The Misunderstanding, a Short Story

Always try to get the full story to avoid misunderstandings. Somewhere in Africa a man visited a police station during a break. Seeing the staff there drinking coffee he assumed this what they do all day. So he complained to his president that the police don't work. The president whose mind was occupied with bigger problems, misunderstood that the police force hasn't got enough work. He promised to deal with this and soon found a "solution". He worked out that if he would release 4 or 5 hundred criminals who are likely to continue stealing, this would supply the police with plenty of work. And so ordered the release of several hundred prisoners. The citizens who heard what happened were not happy as they felt there are already enough thieves out on the street and so they complained to the president. The president whose mind was occupied with bigger problems, misunderstood that the good citizens demanded he should release more prisoners. He promised to deal with this; it seemed to be a good way to save money on food, water, prison cells, prison guards, etc. And so he ordered the release of even more prisoners. When the citizens heard what happened, they decided to raise the walls of their houses and not complain again to the president. As the president didn't receive any more complaints he concluded that the good citizens of his country are all happy.