With a strong sense of justice, my uncle is a police officer. He patrols the stretch of National Highway 209 which leads out of town into Yunyang.

One day out on his beat, Uncle detected on the road a car whose number was on the register. The driver of the car had been stripped of his driving license earlier because he was caught drunk driving, a flagrant violation of the traffic code. My uncle recognised him. That very day, the guy was operating the same vehicle, taking his family out for a ride.

In shock and disbelief, my uncle flagged down the car. “Hey, man!” he bellowed. “Do you know what on earth you are doing? Driving without your permit is a serious offence. Get out. Your car shall be confiscated.”

Then came the drama. Eyeing my uncle up and down, the offender said nonchalantly, “Come on, Officer! Your head is my friend. He will let me go.”

Of course, my uncle did not buy it, insisting the man vacate the car. As they were fighting a verbal battle, my uncle’s phone rang. The call was from his superior, captain of the Traffic Police Squad. The senior officer tried to persuade my uncle to let the driver off the hook.

Feeling betrayed and insulted, my uncle remained unswayed, but the seasoned veteran officer had to be tactical dealing with the leader. “I’m terribly sorry, Captain,” he calmly explained to his boss after clearing his mind, “but I have logged his offence on the network. Should I delete the record, I would be found out by the system and be disciplined for neglect of duty.”

At that, the chief had no alternative but to let his subordinate go ahead with the procedure. The man and his family got out of the car. My uncle gave them a severe reprimand for their behaviour. In the end, the car was towed away, and the guy earned a fresh count of unlicensed driving on his driving record.

Even today, some guys still believe in the omnipotence of connections. There are occasions, however, when connections should not have their way.