Kalistani Major History

[Doc]

Premier Addresses Ananto-Centrism in brief Interview
Seeks to build Bridges with new Folksparty
Kaliburg, Ananto
July 18, 5053


Premier Perry Offers brief comments to The Republic following Internal SP conference

Premier of the Republic Diego Perry met with the Governors of Ananto, Odufaray and Neveras, as well as other high ranking Party leaders across the Republic to discuss challenges to Governing in the Republic.  He also fielded a couple questions about the new Folksparty which is active in the National Assembly at the moment.

(Premier of the Republic) D(iego) P(erry):  The point of this meeting was essentially to coordinate legislative positions for the next elections.  We face the challenge which is as old as the Party itself:  What do you do if the positions of the Government are generally where your YOUR PARTY'S voters prefer them?  If we move to change them, for the sake of visibility, we abandon the positions of the Party.  And if they stay the same, people sort of forget we even exist and our visibility gradually fades, so that few even know who is governing the country.  It's almost like the structure of our democracy was designed by some dude who knows nothing at all about elections and popular support for political parties but knows how to code and create static algorithms.  And those are the bizarre set of conditions that we are forced to run for re-election under.  These structural conditions do nothing to perpetuate stability or continuity, but instead favor absolute legislative chaos which is very bad for moderate government.  Nor do they make any kind of sense whatsoever to anyone who knows anything about how people actually work and think and behave.

G(ina) L(opez of The Republic):  So how would you fix the system?

DP:  I am afraid that you can't really fix it without first learning the basics of political behavior, and that would take a political scientist, and not a coder to accomplish.  But it seems that even the Coder responsible for this mess has checked out, so, its sort of an academic argument at this point.  We do the best with the garbage we have to use, and luckily we have lots of experience and patience with government in Kalistan that allows us to continue to function, in spite of the flaws in the algorithm.

GL:  Onto another topic, Comrade Premier.  The Folksparty, who scored less than one percent in the previous Presidential election and still have zero seats in the National Assembly, have recently stepped up their legislative agenda, and the SP has supported their proposals on more than one occasion.

DP:  i think the FP is a Party that the Socialists have some things in common with, though obviously not everything.  They are a Party we would certainly welcome opportunities to work with.

GL: What is the Party's position on the recent claims of Ananto-centrism?

DP:  Well, this is an interesting claim.  Our government is highly centralized in Ananto, and emanating from Kaliburg, which is the traditional and historic center of political power in Kalistan.  But I'd say over the past few centuries, culture has diffused around the Republic, and different District cultures have emerged and have been boosted in their profile.  For example, I'd say the center of Kalistani culture is now in Sulari, and not in Kaliburg, and our popular music and film industries reflect Suldanor culture far more than they do Anantonese Culture.  If I had to say, I would argue that Anantonese Culture is seen in the Republic as rather conservative and stodgy compared to the vibrant shine of Sulari and Dana.

GL:  But Kaliburg has the arts, not to mention the infrastructure for the transmission of Suldanor culture.

DP:  Perhaps, but do kids get excited about the same old operas which have been performed in our glittering halls for centuries, or do they get excited about the next punkrock band that is playing on the radio?  To some degree, the Folksparty has a point:  There is FAR more to Kalistan than Ananto and Kaliburg.  I might be saying that as a Deputy representing Suldanor, but you can't deny that the best music right now is coming from the Mainland and not from Ananto:  Its been that way for a very long time, and Ananto needs to step up their cultural evolution if they ever hope to keep up.

GL:  Do you think Ananto can do that?

DP:  I think maybe that is the wrong question to ask.  I think perhaps a better question is SHOULD they want to?  I'd say Ananto has a unique culture and history.  That might not be enough justification for the centralization of political power on the island, but maybe THAT part of it IS Ananto's culture.  Like people surf in Sulari, they eat fine cuisine in Kaliburg.  Like they go to ski resorts and listen to party rock in Neveras, they listen to EDM and RF in weird clubs in Ananto.  There is a reason the infrastructure of the major institutions of Kalistani politics and society are based in Ananto.  And not having to maintain them is a benefit for the Mainland Districts, who are freer to experiment with policy that works for their own District.  It is a pretty decent balance which has evolved over the generations, and I don't really think that relationship should be altered, not by the Republican Government, and not really by Ananto either.

GL:  Thank you for your time, Comrade Premier.

DP:  Anytime, Comrade Lopez.