Malivia

[Aquinas]

October 4927

Satavelekar reaches out to Deltaria

Foreign Minister Vishnu Satavelekar has contacted his Deltarian counterpart, expressing the Malivian government's desire to "put past differences behind us" and "re-forge the strong relationship which has traditionally existed between our two countries". With the fall of the communist regime in Deltaria, hopes are rising that Malivia might enjoy a better relationship with the new government. However, Deltaria's long-standing rivalry with Vascania, Malivia's great ally, could again potentially prove a sticking point.



Vascania-funded bridge "bastion of caste privilege" complains Democratic Alliance



Dhuleep Haradas's opposition Democratic Alliance has written to the government of Vascania, complaining that the bridge they funded in Patauchhari Town about 11 years ago has become a "bastion of caste privilege", because Untouchables, Adivasis (OOC: Indian tribals) and Malisindus (OOC: Afro-Caribbeans) are scared of using it, because caste Gerajans (OOC: Hindus) see it as their exclusive terrain, and do not want the "purity" of the bridge to be "dirtied" by it being used by persons lower down in the social order.

Last weekend, Haradas tried to challenge this prejudice by leading a large assembly of minority people across the bridge. The police refused to allow them to cross, alleging the bridge would be unable to cope with so many people trying to cross it at one time. However, Baibhav Limbu, the chief engineer in the construction project that built the bridge, has dismissed these assertions as "nonsense on stilts", and stated "the Patauchhari Bridge is a very good bridge, better than most bridges in Malivia and as good as any bridge of its type that you could find in Vascania - the idea that the bridge could collapse as a result of people walking across it is quite ludicrous".



MaliCube rips off BorosCube



An upstart Malivian toy manufacturer called MaliCube has stolen BorosCube's (OOC: Lego's) concept and begun producing and selling a new range of products for the Malivian market.

















It remains to be seen how BorosCube will react to this. Some industry insiders predict a court battle, although others say it is more likely the two companies will come to some kind of mutually acceptable financial settlement.



Malivian press savages Luthori "parrot eaters"

The Malivian press is in uproar over reports that Luthoris are eating Malivian Parrots, mis-sold as chickens. This follows reports that sparrow has been substituted for chicken in the Luthori food industry.

The Malivian Parrot is considered a sacred animal by Gerajans (OOC: Hindus).



Malivia bans Alorian sheep

Following Aloria's ban on Malivian meat, Agriculture Minister Madri Panja has announced Malivia is banning the import of Alorian sheep and sheep meat, on the grounds "we have grounds to believe the Alorians are doing things with their sheep which we do not believe they should be doing".

She also claimed the disease being referred to by Alorian officials is "caused exclusively by the consumption of beef" and urged Aloria "to learn to respect Holy Mother Cow".

[jellybean]

Hobrazian company HobbyBrick announces intent to sue MaliCube over copyright violations

[Pragma]

Infrastructure Minister writes to Malivian counterpart over bridge controversy

[Edmund]

Luthorian foreign secretary eats parrot

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Indian Ministry of the Interior

Modalin: Newly elected Prime Minister Nakula Mukhtar of the New Communist Party of Malivia has announced, in a highly anticipated public address to the nation, the expulsion of the Emperor and his family effective in 2 months. In the announcement Prime Minister Mukhtar stated that, "The Emperor hereby gets his notice, you will leave the nation in the coming two months or face criminal prosecution for bringing this nation to the brink of absolute doom." The speech comes after the New Communist Party had taken control of government after a landslide election win, being elected on the promise of a "new era" for Malivia. While abolishing the monarchy wasnt directly in their electoral program, Mukhtar did on occasion comment that "the monarchy has brought us here.", reffering to the intense economic crisis the country has been finding itself in, plunging a already low income country near the face of bancruptcy. In the announcement Mukhtar also revealed the new "Republican Constitution", reforming the Empire into the "Malivian Democratic Republic". It abolished the monarchy, instead introducing a president elected by popular vote. All layers of government will be reformed, with the nation being operated under a federal republican structure, states will gain more authority and responsibilities and the two chambr parliament will be abolished, being replaced by the Grand National Assembly. Critics have stated the new government might not be as democratic as it perceives to be, with the new GNA only having 101 seats, with over 2 million voters per constituency and a FPTP system for elections. Despite this, the PR machine of the government has certyainly portrayed it as a new democratic era for the country.

The Emperor, despite his problems, is still popular with mainly rural populations however and several protests accross the nation have erupted, so far being contained by the newly reformed National Police. The Emperor has seen his end of days however, with his private jet reportedly being spotted on its way to Vascania, having listened to the government's demands/threats and not waiting for the 2 month deadline to expire. Some royal family members are still left behind, they are expected to leave within the given deadline. It marks the end of one of the older monarchies in Artania and the beginning of a new era for Malivia.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: The Independent

Modalin: The Government of Prime Minister Mukhtar has revealed its major economic initiative, aimed at stabilizing the Malivian economy. For over 9 years the Malivian economy has seen major decline. With foreign investments drying up from Vascania and Deltaria and gross mismanagement by previous administrations the state runs at a deficit of 3% of the GDP each year, with a debt to GDP ratio of over 150% as of right now. Furthermore the economy has shrunk by over 12% in the past 9 years and unemployment is at a all time high of 28% of the working population. The New Communist government already promised a "radically different approach" to economic affairs when elected into office but now seeks to fullfill that promise. In what they call their "Economic Transformation Manifesto" the Ministry of Finance, led by Finance minister Vayu Divekar, announced all reforms currently in front of the Grand National Assembly (Currently Lokh Saba). One clear line can be seen in these reforms, the intend to involve the government in every layer of the Malivian economy. Under the reforms the commanding heights of industry will be nationalized, including the steel sector, coal sector, energy sector and much more. All airports will also be nationalized and several new regulations for the infrastructure sector will take shape, which will ban all private TOC companies and introduce new regulations for train and air travel. The energy sector will thus largely be nationalized although the government will continue to allow small scale private electrical generation.

This is a trend that continues throughout the announced reforms. Sectors such as the banking sector will see a majority of its shares end up in government hands, but with small scale private operations allowed. The largest private bank of Malivia, the Malivian Exchange Bank, will become state owned with the same happening to other large banks while regional, often small private banks will be allowed to keep in operation. This "Majority state, minority private" approach is what the Minister of Finance calls the "stability approach", with the government stating that with these major changes to the Malivian economy, they hope to stabilize the economy and improve conditions in the country. Growth isnt the goal here, as minister Divekar openly admits, instead stabilization and the potential for future steady but slow growth is what the government hopes to achieve. Furthermore trade unions will see a massive increase in their powers and importance, giving them a important role in the majority government owned economy in the coming years.

These economic reforms will likely be passed, marking a major change for the country its economy and many economists are eager to see how it will play it. It will mean a minor private economy, majority state guided and owned, something rarely seen but alligning with the neo-communist principles of the ruling party. Prime Minister Mukhtar also answered a question relating to the federal structure soon to be implemented, with a reporter asking if hes "affraid" it might cause hinderance for his new economic plan. The Prime Minister stated: "No, the MNKP is already in the process of making affiliate branches in every state within the federal state. We seek to compete and have our voice heart on a local and state level too. We are confident that local and state governments will work within the new economic plans we have announced, as they will also be able to see our intentions and the results these reforms will bring to the table. Im confident state governments will comply with our policies when the time comes."

[Rogue]

OOC Source: The Times

Modalin: Social unrest and outrage has taken hold of large parts of Malivia as the ruling MNKP has proposed one of the most comprehensive and intense social reform packages in centuries. The newly proposed package, which includes reforms to social laws, religious laws and abortion, introduces sweeping changes to all these and liberalizes most. The new abortion law for example would make abortions in the first and second trimester legal and give people of low income funding to seek abortions if they wish to do so. The religious law will actively promote atheism in Malivia, ban non recognized religions from managing schools and ban any public officials from displaying religious symbols while exercising their duties. The law will also legalize euthanasia and move the authority to decide on public and private blasphemy from the central government to the states.

For a deeply religious country like Malivia, all these changes and liberalizations come as a shock. The caste system still unnofficially being adhered to by a lot of Malivians will also be impacted, as those of lower castes will now have more rights and methods to pursue those rights thanks to the proposed reform package. And this caste system is at the core of the current plans. While it is no secret that the MNKP is atheist and somewhat progressive socially speaking, the main reason for the proposed package that is named "The Social Fabric" is the caste system. In his electoral campaign, Prime Minister Mukhtar always stated that he believed, "the caste system is one of the main contributors to our setbacks, our hatred and our failures." Believing that without the caste system in place, Malivia might do much better then it has been doing for the past few centuries. While officially the system has been outlawed for over a century, many in Malivia still adhere to it and violence/discrimination of lower caste people is still all to common. Attempts by previous governments to directly enforce the ban failed, and so this reform package is seen as a way to indirectly break up the system.

The reforms will impact much of what many Malivians believe to be "moral" and protests have erupted accros the nation, calling on the government to either withdraw the reforms, or the Grand National Assembly to vote them down. Prime Minister Mukhtar is not backing down however, stating that "these reforms are neccesary to ensure a equall, progressive and modern society. Malivians should embrace the change and do everything they can to look objectively at that what is proposed." Conservative politicians have called out the government, calling the reforms a "moral coup" and denouncing the communist government. Riots are breaking out in Moralin, the capital, with shops looted and cars burned. Several people have been reported dead and the National Police is struggling to maintain order. With the government not backing down but conservative Malivia resorting to violence, will the GNA decide to vote down the initiative? Or listen to the government and pass it, propelling Malivia into a new age on the social front?

[Rogue]

OOC Source: SCMP
NSFW Content

Rakaya: The fallout of the recently passed social reform package by the New Communist Party government is starting to show. While the intend is working as expected, with lower class people of lower castes actively seeking more government aid while looking for abortions and other services, it has caused friction between the lower caste's and higher caste's in society. The friction has become so intense lately that a group, controlled by higher caste citizens, has started to emerge and has been actively killing, abducting and harassing people of lower caste's if they believe they have done something "unworthy" such as looking for abortions. The group, named the Union for Traditionalism, UNT for short, was designated a terrorist group by the Mukhtar government after killing 10 people in a low income neighborhood 2 months ago, decapitating their bodies and burning their houses. In the weeks after the group staged further violent assaults, actively encouraged by several high ranking officials within higher caste groups. But many were shocked when a week ago the body of a 16 year old teen was found heavily bruised, beaten and sliced in a alleyway of the city of Rakaya, Idhagbra. After investigations by the National Forensic Institute the teen was determined to be raped, beaten and then killed, being disposed of by the perpetrators in a alleyway just two blocs from her home. Het mother had reported her missing after school. The teen had reportedly been raped before and had applied for a abortion provided by the state, high ranking caste members within her city seeked to "punish her" for applying for a abortion, killing her in the process.

The killing of the teen sparked national uproar with more liberal minded members of the population and, for the first time, saw masses of lower caste people unite on the streets demanding action against the violence. Prime Minister Mukhtar ensured in a speech to the Grand Assembly that his government, "will do whatever necessary to enforce the nations laws and protect every citizen from unnecesary violence." Several pro UNT protests were hard handidly dispersed by the National Police and the Ministry of the Interior had ordered the arrest of over 120 individuals, linked to the killing of the teen and other violent acts committed in recent months.

Interior Minister Anu Patvardhan has already announced a new bill titled FB.121, which would tighten criminal laws in the country and give the police and ministry more authority to deal with caste to caste violence. Prime Minister Mukhtar also signed a memorandum vouching to heavily enforce the caste ban and even proposing to actively arrest individuals suspected of adhering to the system. This puts the new government directly against several state and local officials, some of whom have tolerated the violence and caste systems in their jurisdictions, even adhering to it themselves. The federal government now stands face to face with them and many wonder which side will prevail.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Dhaka Tribune

Modalin: The Defense Ministry, led by Defense Minister Chandra Limbu, has proposed a plan to the Grand National Assembly that would see active conscription reintroduced and several other reforms be implemented to create a "effective, professional and sizeable armed force" for the country. The plan would see the option to serve in either the military or civilian service be removed and replaced by a mandatory period of 1 year in the military upon the completion of school or on the age of 18. This would, if passed, expand the number of active soldiers in the Army from the current 500.000 to between 1.5 and 2 million depending on the branch one chooses. There will be a option for those joining the Armed Forces through conscription to either join the Army, Navy or Airforce, with limited space in the navy and airforce. Conscripts will also only be allowed to serve in logistical roles within the navy and airforce, while professional paid soldiers will serve in combat and engineering roles. In the army conscripts can serve in a variety of ways under the newly proposed law. Furthermore the reform would see the reservist pool increase from 100.000 to 300.000. The method of appointing officers will also be changed. While currently the Ministry directly appoints officers, once reformed it will be up to individual units to elect their officers in a majority vote. The ministry argues that, "soldiers will know which one of their fighting brothers they trust the most to lead them in battle. Critics state it might deteriorate professionalism and effectiveness within our armies but we dont think thats the case. Soldiers have a benefit in electing a good and trustworthy officer for themselves as their lives quite literally would depend on it." Units would also be getting more freedom to make tactical decisions in the new reforms, previously any command from high command had to be strictly followed. In the new reform units may perform a command in the way they deem most effective.

Another notable change will be the abolishment of private military industries. Under the new law, any private military company will be outlawed. To replace these companies, the federal government will create 6 different defense companies, all state owned, with two for each branch. These companies will all be getting equall resources and will be, "pitted against eachother to still create a somewhat competitive environment, but under state guidance and making sure their influence remains limited." This reform was proposed by the Prime Minister himself, who had championed a crusade against "a unwanted and dangerous industrial military complex". The new reforms would thus see new companies arise, all under state control, that would compete with one another for contracts without the fear of gaining to much individual influence over government. Current defense companies have criticized the reform but have already slowly started to move out of the country, causing a small dip in the defense sector.

The new reforms would create one of trhe largest militaries in Artania. But while these reforms excite the government experts are hesitant, unsure how the elective officer system will play out and whether the Malivian state can accomodate for the likely rise in costs, with estimates suggesting that the state will possibly have to pay an extra 4 billion annualy, having to pay more salaries and maintenance cost for equipment.
The reforms are set to pass soon as the ruling MNKP has vouched to support the reforms of the ministry, also hoping that forced conscription will further aid in breaking up the caste system, putting high caste and low caste teens together.

[Rogue]

OOC Source: Wikipedia

Modalin: The New Communist Party promised a end to the economic decline and instability experienced during the Imperial era. To accomplish this goal, the new ruling party had stamped out remnants of the old regime and declaring the Democratic Republic. The second step was to take their own new approach to economic policy, something they called Neo-communism. This new Neo-communism consisted out of the basic principles of old school communism, combined with "practical and pragmatic changes" to try and optimize its form. Within this new framework the government started its reforms. The record high unemployment, sitting at 28%, was the main target of the government, combined with the immense low in GDP growth. In the reforms, the federal government moved control of major industries, services and sectors into government hands. The commanding heights of the economy were now in state hands, with the Mukhtar government hiring "sector managers" meant to manage new state enterprises and direct major state owned companies. While this aquisition did higher the debt even further, moving it from 150% of the GDP to 170%, it allowed the government to obtain many major industries and direct its management, and while these companies were now state owned they were not state run, with every aquired company getting its own "manager" and being encouraged to either be managed by a board of directors, similarly to private companies, or by a democratic workers council giving workers a bigger say in its operation. Furthermore while major industry was in state hands, small private activity is allowed in almost every sector, encouraging the creation of small bussinesses operating alongside the major state owned companies.

Further reforms would strengthen trade unions, granting them more leverage in day to day life and in workers disputes as well as giving them a permanent seat on the decisionmaking process when it regards their sectors. By doing this the interests of the workers were guarenteed while the government would be a counterweight, attempting to balance its own interests with that of the renewed and powerfull Trade Unions. Workers and other working people started to hold "Open Discussions" on the streets or in theaters, discussing their own conditions and the companies they worked in, and they started to inform and involve themselves more about/with the bussiness they worked at. The increase in state enterprise also meant the state could now hire more people in more sectors, causing unemployment to lower by employing thousands of new people in the important energy, steel and manufacturing sectors, increasing output and decreasing unemployment.

All these reforms have managed to stabilize the economy, which is still in a recession but went from -3.2% growth to -0.3% in the last 2 years. Furthermore unemployment collapsed, from 28% of the adult population to around 16%, still big but decreasing by over 12% in a relatively short period. The Ministry of the Economy reiterated that the goal of these new policies, "is not to grow the economy but to stabilize it." Despite these remarks the government has been preparing for a round of state investments into industrial sectors as well as changes to the taxcode, lowering the burden for the emerging small bussinesses accros the country, measures largely regarded as likely sources of potential economic growth. The resurgence and stabilization for the economy can already be seen in the approval rating for the government, with 80% of those asked approving of the government its economic policies.

While the Malivian economy is on a path of slow recovery, many wonder if such a largely state guided/owned system will hold and if it can substain a growing population. Furthermore recent social unrest is also seen as a dangerous factor, potentially threatening the future economic stability of the country. Neo-Communism is in full swing in Malivia, but how long will this theory hold in practice?