Le National (Beaumont-sur-Mer)

[imperialpearl]

In the postwar environment, the ability of the government or whatever has been imposed to resemble that of a government must aim to bring about a renaissance of governance, a rebirth of institutional strength and independence. The importance of public administration is underscored when it becomes virtually impossible for post-war economic recovery and governance to be achieved if core institutions either no longer function or are functioning with a clear impairment: instability. The challenges faced by the civil administration are massive as this very administration must wrestle with dysfunctional institutions, a collapse of public administration and multiple hindrances to the implementation of economic and social policies, all of which undermine their effectiveness and challenge the legitimacy of their mandate. Throughout history, there have been attempts at mapping out a nation’s economic and political recovery via strong institutional reforms, however, most of these attempts have failed due to numerous reasons however one constant throughout the examination of the attempts of the past has been the effectiveness of reforms. Development economist, Harvey Simpson notes in his most recent research paper on economic development models that “post-war economic reconstruction is a catch-22 as every road seems to be leading to doom and destruction.” For the civil administration, the task is immense. Aside from juggling the issues related to the reformation of core institutions, they must also contend with bringing legitimacy to said institutions whilst attempting to maintain the public’s confidence. In recognition of this, it is important that in rebuilding these institutions, be they societal or macroeconomic, consensus must be drawn on major issues related to the future business of the nation. Chief Secretary Gaston Diederich, in an impromptu press conference following his arrival from Keymon, spoke to the changes that will come to life within the city amidst the signing of the Joint Keymon-Lourennais Declaration.

Speaking about rebuilding core institutions, the Chief Secretary stated that the civil government was currently engaged in encouraging former civil servants to return to govern over the numerous agencies they intend on revamping. Highlighting the case of staffing in government departments, the Chief Secretary stated that the provisional government had been encouraging staff underneath the previous regime to maintain their positions whilst the transition is underway. “We need technical staff to execute our policies. We have come to a decision that we should keep existing staff and encourage persons who are unemployed in the interim to seek employment with the government based on their qualifications.” The Chief Secretary unveiled his Executive Council, most of which are residents of the city and former civil servants of the previous Lourennais administration. Numerous institutions such as the Judiciary, the education system and the healthcare system remain under considerable strain with staff shortages. Institutions such as law enforcement and defence have been set aside to recognise the presence of the Lourennais peacekeeping force. Chief Secretary Diederich has stated that the civil administration intends on building a law enforcement body for Beaumont, noting that although the city's external security will be a responsibility of Lourenne, they [the civil administration] remained responsible for internal security. He noted that much of the administrative procedure would be predicated on the Basic Laws of Beaumont, which is currently being drafted jointly by the Department of Justice and Public Security and the Department of Public Administration.

Speaking about the re-establishment of fiscal institutions, Secretary for Finance, Trade and the Economy Sabine Le Tonnelier stated that one of the first tasks of the civil administration in establishing fiscal/macroeconomic stability was the establishment of a monetary authority. With most economists having fled the city amidst the transition, preliminary nominees for the position of Governor of the Monetary Authority of Beaumont are mainly economists from Lourenne. Development economist Pierre-Marie Alméras has been tapped for the position of Governor. Secretary Le Tonnelier noted that a complete overhaul of fiscal operations was underway. She explained that the laws on which much of Beaumont's future fiscal and monetary positions will be based are currently under reform. With an eye on ensuring enhanced ease of doing business from the very start, Secretary for Justice and Public Security Jean-Marc Pelletier (who is responsible for the drafting of legislation alongside the Legislative Drafting Committee), stated that technical assistance has been sourced from numerous nations on simplifying the nation’s tax and financial laws, noting that complexity has often led to difficulty in terms of implementation. With a clear lack of data to inform the provisional government’s future economic policy decisions, an independent statistics agency is in the works with a census set to begin soon. When asked whether the provisional government intends to re-establishing a national taxation agency, Secretary Le Tonnelier stated that although a revenue collection agency had been on the cards, the provisional government was not focused on the development of such an institution in the interim, highlighting that the civil administration intends on receiving considerable aid from Keymon.

On democratic institutions, Chief Secretary Diederich stated that once the situation within the city stabilises and individuals become accustomed to the changes of administration, an election would the held wherein a legislature and a new, elected government can begin the work of pointing the city into becoming the pearl of the orient.

[imperialpearl]

The ratification of the Joint Keymon-Lourenne Declaration has left Beaumont in a precarious situation. Although the external security environment of the city-state remained largely a responsibility of the Lourennais Armed Forces, internal/public security remained within the remit of the civil administration. As the civil administration continues to build capacity in pursuit of becoming a more effective administrative body, the need for an organised law enforcement agency is becoming increasingly clear as many fear that the city-state could soon be plagued by mounting crime/criminality in the absence of law and order. In seeking to reinstall law and order within the city, any future police force would require a structure that reinforces confidence both internally and externally. The current environment encourages corruption as uncertainty continues to run throughout the society amidst the transition process. Thus the need to incentivise the state's future law enforcement practitioners against engaging in acts of corruption will be as important as rebuilding public confidence in the agency's ability to effectively and efficiently conduct its affairs. In recognition of the numerous factors working both in his favour and against him, Chief Secretary Gaston Diederich has appointed a committee to build Beaumont a modern police force. Speaking at a joint press conference at the Chief Secretary's Villa, Chief Secretary Diederich stated that the members of this new committee would have been chosen based on their knowledge of matters related to law enforcement and law. These members include Secretary for Justice and Public Security Jean-Marc Pelletier, former police chief of Beaumont Jean-Pascal Rousseau, Lourennais national security expert Jean-Philippe Vaugeois and former Deputy Mayor responsible for city policy Solange Devereux. The committee's work, according to the Chief Secretary would form the framework on which Beaumont's new police force will be built and would also inform the civil administration on the measures needed to enhance the city-state's public security environment for decades to come.

Chairing the committee shall be Secretary Pelletier who stated that the committee intends on reviewing numerous pieces of legislation both from Lourenne and Keymon on their responsible law enforcement agencies. Secretary Pelletier stated that the committee had already provided recommendations to the Chief Secretary on its first day as a sign of its enthusiasm to work. One such report recommended that the responsibility of law enforcement and public security within the city-state be the responsibility of a single organisation, the Gendarmerie. Jean-Pascal Rousseau, who proposed the idea explained that under the previous arrangements, law enforcement within the city was the responsibility of both the regional arm of the Lourennais national police and the gendarmerie. He noted that although the agencies were effective in enhancing law enforcement within the city, their contrasting operational procedures often resulted in administrative/operational clashing. He said that his proposal for a single law enforcement agency responsible for the various tasks including intelligence, counter-terrorism and law and order would allow for a seamless administration of the agency by whoever would be responsible for governing it. Echoing Rousseau's sentiments, Jean-Philippe Vaugeois stated that the city-state did not need a separate intelligence agency similar to Lourenne and Keymon, nor did it need a separate border security agency along the same lines. He explained that a more centralised system would benefit the city-state due to its relative size, as he noted that the separation of agencies primarily works with much larger nations. "With a population of around 2.5 million, centralisation works," he told reporters. According to Secretary Pelletier, the Gendarmerie will also be responsible for investigating financial crimes as well as being responsible for the operationalization of the city-state's future counter-terrorism plans. "I've already had discussions with Mr Vaugeois on crafting a counter-terrorism strategy for the civil administration. Some of the proposals coming our way include a transformation of Beaumont's CCTV camera network and collaboration with the Lourennais government on information-sharing.

Speaking about training and professional conduct, Rousseau stated that the future Gendarmerie would most likely mirror the training techniques of the Lourennais police. He notes: "Although some of the officers of the Beaumont police emigrated to Lourenne, some have remained and thus they are familiar with the training practices. Any recruits this agency employs would have to undergo a similar training regimen." Solange Devereux stated that future oversight should be the responsibility of the Legislature, as she explained that an independent Gendarmerie would be more effective in carrying out its business as it would not be hindered by political interference. She explained that the simple task of appointing a future Director of the Gendarmerie should be the responsibility of the Legislature based on the condition of merit. "The only way any future law enforcement agency could restore public confidence in it is through proper oversight and independence from political interference. Whilst I do not accuse the current civil administration of wanting to influence the affairs of the future Gendarmerie, I fear that ill-intentioned executive councils may be inclined to," she posited.