Laskin Joranum is a character in Isaac Asimov's science-fiction novel Forward the Foundation.
About Laskin[]
Laskin Joranum, known as "Jo-Jo", is a charismatic and dangerous populist agitator who emerges as a major political threat to the Galactic Empire on Trantor.
A man of obscure origins, he claimed to be born on the remote world of Nishaya, a claim later cast into doubt. Joranum rose to prominence through his powerful oratory skills and his keen understanding of public discontent. He founded a political movement that directly challenged the established rule of First Minister Eto Demerzel, tapping into the frustrations of the citizens of Trantor's outer sectors who felt neglected by the imperial center. His populist platform criticized the bureaucracy and aristocracy of the Empire, but his most potent and dangerous tactic was a vicious smear campaign against Demerzel. Joranum spread insidious rumors that the long-serving, enigmatic First Minister was, in fact, a robot, and therefore an inhuman ruler unfit to govern.
His movement, known as the Joranumites, grew rapidly in power and influence, threatening to plunge the Empire into civil war. Joranum identified the mathematician Hari Seldon as a key intellectual figure whose public endorsement could lend credibility to his cause. He attempted to recruit Seldon, promising him a position of power in the new regime. Seldon, however, saw the danger Joranum represented and refused. This refusal turned Joranum into a direct antagonist. In a deft political maneuver orchestrated by Demerzel and executed by Seldon, Joranum was presented with fabricated evidence that he was, in fact, a fellow native of Mycogen and not Nishaya. This revelation, which threatened to shatter his carefully crafted public image and alienate his power base, forced Joranum to capitulate. He agreed to exile himself and his close followers to the remote world of Nishaya, effectively ending the immediate threat of his rebellion. Despite his defeat, the Joranumite movement persisted underground for years, a testament to the deep-seated unrest he had uncovered.