NationStates Jolt Archive

In the streets of Veli, the capital city of the state of Kerala in India, the crowds were out in the streets, doing just about whatever it was they wanted. Since the fall of the Elephanti central government, the various states and provinces of the once great Sultanate had for the most part fallen into disrepair and anarchy. Kerala was about to fall into that too. None of the police officers had been paid since the fall of the central government, and while there were those who still tried to keep the peace and maintain the law, many police officers had quit and gone home to their families. People still respected those in the uniform, but they were wondering what law to obey. Old Keralan laws, the Elephanti laws, or some other laws? Who knew?

In the governor's palace in Veli, the governor and his council had taken the majority of the state treasury and disappeared, leaving the confused aides to try to sort the mess out. However, it was clear that that would be an impossible task. To start with, what little military assets had been stationed in Kerala had been withdrawn to the more important provinces or to the aide of the central government, leaving Kerala pretty much defenseless. It was also broke, and the people were murmuring, demanding action to be taken to get the state back on its feet, so to speak. Therefore they looked to the nations around. Many had heard of how the people up north had accepted the Saint Lazare government as its own, but the people of Kerala had no connection what so ever with Saint Lazare. They were unwilling to subject to Layartebian or Hirgizstani rule, and definately not Varsolan or Kreynorian leadership. The Nepaleese government had been one option, but it too had fallen into anarchy. However, there was one nation that the people of Kerala had a history with and that was stable: the Realm of Cotland. A few discreet inquiries had been sent to the Cottish, and the answers had been satisfactory. After getting the opinion of the people, the vast majority said that it would have little if anything against subjecting itself to Cottish rule, provided they were taken care of.

Therefore, a delegation of Cottish diplomats were invited to come to Veli for talks and negotiations as to how the state could be incorporated into the Realm. The results of the talks would decide whether the Realm would accept Kerala into the Realm of not.

The V-17/A Gulfstream carrying the team of diplomats landed at Veli international airport at just after twelve noon, where the diplomats were greeted by a delegation consisting of the senior-most leaders still present in the state. The heat was at its average for the month, at thirty-five degrees Centigrade and a little shock for the diplomats, who had become accustomed to the twenty degrees inside the aircraft. Ignoring the wall of heat that they met when they exited the business jet, the diplomats greeted the officials and were driven off to the governor's palace in a pair of Rolls Royce limousines.

Two hours later, the six diplomats had had a chance to freshen up and relax from the journey and were ready to start the negotiations. It started with an overview of the state's economy and the demographics.

Kerala's main source of income was through agriculture and tourism, with an estimated Gross Domestic Product of nearly 1,98 billion dollars and an estimated annual growth of 9.2 percent. Kerala produced among others 688,859 tonnes of rice, 57,000 tonnes of coffee, 899,198 hectares of coconut and other substantial amounts of tea, natural rubber, spices and cashews every year. In addition, a small mining sector was present which could produce among others bauxite, silica, quartz and zircon. The tourism sector employed roughly 45 % of the populace of 32 million, which had the highest standard of living on the Indian sub-continent. The rest worked in the agricultural sector or with manufacturing goods. All in all, there were plenty of good reasons for why the Cots should bother investing time, money and effort into Kerala, but the kinks had to be worked out first.

Six days later, the negotiations were concluded with a treaty both sides could accept. Kerala was accepted into the Realm and given the status of Province, thus accepting the Cottish Constitution, general law and foreign policy, but it was given a lot of autonomy. For instance, it would get to elect its own governor, and the people would have a lot more autonomy. The Keralan negotiators were for instance able to get through their demand that conscription wouldn't be exercised in Kerala, that favorable tax rates be maintained in Kerala and that the profits of the GDP would go to the Keralan coffers instead of the Finance Ministry in Oslo.

Now came the restoration of law and order to Kerala, and the expansion of business. A large economic package in the order of $860 billion was prepared, and it would upgrade Kerala to Cottish standards. Jobs would be created, ensuring that the unemployment rate would go down significantly, subsidies for the car park to be transformed from the current diesel and petrol fueled cars to the more economical and environment friendly E85 fuel. In addition, several new power stations would be created to give cheap, clean power to the populace instead of the current diesel-fueled power plant that polluted the air and harmed the environment, an environment that would be very valuable for the tourist industry.

And the Cots weren't the only ones interested in investing money in Kerala. The Layartebians had hinted that they would be interested in establishing a few tourist resorts in Kerala and in importing Keralan goods. That was a thing that was more likely now that the Cots had raised their flag over Kerala, with the Realm and the Empire of Layarteb being close allies and trading partners. Therefore, a communique was dispatched from Oslo to Layarteb City.

Official Communique
To: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Commerce, Empire of Layarteb
Fr: Commerce Ministry, Realm of Cotland
Re: Kerala

After considering your communiques, and after successfully concluding negotiations with the Kerala ruling council, we have decided to give a green light for foreign corporations to establish tourist resorts and trading relations with the Province of Kerala, as the territory soon is to be known as.

The Realm is preparing a economic package that will upgrade and expand the already outstanding infrastructure. This package includes, but isn't limited to, the construction of new international airports, the establishment of modern ports which are able to accept both large cargo and passenger vessels, expansion of the road system, and transformation from diesel/petrol-fueled cars and trucks to E85-fueled cars and trucks.

The official transfer of power would occur in two months.

Official Communique
To: Commerce Ministry, Realm of Cotland
Fr: Ministry of Commerce, Empire of Layarteb
Re: Kerala

We will graciously accept your offer to establish tourist resorts. We have several corporations and agencies within our Empire that will be happy to set up resorts in such an exotic and safe place. We wish to inquire as to how much land is available and how many resorts are you limiting us to have.

The Minister of Commerce

Official Communique
To: Ministry of Commerce, Empire of Layarteb
Fr: Commerce Ministry, Realm of Cotland
Re: Re: Kerala

After consulting with the Department of the Interior and with the local government in Kerala, we have decided to make the cities of Quilon and Palghat in Kerala Province available for Layartebian corporations to establish themselves in, and infrastructure in these two cities shall be prioritized. Quilon is a coastal city in the south, while Palghat is a bit further inland in the central parts of Kelara.

We believe that an upper limit of seven resorts in or around Quilon and four in or around Palghat should be acceptable. We further request that the resorts are restricted in size to a maximum of three square kilometers (~two square miles) each, and that they be built using mostly local manpower. We also require a minimum of 40 % of the employees be local residents, and that all employees be treated and paid according to Cottish law.

If these terms are acceptable, your corporations may commence construction immediately.
.

A few months later
The transformation to Cottish rule was moving smoother than expected, with new jobs being created daily, something which helped reduce the unemployment rates. That helped increase the popularity of the decision made by the ruling council. The environment were getting a break too, since some thirty-five percent of all vehicles in Kerala had already been replaced with cleaner, more environment-friendly and newer cars and trucks that ran on E85 instead of the polluting diesel and petrol that had been used earlier. The local government, supported by the Cottish advisors that had arrived to help facilitate the transfer of power had announced subsidies to the car owners, helping to pay some 40 % of the cost of the new cars. The older cars were sold to the government, which set about recycling them, reusing the materials.

All around Kerala, things were going great, the people were happy and well fed, tourists were starting to arrive, further boosting the local economy, and the politicians were campaigning for the local government seats.

The Province of Kerala consisted of fourteen smaller counties, and from each county, five representatives would be elected by popular vote every four years. These representatives would assemble into the local Parliament which had seventy seats. These seventy men and women would be responsible for making the local laws and deciding on the local taxes, as long as these weren't in violation of the Cottish constitution which the Province had accepted to follow. The Province would be led by a Governor, also elected by popular vote. However, there were some restrictions. The Governor could not be elected into both the Parliament and the Governorship, and he or she would answer to two entities: The local Parliament and the Cottish Interior Ministry.

When it came to judicial matters, the court system would be as it was in all Cottish provinces and dominions: a three-tiered system consisting of the District Courts as the lowest pier, having a tribunal of three professional judges and two citizens; the Court of Appeal, which was the second tier where a tribunal of five professional judges and four citizens did the sentencing if the jury of ten citizens found the defenant guilty; and the Supreme Court in Oslo, Norway. Very few cases made it to the Supreme Court to begin with, even in Norway, but it was included. Twenty-eight District Courts would be established, two in each county, and three Courts of Appeal, one for Northern Kerala, one for Central Kerala, and one for Southern Kerala. The courts would be responsible for both criminal law, which was accepted to be the Cottish Criminal Code, and for handling civil disputes, which was both Cottish and local Keralan law.

When it came to the defense of Kerala, the Province was in a special position. When the Cottish negotiators had agreed to accept Kerala into the Realm, they had agreed that locals of Kerala weren't required to do the standard eighteen months of mandatory military service that all other Provinces and Dominions were required to do. Instead, those Keralans who wished to serve would become professional soldiers. There weren't too many of those though, but the Province needed to be defended. Therefore, the Defense Ministry were in the process of establishing two Air Force Bases, one in Trivandrum and one in Calicut; two Royal Marine Bases, one in Beypore and one in Alleppey; and one large and three smaller Naval Stations. The large one would be in Cochin, where the waters were deep enough for even the largest aircraft carriers to be docked comfortably, while the three smaller that would house smaller combatants such as frigates, destroyers and fast patrol boats would be located in Kasaragod, Talakkolatur and Trivandrum. In addition, the Air Force would establish a classified number of air defense and radar positions throughout the Province to protect it from aerial threats.

The infrastructure was as mentioned earlier being rejuvinated, but for that to be completed, the Province required electricity. The old diesel power plant that had supplied the Province with electricity before was growing old and polluting, and it wasn't very efficient anymore. The electricity net was also expected to grow substantially over the next couple of years as foreign corporations set up shop in the Province, and the old plant wasn't up to the task. Therefore, the Cottish central government decided that a number of nuclear power plants would be established to provice clean, cheap electricity to the Province. A total of three power plants would be established, all of them far from the general public in the unlikely event that an accident occured. The reactors chosen were the tested Thorium 232-powered CNE-9 Mark 2 Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactors from Cottish Nuclear Energy, Inc., each providing a total of nearly 350 megawatts of power. A total of eight of these huge reactors would be commissioned in Kerala over the next five years, providing 2,800 megawatts, or 2.8 terrawatts of power for the Province. The energy costs would be very cheap for the population, and would allow for the Province to be able to accomodate power-demanding industries. The old diesel power plant was expected to be decommissioned in two years when the first of the power plants was scheduled to be completed.

The civilian airports would be rejuvinated as well, with runways being maintained properly and expanded, electronics updated and buildings refurbished or built. Several Cottish air lines were establishing routes to Kerala, something which helped to further increase the prosperity of the province. Goods and tourists from outside were flowing into Kerala, heralding in a new era for the population.

Official Communique
To: Commerce Ministry, Realm of Cotland
Fr: Ministry of Commerce, Empire of Layarteb
Re: Kerala

That is sufficient. Bidding will begin immediately and the corporations and travel agencies that win will be allowed. For a total of 11 resorts we will let 4 corporations/agencies have 2 resorts and 1 have 3 resorts.

The Minister of Commerce

Three months after the province was allowed into the Realm of Cotland, the first free election results were in. The largest of the sixteen parties operating in Kerala was by far the Kerala Progress Party, which won an astounding 28 % of the votes, giving it twenty seats in Parliament. Next in line was the Kerala Labour Party, which netted 10 % of the votes, or seven seats. Eleven other parties got enough votes to reach above the barrier line of 4 % required to be allowed seats in Parliament.

In the vote for a new Governor, the politician Rahvi Ghurattanimuitha from the Kerala Progress Party won with 59 % of the votes, winning over the other two candidates who got fewer votes. According to Keralan voting laws, the Governor needed more than 51 % of the votes in order to be called the winner of the election. With 59 %, Ghurattanimuitha was the undisputed winner. In a statement issued by the Interior Minister, the Governor's superior, the Realm recognized the election results and recognized Ghurattanimuitha as the rightful winner of the election, dispite the claims by the other two candidates that the election was rigged. Ghurattanimuitha would be the Governor of Kerala for the next four years, a crucial period of time during which the Province would be transformed into one of the best developed parts of the Indian sub-continent, thanks in no small part to the increasing influx of foreign - predominantly Layartebian - tourists and to Cottish subsidies.

In a decree the Interim Ruling Council issued, the relatively poor housing throughout the Province would be replaced with new, more modern and far better housing, mostly in high-rise apartment buildings and condominiums. There were some protests from people who didn't want to move or who believed that the progress was proceeding too rapidly, but the building planning would proceed. To begin with, only the largest cities would have be affected, but the long-term plans were for the entire province to be given new and better housing. There were several pros in that plan. It would remove the slums that were emerging in the cities, moving the people to better and nicer housing, while at the same time removing crime from the slums and making it easier for the Police to find suspects, not having to mill around the slums where it was easy for the criminals to hide away. It would also upgrade the standard of living for the population, and releasing more space for the Province to develop. It was estimated that the population density in a 100 square meter area, which was currently at 82 persons living in cramp conditions in the slum would be increased to up to 350 persons living in good conditions in apartment buildings. The building project would start in a few months, and would last up to ten years before the designers and developers estimated that the population project would be completed in the major cities. The cost was estimated to come to somewhere around $25 billion.

OOC: So Kerala and Pondicherry are officially secured then?

[OOC: Yes. Now I'm just RPing the development of the Province. Going to add a little segment about the Lakshadweep Islands too, as those will fall under the administrative control of the Province too.]