NationStates Jolt Archive

Mizrachi: Good evening - I'm Andrew Mizrachi, for the EBG. Welcome to The World Tonight - in this half-hour segment, we interview Patrick Malone Daniels, a Vuhifellian national. [turns] Sir, it is an honour to have you here tonight.

Patrick Always a pleasure. [Offers handshake], it's an honor to be interviewed by the EBG.

Mizrachi: [Returns handshake]. It's our pleasure, sir. Please, tell our viewers about yourself.

Patrick Well, I came from one of the four "Great Families" of Vuhifell. As boys, me and my brother were bad, almost gotten arrested hadn't it been for our lineage. My parents decided to send me and my brother to the Elite Black Guard Academy, to become super-soldiers. Lo and behold we passed the training, and we've fought in the EBG for almost 20 years until it dissolved. We founded the Vuhifellian Security Corporation after that, and now me, my wife, and most of my former squad are retired in a village called Arlon.

Mizrachi: Could you tell us a bit about the Elite Black Guard Academy and what goes on there?

Patrick The EBG Academy was a six year military academy for the Foxtecha Corporation's military wing - the Elite Black Guard. You're taught in the art of combat in every battlefield, military history, weapons training, the usual. You graduated as a corporal in the EBG, once you've served five years in the EBG, you get cybernetic implants and full body armor, so you're transformed from a soldier to a walking, living, breathing tank.

Mizrachi: And what is the performance record of these "super-soldiers"?

Patrick Pretty high. But even with all the tech in them, we in the EBG had to rely on our crystal armor, if it broke, we were dead, and it was pretty fragile. We lost about 1 soldier for every 300 enemies we fell, mostly our enemies were terrorists with primitive weapons. Later on, towards the end of the Vuhi-Kazach War, our performance record dropped to 1 soldier dead for every 90 we killed. The recruits were too green and the enemies were veterans.

Mizrachi: But what caused this rather impressive fighting force to dissipate?

My late father-in-law; the Great Stevan Daniels, was the President during the final years of the Vuhi-Kazach War, the final defeat of the Kazach forces unearthed evidence that the corporations had helped terrorists and our enemies to gain profits. They were immediately shut down, throwing our economy is a tailspin. My wife's presidential administration corrected that, but so many former EBG soldiers have run amok that piracy and terrorism is the norm on the Southern Coast.

Mizrachi: And that's where the Vuhifellian Security Corporation comes into play?

Patrick Exactly. My squad in the EBG was the best of the best, which also included, at the time, my wife. We controlled the honest "bloc" of former EBG soldiers dedicated to post-war peace, and our main objective was to eradicate the renegade soldiers. We never completed our task. When we all retired a decade ago, I left the corporation in the hands of some of my friends in the Air Force. But now it's all about money instead of ideals.

Mizrachi: But to whom is the corporation accountable?

Socialist president Seryozha Viktrovich Nikanor nationalized the corporation about 14 years ago, so it reports directly as a for-profit company to the Council of War.

Mizrachi: Essentially, it serves as a privatised military. How do you percieve the trend to "corporatise" or "privatise" key government sectors?

Patrick It began in the 1960's, when the communists took power. The Republican government didn't hold nearly as much influence in the corrupt government as the corporations did. During the Vuhi-Comm War, when the Republican government was overthrown, the corporations were essential in safeguarding the republican government. Ever since then, they've served as sub-national entities. But they've caused so much destruction with their powers, we're trying to correct that now.

Mizrachi: So the government is trying to bring them back to heel?

Patrick Yes. We've enacted some sweeping reforms since the end of the war, so we've stripped the corporations of most of their political power. Unfortunately, my son is directly descended from both the Malone and Daniels families, according to our constitution, he has automatically become President. And he's willing to give them their power back.

Mizrachi: You mean to say that since your son has the bloodlines of certain families, he becomes President?

Exactly. The four Great Families enjoy benefits which border on royalty. If any of your relations from at maximum three generations back are direct blood relations of these families, you enjoy these benefits, which also include an automatic entry into any public office you run for.

Mizrachi: Your nation is officially described as democratic; but how is that policy democratic?

Patrick We have a lot of policies which are un-democratic. But when a President is elected, they choose their Vice-President. When a member of the Great Families becomes President, the candidate with the highest number of votes becomes Vice-President. The Supreme Council, essentially the President's cabinet, is elected by the people. They always have the ability to supercede the President's power in every way, so long as the Vice-President approves. Even with an appointed executive, we still exercise seperation of powers.

Mizrachi: I see. Well, alot of our viewers know very little about your nation. Care to enlighten them?

Patrick Well, it's an absolutely beautiful continent. Every terrain you can find if there. And the alcohol isn't half bad, either. Because of our relative isolation, we've housed millions of refugees, most of which have stayed an became citizens. But, still, our consitution allows the VPA and the VIC, the National Police and the Intelligence Services, respectively, to violate human and civil rights on a constant basis. It's a wonderful land, yes, but these are turbulant times, and some people who speak out against the government are never seen or heard of again.

Mizrachi: Does the government intend to alleviate these egregious human rights abuses?

Patrick We're in the process, yes. Unfortunately, my son doesn't want to continue these reforms, so until he either completes his term or the Congress passes a motion of no confidence, he'll keep repressing what my family and my wife's family have fought so hard to preserve.