Velaheria out of the shadows

[Velaheria]

Friday, 14 January 2000

Bastaria, Velaheria.

It was a cold day. On the streets of Bastaria, one could see the banners of the Velaherian glory and might, with heroic depictions of the communist government and its achievements, which had made Velaheria what it was that day, people could breathe and feel free that they weren't enslaved by the Dolch or were subject to the rules of the monarchic pests, like the ones @Stedoria, or had to endure hardships like those experienced by the people under the capitalist states, like  @Delamaria and @Walneria. People had access to education and free housing, and could admire their glorious leaders, who belonged to the Starinburg dynasty. Amid all this lay a simple question, where were the daily necessities of the Velaherian people, where were not really what an average Velaherian could find in the state owned ration shops and shopping centres, and in the villages there was looming malnutrition which had resulted in weight loss of average people in the 1990s, which was not really expected after the boom in agricultural production in the 1980s. Though this might be explained by the fall of the communist governments all across Argis in the 1990s as a result of extreme centralization, which made the states inefficient, and Velaheria was indeed a victim of this, as noticed by several reformists who had risen to power after the death of Alexander Von Starinburg, in the 3rd of January. Something needed to be done, to stop the active recession and extreme bureaucratization that had resulted in long queue's all across the nation's cities; while villages couldn't even get proper nourishment, due to the state's inefficiency. 

While Alexander may have been a true communist like his father, and relied on industrialization and extensive economic growth for Velaheria's economic prosperity, his son Ander Von Starinburg, wasn't so, he had experienced the devastating shortages that Velaheria had faced during the 1990s and is facing right now, He had just risen to become the most powerful man in the Velaherian people's party and the Velaherian state itself, and thus needed to do something to not let Velaheria fall into absolute poverty, thus he announced a meeting with the Velaherian revolutionary Council on the 16th of January regarding the economic situation Velaheria, and how to handle that.

The rest is for later on.....

[Velaheria]

Sunday, 16 January 2000

Inside the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Velaheria.

Everyone was nervous today, due to the sudden notion of a meeting with regard to the economic situation of the Velaherian state, which although most in the Velaherian revolutionary council knew was in a bad shape, especially the Minister of Finance, Mr Vultshuk Storgheim, a leading reformist, who had advocated for greater economic reforms to the previous president, but to no avail, he knew that this was due to happen eventually, as the Velaherian economy had lagged far behind its non-socialist counterparts in Argis, and had fallen short of reforming when the time was necessary, and is now paying its price, along with the rising prices that the Velaherian state now experienced since the last ten or so years, due to the fall of the socialist regimes. 

Storgheim, had earlier studied as a student of commerce in the Bastarian People's Study hall, and had passed with an A grade, which is considered well in that specific subject. He chose his path in economics and became one of the key officials in the Velaherian ministry of finance in 1997, at the age of 47. According to his observation's, Velaheria had to liberalise and open up its economy in order to survive in the post socialist region. And he knew that Ander Von Starinburg agreed with him,

But for now, he kept his attention at the podium where Mr Starinburg sat on a table kept at the centre of the podium, and began addressing the Velaherian Revolutionary Council, about the hardships faced by Velaheria, Mr Starinburg began his conversation, after getting down from the podium and sitting at the front chair of a different table in a different room; and asked for the opinions of Mr Storgheim, who begins his statement after clearing out his throat a bit and drinking a glass of water.

Storgheim (Minister of Finance): “Your Excellency, Your father was a true Communist and an ideal leader, but he miscalculated some things which have led to some grave economic nightmares, I hope you can understand what I am trying to mean here.” 

Starinburg (Supreme Leader of Velaheria): “Yes I know, he cared about the rhetoric and the stability of our state, but that has led to the current crisis, so do you have any way to reform the situation.”

Storgheim: “Well, we could try to decentralise the current system, so that the production quotas become less bureaucratic and more efficient, along with allowing some forms of privatization, in the nation.” 

Up to this point the Minister of state security had remained silent as to how the reforms should take place, but when he heard about privatization, he couldn't hold himself any more, and thought it was now was the time to speak.

Mr Aurehan Gurhard (Minister of State Security) : “Sir with all due respect, but just abandoning socialism like that, isn't what anyone in the Velaherian People's Party would want, as we have lived like this for decades, if not half a century already, so I was suggesting maybe, we should slowly reform the economy rather than switching to capitalism overnight.”

Starinburg: “Well if that's what is needed to be done, then let that be so, I hope supreme people's assembly would at least pass an act to not punish private ventures any more and actually encourage, those activities, with that being said, that I believe concludes our meeting, I hope the necessary decisions would be taken to reform our economy, as soon as possible.” 

As he said this, several party officials clapped as he ended his meeting with the ministers, and left the assembly, after which, a motion was indeed passed to allow certain private activities inside Velaheria, the effects of which would be seen in a year or two from now on.

[Walneria]

On 4/7/2022 at 6:52 PM, DPR Velaheria said:

14th January 2000, Bastaria, Velaheria.

It was a cold day, on the streets of bastaria, one could see the banners of the velaherian glory and might, with heroic depictions of the communist government and its achievements, which had made velaheria what it was that day, people could breathe and feel free that they werent enslaved by the dolch or were subject to the rules of the monarchic pests, like the ones in stedoria, or had to endure hardships like those experienced by the people under the capitalist states, like  @Delamaria and @Walneria.  People had access to education and free housing, and could admire their glorious leaders, whom belonged to the starinburg dynasty, but amid all this lay a simple question, where were the daily neccesities of the velaherian people, where were not really what an average velaherian could find in the state owned ration shops and shopping centres, and in the villages there was looming malnutrition which had resulted in weight loss of average people in the 90's, which was not really expected after the boom in agricultural production in the 80's. Though this might be explained by the fall of the communist governments all across argis in the 90's as a result of extreme centralization, which made the states inefficient, and velaheria was indeed a victim of this, as noticed by several reformists who had risen to power after the death of Alexander Von Starinburg, in the 3rd of January. Something needed to be done, to stop the active recession and extreme beureaucratization that had resulted in long queue's all across the nation's cities; while villages couldnt even get proper nourishment, due to the state's inefficiency. 

While Alexendar may had been an true communist like his father, and relied on industrialization and extensive economic growth for velaheria's economic prosperity, his son Ander, wasnt so, he had experienced the devastating shortages that velaheria had faced during the 90's and is facing right now, He had just risen to become the most powerful man in the velaherian people's party and the velaherian state itself, and thus needed to do something to not let velaheria fall into absolute poverty, thus he announced a meeting with the Velaherian revolutionary Council on the 16th of January regarding the economic situation velaheria, and how to handle that.....

The rest is for later on.....

@Walneria's Bureau for public communication deems it necessary to mention, that all education, from pre-school to university, is completely free in Walneria in state-owned education, which has the capacity to cover all of the demand. People, who pay for their education, are often visiting private education institutes, but if they were to switch their schools, they would be completely welcome to, and would be given free education. Although public housing is currently experiencing a crisis, each city, town and village owns at least a couple of flats ready for social housing, and to those, who end on the street, there are reintegration programs and local shelters ready to cover their basic needs if they do in turn try to stand back up and do some work.

There was no malnutrition eversince the 1940 nutrition crisis, which was caused by Walnerian farmers being drafter and fighting in a war against a hostile conqueror your regime valiently defends, @DPR Velaheria. Since then, the free marked provided even the smallest village not only with basic groceries, but also goods and food, that serves as pleasures and even those living in social programs can in some quantity afford.

This all has been achieved by a democratic and liberal society - people elect those, who improve the conditions of their living.

And as a final afternote, let us quote a joke circulating in Walneria:
Q: Is it true, that in Velaheria, all cities have all types of meat?
A: Yes, the exhibition is travelling annually.

Note: I am aware this is propaganda, but you can take this as a reply all the back from 2000

Edited April 10, 2022 by Walneria
Added a note as it may be not implied (see edit history)

[Velaheria]

Two years later, Velaheria, 2002

As two years pass, and the laws are implemented by the Velaherian regime, that make some small scale private businesses legal on the Velaherian soil, the situation has quite changed than what it was some years ago. This can be seen as one explores the streets of the major towns and cities, and even villages, where grain confiscation is not the norm any more, like what it used to be ten years earlier.

As seen in the villages that are near the towns, where a shadow market has emerged, and goods are traded or bartered for either Velher Wran's or other international currencies that the smugglers can get their hands on, as for the legal private businesses go, their numbers have also increased greatly, as the government has slowly legalised most small scale private businesses in the span of those two years. This has led people to open more market chains, which in turn has led to rise in more demand, and to supplement that, more supplies are also provided by the farmers, by co-operative farming, as they too hold some grain shares of their own.

Which has led to seem that the reforms of the VPP are actually working and the Velaherian economy is slowly growing back into shape, like it did during the 1960s and 1970s and again in the early 1990s.

Though it did reform itself to transfer somewhat to a market economy, the Velaherian industries, which were the backbone of its economic might, were still entirely state driven. Thus, these were not entirely profitable at times, and faced a wide range of issues, some of which it even faces to this day. 

State industries are mostly managed by the group of people known as the elites, people who had collaborated with the VPP during the Velaherian liberation war, and were thus favoured by the regime, many such elites, now saw a chance to make money, by calling in foreign investments, as the nation began to open up towards capitalism and free market competition, which they would use to garner foreign investments and boost state production of both consumer and heavy goods, which would result in the rapid growth of the Velaherian economy by the mid 2000s, as the regime itself shifted its focus towards co-operative industrial outlook, wanting to co-operate and do joint ventures in the industrial and the services sectors with companies from nations such as @Rhodellia and @Iverica.

Though it would still take the Velaherian economy several years, before it could become like what it was in the 1970s and to develop a high economic growth rate.

[Velaheria]

Summer of 2004, Bastaria, two years after the first legislations were passed to allow privatisation.

The government has been following market liberal reforms in terms of revitalizing the economy, and has been privatizing key assets such as farm lands and has been allowing small scale businesses to perform their businesses without government interference, however, there still needed so much to be done, as villages still suffered from malnutrition, and businesses still had to be majorly subsidized by the state, and as a result the socialist government had to incur debt from its non-socialist neighbours such as @Delamaria or @Stedoria, who charged interest rates at a moderately high amount for the loans that were lent to the government, with this in mind.

The Velaherian government set out to implement its second set of economic reforms known as the People's Vouchers, which was a set of vouchers given by the government to the people, in return of which, the people could purchase certain, goods and commodities for cheaper prices, and at sometimes subsidized rates, these vouchers would be valid for a period of 3 years, and as such, would have to be repaid by the government, and the Velaherian government would pay an interest of 6% on the loans incurred through the purchases of these vouchers, which were printed around 30-40 million of which, around 10 million were sent to the people to be bought, and each voucher, said to be borrowing a sum of A$ 500 from the people, with, the rest being kept in place to be liquidated at a period of 4 years later, due to the fact, that such a large debt to the domestic population would result in a reduced efficiency, at which the government would want for its actions to occur.