance, but got the management and intermediaries to do the job for us”.

“The big stripe tiger’s Peace Secretariat leader, ‘god of the tigers’, is supposed to have told the envoy from the nation with a rising sun that if the attacks continue unabated in the north and east with direct or tacit support from the south that there will soon be a ‘big bang’ earthquake in the south, with consequences far more disastrous than the tsunami”

“Machang don’t worry my conscience is clear, I moved a resolution at the last committee meeting empowering the chamber top team to take what ever action they wished to take in the interest of the nation, chamber and the private sector.

They will deliberate, get the views of many advisors and even delegate the job to a sub committee but wait and see or may be even issue a press release. If there is a ‘big bang’ then they will hold hands, demonstrate and shout from the roof tops that the economy and business has been hurt badly in the stomach and is bleeding to death and then demand subsidies, grants and incentives from the Government”

Such is the way of the big business leaders of this nation even in the face of a potential ‘big bang’.