what can you do with that $?

I read a story that goes like this.

A king was not happy with his old palace, so he wanted to build a new one that would cost the country a few hundreds millions of dollars. All the followers applauded such idea and they were excited about the construction of the new palace.

At this time, there was one man who was courageous enough to question the proposed construction of the new palace. Unfortunately , his questioning was regarded by the followers as an insult to the king, and thus to his ppl, and therefore an insult to the country. A police report was lodged against him just because this brave man was trying to convey the opinion of a certain group of ppl which sounded like an opposition.

I find this very unbelievable and it is beyond my comprehension. There was a deep sense of disappointment in me as I came across this story.

How would someone/something grow to be a better version if he/she refused opposition out of pride/ignorance?

What can a nation do with a few hundreds millions of dollars? Perhaps they should work towards better education/ health care/public transport system...