Peace Talks: Day ThreeFollowing the failure of the parties to reach agreement on the principle of power-sharing yesterday, Convention chairman Jacque St. Pierre decided the parties should spend the next several days outlining their views on other key issues to the talks, so all of the different sides could come to a better understanding of each others perspectives. St. Pierre emphasised that whilst some of the key issues are constitutional in nature, others are not, but are still very, very important when it comes to the future of Noumonde and the future of relations between the Canrillaise and Malgy communities.
Today, the Convention discussed issues related to the monarchy, land reform and Action Canrillaise International.
MonarchyThe Alliance argued for the abolition of the monarchy and the introduction of a republic, headed by an executive President. Alliance leader Masoandro Androkae was careful not to personally criticise King Tristan, who he called "a fine man" and praised for "conducting himself absolutely correctly". This was a reference to the fact that unlike his father before him, King Tristan has stayed out of politics, and has also shown respect to republicans by declining to officially use the title of "King" unless and until that position is confirmed by the Constitutional Convention.
The National Party (NP) and the Canrilliase Front (CF) argued strongly for the retention of the Demitreous monarchy, although representatives amongst both parties seemed divided and unsure over what political power, if any, the monarch should hold.
The Malgy People's Party (MPP) argued for replacing the House of Demitreous with what they called a "Malgy Monarchy", but their representatives seem divided and sometimes vague about what exactly they meant by that. Some clearly support putting Lakshmi, the former Kalistani Empress, on the throne. Others were decidedly against that particular idea. An array of Malgy noblemen were proposed as possibilities, although amongst these, none emerged as being convincingly at the head of the pack.
Land reformThe discussion about land reform evoked strong feelings on all sides, and reminded some observers of yesterday's debate about power-sharing.
The Alliance proposed a program of compulsorily purchasing land from large Canrillaise landowners at 40% below market value, and then selling it on to landless Malgy for cheap prices, and in some cases with the offer of cheap state-assisted loans.
The NP agreed on the need for land reform and acknowledged that land reform did not go nearly far enough under the previous power-sharing government, but nevertheless insisted that all state purchases of Canrillaise-owned land should be voluntary, not compulsory. Leon Cormier, the NP, seemed sheepish and uncomfortable whilst articulating his party's position. He is known to be privately in favour of using compulsory purchase powers to achieve land redistribution, but his party colleagues are adamantly opposed to such a policy.
The CP objected to any land reform being introduced at all, arguing land reform is motivated by anti-Canrillaise racism, would be far too expensive and would reduce agricultural efficiency by giving the land to people who do not know how best to operate it productively.
The MPP demanded the compulsory requisition of huge tracts of Canrillaise-owned land without any compensation whatsoever, with MPP leader Barijaona Rahantasoa arguing that "if anybody should be compensating anybody, it should be the Canrillaise compensating the Malgy for stealing our land and exploiting us by making us do backbreaking labour on their fields for paltry wages".
Action Canrillaise InternationalAction Canrillaise International (ACI) is probably the most notorious and controversial organisation in Noumonde right now. It was established by General Blanchard during the dying days of his dictatorship, in order to promote his ultra-conservative brand of politics across the Canrillaise word. Blanchard generously lavished the organisation with funds and supplies. Even with the fall of the Blanchard regime, ACI has never been far from the spotlight, and had repeatedly been accused of being behind violent attacks and other criminal activity. The ACI, however, has always denied this, and insists the illegal activities attributed to it have all been carried out by a separate group called the "Canrillaise Liberation Army" (CLA). There is a lot of scepticism, however, about whether the ACI and the CLA are really all that separate. At present, the ACI remains a legal organisation in Noumonde, although how long that situation will last remains to be seen.
The Alliance and the MPP called for an immediate ban on the ACI, and arrests of those who are connected to it.
The NP acknowledged the concerns, but insisted "due process" should be followed, and that a ban should only be imposed once sufficient evidence of criminality has accumulated.
The CF, to the horror of the other representatives in the chamber, demanded not only that the ACI should not be banned, but that the existing police investigations into it were "harassment" and should be "called off immediately".