February 18, 3361
At a press conference today, President Gadanha Hortencio fired back at the Society of Patriots.
The current government of Tukarali makes it its policy to expand Tukarali's influence on the world stage. We have traditionally huddled into a corner, trying to escape from the rest of the world. However, this is a clearly unsustainable path to remain on. The people are clamouring against these isolationst policies. These policies are highly detrimental to our economic growth and development, which is progression at unprecedented speeds in recent history. We must abandon these foolish policies and be willing to engage with the rest of the world. That is what the Alliance believes.
The Society of Patriots has accused us of being warmongers. We are not warmongers. Instead, we find prosperity and wellbeing in peace. However, if we are to walk onto the international stage without being bullied by the powerful nations out there that like to exploit less mighty nations, we must arm outselves. Yes, we currently have no known enemies. That is because have been stuck in the shadows for too long. When we were in our little fish pond, there was nobody to attack us, but in jumping into the ocean of international diplomacy, you are almost certain to encounter a shark here and there. Nobody yet overtly declares us their foe; who knows how many nations seek to pounce upon us once we start to engage diplomatically with other nations? Remeber the old adage: he who wishes for peace must prepare for war. We must therefore built nuclear weapons, and we will make it clear to the world that they will never be used in aggression, but that we have them ready if we are attacked.
The Alliance holds political beliefs, like all other parties, and we have chosen to associate with a number of like-minded parties. However, we will say, for once and for all, that the Congress for Liberty in no way determines our foreign policy. We certainly will not warm to oppressive and dictatorial nations, but we find no reason to make war with them. Our foreign policy will be based on what's good for Tukarali.
The Society of Patriots is vehemently opposed to the way we have handled our nuclear program. This would all be perfectly valid if Tukarali was still to remain an isolated, unnoticed nation. This cannot continue. The Alliance wants better than that, and we must be ready to face the challenges that may arise as a result. The Society is content to name us 'Greater Tukarali'. We geniunely want Tukarali to be great, and not just in name.
I must also address the protests in Tukarali. Several Tukarese polling agencies have been asking Tukarese citizens what they think about the nuclear program. The results unanimously point to majority popular support for the nuclear program. I will listen to the opnions of those opposed to my policies, because I am their President too. However, the people are for it. The quiet minority knows that it is best for our nation that we engage with other nations, and arm ourselves in case not everyone we meet wants to become our friend.
The President speaks to reporters
Shortly after the press conference, the President was questioned by reporters on the effects of nuclear testing. He was asked whether it would affect crops yields or cause any health problems.
No, I don't think that this will cause any problems. Of course, the concerns over nuclear testing should not be disregarded or disrespected. The farmers nearby can't be blamed for being worried. However, these tests are perfectly safe, as far as I know. I'm not a scientist, but I've been assured by physicists and other scientific experts that these tests will not cause any significant adverse impacts.
The Scientific Director of the nuclear program, Érico Carlos Marzagão Gralheiro, agreed with the President's statement:
Look, I try not to be political. I mean, I'm a scientist, not a politician. But I think that the Society is seriously exaggerating the impacts.
You know, us scientists know that nuclear explosions will cause health hazards, and so we told the government that we had to take all possible preventative measures to prevent problems. For our first test, the only atmospheric test we plan on conducting, we seeded the clouds to make it rain. That prevented the dispersal of fallout. It was a pretty small bomb too, which reduced the impacts as well. Quite frankly, one 7 kt bomb will hardly have any health impact at all even if you don't seed the clouds. The second test was underground, and our instruments detected no venting at all, which meant that fallout didn't escape into the atmosphere.
And obviously, the location was important too. We chose a place far away from civilisation. The Society is right that the Morata Valley is highly fertile, but not all of it. Some parts are quite dry. We tested our bombs in a desert. You can't grow anything there, really. In any case, our safety measures have ensured that there are only dangerously high levels of radiation over an area of about 5 square km. In the second-biggest country in the world, that's hardly anything to worry about, especially if its a patch of useless and barren desert that we're losing.
All in all, we've done all that we can to prevent health problems and the destruction of farmland, and the impacts of our nuclear testing will be negligible. The farmers need not worry that their crops will be poisoned.
When asked whether, despite the protests, the government had asked him to go ahead with the plutonium bomb, Marzagão Gralheiro simply replied
Yes.