Vorona

[imperialpearl]

Prisban meets with Provincial Premiers 

In his first meeting with the Premiers of Western Vorona, Eastern Vorona and the Morant Bay Territory, CoG Chief Secretary Errol Prisban discuss federal investment and restructuring provincial economies 

11th August 5658| By Wendell Andrews

From the Left: Premier of Western Vorona, Deven Bedlow; Premier of Eastern Vorona, Sonia Lutchman; Chief Secretary Errol Prisban; Chief Minister of the Morant Bay Territory, George Chang.

In his first meeting with the Premiers of Western and Eastern Vorona alongside the Chief Minister of the Morant Bay Territory (the capital territory), Chief Secretary of the Council of Government, Errol Prisban stated that an agreement had been reached among the various parties that would see the federal government erect/constitute various structures with the aim of supporting economic development in the provinces. At a press conference held at the Pitleigh Estate, the Western Voronan Cottage of the Voronan Head of Government, Chief Secretary Prisban, stated that the agreement had been primarily informed by the CoG’s internal decision to seek greater alignment with respect to provincial and national priorities. He noted that although the provinces maintain significant authority over various matters, as outlined in the constitution, there was nonetheless an understanding among the premiers that the nation’s current situation required a degree of intervention from the federal government to “settle the foundation”.

In his statement, he noted that historically, the federal government had maintained a laissez-faire approach to the national economy, ultimately surrendering national planning goals to the provinces, which ultimately led to the federal government having to play ‘catch up’ with the provinces as new administrations would attempt to align their priorities with those of the provinces. He explained that the new understanding between the Premiers and the federal government would be such that, although the CoG may advance a largely interventionist agenda marked by the introduction of numerous state-owned enterprises throughout various sectors of the economy, its relationship with the provinces would primarily be that of an enabler/financier. “In our discussions with the premiers, I made sure to stress the point that although we [the CoG] intend to advance an expansionary/interventionist agenda, our relationship with the provinces would be that we act as enablers/financiers with respect to their provincial development goals,” Chief Secretary Prisban explained.

Secretary for Planning and Development Dr. Carl Tang unveiled that the agreement had also given birth to three new structures, namely the Economic Development Agency for Western Vorona (EDA-WV), the Economic Development Agency for Eastern Vorona (EDA-EV) and the Morant Bay Development Authority (MBDA). According to the Secretary, the agencies would be the means through which the federal government becomes involved in the regional development initiatives of the provinces. He explained that the agencies were specifically tasked with financing and providing technical assistance to the provinces on those matters which they believe will benefit not just the provinces but also align with national objectives. “These agencies will act as the arms of the federal government in the provinces and will support those initiatives which demonstrate value to both the provincial and national economy. Whether it’s through co-financing, supporting the creation of regional industrial parks, or technical assistance and capacity building, these agencies will ensure that we can strike that balance between national goals and preserving provincial autonomy,” Dr. Tang explained. 

He added that this forms part of a much broader push by the CoG to encourage the provincial and territorial governments to embrace a culture of long-term planning. He noted that although the suspension of representative politics on the federal level has nonetheless provided the CoG with the perfect conditions through which long-term planning might thrive, granted that representative democracy continues on the provincial/territorial level, it was nonetheless possible for the regions to embrace this new culture of planning albeit within the confides of 5 or 10 year plans. “I think it would be for their benefit that the provinces embrace long-term planning goals/objectives. By doing so, they’d be able to leverage their comparative advantages against other economies regionally and internationally. I think what we’ve seen throughout history is that the provinces have been aiming to dabble in various ventures, and this hasn’t produced many results, as we’ve simply become masters of none. The economy isn’t as diversified as it ought to be, and it is still dependent on rents/royalties from sugar processing.” Dr Tang noted.

Both the Premiers of Western and Eastern Vorona noted that in their discussions with the Chief Secretary and other members of the CoG, it was agreed that the federal government, in the interim, would provide ‘emergency’ funding for key projects which they believe would kickstart a restructuring of the provincial economies. Both had agreed that the development of a unique tourism experience within the two provinces had been discussed with the construction of new beaches and beach-front resorts in the two provinces, having received the green light from the Secretary for Tourism, Culture and the Arts. Premier of Western Vorona, Deven Bedlow, revealed that a temporary state-owned enterprise in the form of the Voronan Tourism Development Corporation would be created to facilitate the construction of beaches, resorts, etc, which will be transferred to the provincial governments once they have been completed. The two provinces have also agreed to sit down with officials from the Department of Tourism, Culture and the Arts on rebranding their tourism image, as Secretary [for Tourism, Culture and the Arts] Simone Walcott noted that tourism in Vorona need not be restricted to “sun, sand and sea”, but has the potential to branch into new areas such as eco-tourism, health tourism, etc.