New Verham

[Rogue]

Baatrynsentii - Seeking to quickly rebuild vital infrastructure and relief fragile urban populations, the Supreme Congress approved the "Reconstruction and Recovery Act" late last night despite protests from veteran associations. The bill allocates funding and prioritizes reconstruction efforts, with a budgetary allocation attached to its contents. The 8 billion associated with the bill allocates the bulk of state spending toward water treatment facilities, regional hospitals, and the repair of rural transport corridors destroyed during the civil war. Prime Minister Dogar Altan, speaking on behalf of the Khasar government, described the vote as “a foundational step toward restoring civilian life and economic circulation.”

But the bill faced significant oppossition from veterans from the start, as a majority of the funding used for its spending initiatives come from a planned freeze on compensation payments for civil war veterans. Following the civil war, the new government had promised to compensate civil war veterans for their hardships during the conflict, with a estimated 200.319 veterans from the various militia's having been wounded during the conflict. While some were excluded from compensation due to their support for the loyalists, a vast majority of them were expecting to receive their compensation next year. When the news broke that President Khasar was looking into freezing these payments in order to pay for reconstruction, veteran associations launched a variety of protests to stop it from happening. 

“We laid down our weapons because the state told us there would be reintegration,” said Carbon Nongrot, a former platoon leader now living in temporary housing. “Now they tell us to wait again.”

The vote caused a fracture within the ruling PAP, with its Orthodox Mönkhdevshilist wing pushing against the idea and calling on the President to reconsider. But the president and his cabinet were clearly confronted with the realities of ruling a damaged and bancrupt nation, as it became clear that not freezing veteran compensation would likely mean no funding for reconstruction and years of poverty and hardship as a result. On the direction of President Khasar, Prime Minister Altan was send to the Supreme Congress with the directive to pass the bill. 

In the end, the bill passed with 198 votes in favor and 166 against. 18 PAP lawmakers voted against the bill, with the vast majority convinced by the PM and several rounds of talks that the bill was necessary to restart the economy and the healthcare sector. Protestors outside of the Grand Palace of the Republic cheered lawmakers as they left, with congressman Bekter Chakhurkhan of the PAP facing a barrage of eggs for his support of the bill. With its passage however, the RRA is set to become a important tool for the new government to prioritize reconstruction efforts. The Ministry of Public Works announced that emergency tenders for water and hospital projects would be issued within thirty days. Additionally, the Ministry of Rural Communities has launched a canvassing effort in order to determine which rural road connections are in need of immediate reconstruction and which communities could use a financial stimulus. Provincial governments have already been asked to provide the appropriate ministries with detailed accounts of communities most affected by the war, prioritizing vital infrastructure in the areas most in need. 

Nüd (The Eye) is a non-profit news organization, owned by the Tudan Foundation. It seeks to provide in depth journalistic pieces on a variety of issues within New Verham