Symon Akim, head of the Communism United Party of Vulshain, looked out his window as the plane neared the airport of capital of Lazlowia. He was looking forward to meeting President Lazlow. He hoped to try and work on improving the relations between Lazlowia and Vulshain.
Mr Akim’s visit was only announced a few days beforehand, and most people didn’t even notice it, when it come. Indeed, the Party was mostly quiet on the affair. The President and the members of the cabinet were suspicious about the visit, as they had no clear information about the agenda of the Communist Party of Vulshain. Sure, it was known, that they followed Marxism-Leninism, but many have made the same claim, and followed a different branch of communism. The CPV could be anything from mild social-democrat to maoist, or even worse, a follower of the Listonian Ideal, which is essentially a variation of the Yuche Thought. Most members of the Party perceived the CPV as a reformist party.
Many have also raised concerns over some of Akim’s recent statements, questioning his loyalty to the communist cause in general. The communists remained ominously silent during the riots, and Akim even praised the king on some occasions. The President however decided to allow Akim’s visit anyway, claiming that “we can’t turn away from any communist party at this time, and we must keep our options open”.
Only a small delegation waited Akim at the Lazlowgrad Airport, who was then quickly escorted to a car. The next stop was the HQ of the Communist Party of Lazlowia, which was located in downtown Lazlowgrad, at Marx Square. The “White House”, as the locals called it in reference to it’s white walls, was built in the 1960s for the ruling Radical Party, and was taken over by the communists during the 2003 revolution. A large red star decorated the building (a feature that was installed in 2006) and in front of it was the statue of Marx and Engels, which originally stood in Budapest, but was removed in 1990. The lazlowian government bought it two years ago, along with a collection of other communist statues from Hungary.
In the hall a sign was put up, which read “Welcome to our comrade from Vulshain!” in English. There Mór Preusz, the newly elected Chairman of the Party, along with several other party members, pioneers and representatives of the press, greeted Akim.
“-In the name of the Communist Party of Lazlowia, I welcome you, comrade Akim, to our country.”
Symon Akim smiled as he extended his hand. He was an old man, in his early 50s, having to use a cane as he had recently gotten a knee replacement. He wore a pin with the hammer and sickle inside of a red star on his chest. “It is an honor to be allowed to visit here, Comrade. I only wish things hadn’t gotten out of hand back in Vulshain. No thanks to those fascists of the Republican Regime Remnants!”
OOC: I’m not that knowledgable about communism and socialism I’m afraid. But, what do you mean by reformist? And yes, Akin is a human.
OOC: http://www.cwuplymouth.co.uk/ism.htm
A young pioneer presented a bouquet of flowers to Akim.
“-Well, we’ll talk about it.”- answered Preusz - “But I think we’ll be more comfortable at the conference room. If you come this way!”
The group went to the conference room on the first room, where they settled down, while the reporters waited outside.
“-Now, comrade Akim,”- started Preusz after they all sat down - “What particular issue would you like to talk about?”
OOC: I can’t seem to get the link to work. I keep getting a 404 error page.
Akin accepted the flowers with a thank you. After being led into the conference room, he sat down. “Oh my leg. Blast this knee of mine.” Akin then answered the question. “Well, for starters, as you are probably aware of, DIEIS was infiltrated by terrorists and traitors, and they attempted to cause a lot of problems for everyone, especially in Vulshain. I’m here because I have heard that a lot of nations aren’t too pleased about what happened. But first, you wouldn’t happen to have any water would you?”
OOC: Strange, it works for me. If it still won’t work, I’ll PM some info.
Preusz motioned at the water pitcher on the table.
“-Please, help yourself.”
After the intrelude, he continued.
“-Well, the events of the coup attempt are not unknown to me. This was merely a symptom of the general illnes of your government and society. By branding them traitors and terrorists, your king tries to put the blame elswhere, ignoring their own guilt. The coup happened, becouse the bourgeois elements of your inteligence agency feared, that they’ll loose their power and influence. This struggle for power is a product of the feudalist elements of your society. As you may have noticed, most of the important government positions are held by members of the royal family. This sort of nepotism is not uncommon in a monarchy, and your king also has no problem with it. Naturally, others want a piece of the pie, as they say, and thus turned against their monarch. I hardly believe, that these “terrorists”, as you referd to them, would have caused much “trouble” to other countries. You see, most countries, including Lazlowia and Algaisia, look after their important governmental agencies. Obviously, your government neglected this issue, which puts their competency under question. The riots further show the bad state of your society. The people want change, but they are not yet enlightened enough to see beyond the hoopla of the monarchy.”
OOC: Okay the link is working now. Must have been a problem with the server I guess. And it seems that CPV follows something that is a cross between Khrushchevism and Titoism than it does pure Leninism, after reading the website you gave me. And also, thanks for the help! I studied communism and socialism back in high school, but you can probably guess what they told us about them since I’m an American.
IC:
Akin drank some of the water. He listened to Preusz, and while the man had pointed out some things, Akin knew there were some things that the Lazlowians wouldn’t be able to understand. “You are right to a certain degree, but I’m afraid there are things that you don’t quite understand about our nation. I fought to restore the Crown during the Monarchical Revolution and I was a communist back then too. But I would prefer living under a monarchy than spend one more minute being crushed under the heel of a fascist dictatorship. Merrill Rivers was fascism incarnate. And to be honest, fascism is the enemy to communists, socialists, and capitalists alike. To capitalists, fascists want to control everything and take all of the money for themselves, even from the bourgesis themselves. To the communists and socialists, the fascists oppress the working classes with an ironfist. I guess that is why I was able to work with capitalists during the Monarchical Revolution against the Republican Regime as everyone hated fascism, except for the fascists themselves of course. Still, I will admit that the Royal Family did go a little overboard in that raid. I think they should have just sent in the military and not gotten involved with the raid personally. But, when everyone thought King Rainard was going to die, a lot of terrorists and insurgents celebrated by killing and causing all sorts of chaos throughout our nation. It was only after the military raid that order was restored. The terrorists had somehow taken over DIEIS and with the help of remnants of the fascist Republican Regime, were preparing to bring back the Dark Days of Rivers’ Ironfist. I agree that members of the Royal Family do hold high positions of power, but that’s usually how things go in monarchies I suppose. Still, the Royal Family are generous contributors to a lot of charities, and His Majesty is a strong supporter of workers’ rights, so at least they are thinking about the people. Not to mention, I have even heard His Majesty complain about how all of the money and resources used to build fancy palaces would have been better used for the people. So, he does think about the working class, but still, I cannot be completely certain. The Monarch has to present an image of being above political ideals and viewpoints in order to ensure a smoothly run government. And to be honest, while I might be a little upset of not winning the elections for Royal Speaker, I’m actually glad that the Federalist and Conservative candidates didn’t win. After their little bitching that played a part in the riots, pardon my language, I’m very certain that they will lose a lot of seats in the Royal Congress when elections come next year. So, that is useful for the Communist Party to win over some voters.”
Akin thought about something. “Tell me something. I have heard Lazlowia is against our war in Rygard. I was actually surprised by this, considering that it was Rygard who declared war on us first and that Vulshain has been trying for years to settle things both diplomatically and peacefully. Not to mention the incident involving Rygardi Embassy Guards opening fire on unarmed protestors, killing several foreign nationals in the process. If I recall, Embassy Guards are supposed to use rubber bullets and tear gas, not live ammunition.”
“-Mr. Akim,” - Preusz said - “I’m surprised, that you defend your monarch so adamantly. Occasional charities and vocal support of the <little guy> won’t change the unjust nature of the political system, nor it will make king Rainard a good monarch, or a good leader for that matter. And let me quote something from your king himself.”
Anther man took out some papers from a dossier and passed it down to Preusz.
"-Yes, this is from http://z1.invisionfree.com/forums/The_East_Pacific/index.php?showtopic=8246&view=findpost&p=5568731, made a few months ago, when he briefly returned to his homeland, only to go away a few days later to party abroad on your taxpayers money. He said, and I quote: <As for the Communists-United and Socialist Labor party members, I’m not a fan of Trotskyism nor Leninism. I believe in workers’ rights, but I also believe that you can’t strangle your businesses to death, which is what these two parties are advocating.> This was of course preceded by other sentences, where the king openly stated his political affiliation, in a rather tactless manner. And his argument for his dislike of several parties, is that they want to limit his power. To counter it, he conjures the boogeyman of the so-called Republican Regime, not only to keep people in line, but also to instill a hatred towards democracy in the people. Face it, your king is corrupt, and openly anti-communits. You buy too much into the propaganda your government.
As for Rygard, I quote again from the interview: <However, I believe that making Rygard a protected state would work, …>. And later he says: <…we are giving Rygard the ability to run its own government, with the exception of the military and foreign affairs.> As you can see, your king already has plans to take away the independence of Rygard. Foreign affairs and the military are the two pillars, which hold the idependence of a country. After all, the states of the USA or the states of Germany also have their own internal affairs, but they can be hardly considered independent countries. Your government provocked a war out of Rygard, and attacked it on a very weak pretense. They disregarded international courts, and attacked Rygard, knowing, that Rygard won’t be able to defend itself, as it had no significant army to speak of. Vulshain now caused death, destruction and caos, blatantly in the name of conquest. We strongly oppose any sort of imperialist conquest, and stongly urge Vulshain to leave Rygard, and let the international organisation take over."
Akin shrugged. “Yes I know of that interview. His Majesty did state his political beliefs which was stupid of him to do so. He’s smart, but inexperienced when it comes to politics, and he’s not corrupt I can ensure you of that. As for Rygard, he has made it crystal-clear that he will veto any bill that proposes to annex Rygard. He has decided to let the Rygardi people decide what happens. I only hope that this whole situation has shot some sense into him. Besides he isn’t the only young inexperienced leader. Take a look at the premier of Vekaiyu. Something about her makes me wary of her. There is so much we don’t know about her. I looked at her history and I noticed a lot of gaps. Call me paranoid, but I’m afraid that she’s trying to manipulate King Rainard. I’ve never did trust those Vekaiyuns. That is the problem with young leaders. So full of promise but lacking in experience.”
“Oh Rygard declared war on us first. And I wouldn’t be so quick in defending the Rygardi government. They despise communism and socialism, and from what I’ve heard they put all communists to the flame. And Rygard launched the first attacks and they even tried to nuke two of their own cities becuase our troops had driven their forces out of them. They even tried to the capitals of Vulshain, Vekaiyu, and Southern Yugoslavia.”
“-You are trying to change the subject, by making Vekaiyu the bigger threat. Yes, we know it’s a threat, after all, our government doesn’t even recognize it as a legitimate country to begin with. And the same goes for Listonia. They have been destabilizing the region for years now. They have effectively crippled and destroyed Dveria and Sevropia, two peaceful and democratic country to the create this Frankenstein’s creature called Listonia, and supported openly anti-communist countries like Allegheny. But Vulshain is becoming a threat also, for your government support these rouge nations, and your king thinks he’s the gendarme of the world, and he has the right to intervene everywhere, Rygard being one example. Not to mention that your king is overstepping his boundaries. He may be well intentioned, but as they say, the road to disaster is paved with good intentions. That is why the opposition has a big responsibility. As an opposition party, you are obliged to criticize the government. Yet so far you have only provided blind support to your government.”
Akin had to praise his host’s strong will of focus. “Hm…Comrade, I know I’m changing the subject, but I cannot help but feel you are a racist. You have been defending several nations like Rygard, Dveria, and Sevropia who are known for their racist attitudes and violent bigotry to non-humans.” He looked at his host, his eyes staring at him as if trying to examine his soul. His hands folded together as he awaited an answer.
“-Mr. Akim, you’re testing the limits of our hospitality. Your words, to put it nicely, show a considerable amount of tactlessness. You fail to look at the other side of the coin. Sevropia, for example, was a peaceful and democratic country before the First Listonian Crisis. The government was not racist, and racism was not a general problem. Sure, the government policy favored sevropians over foxes, but that’s hardly unique. It was very similar how Hungarians are treated in Romania, or how Russians are treated in Estonia. Then came the Crisis, which was obviously facilitated from Vekiayu, otherwise how could a rabble suddenly be better armed than the army of Sevropia. Eventually negotiations decided on the fate of Listonia. Admittedly, our government was responsible for the mistakes made. But at that time, we were not prepared for a full blown war, and thus had to make compromise. However, neither Sevropia, nor Dveria were invited to the negotiations, because Vekiayu refused to let them participate. Sevropia lost two-thirds of it’s territory in the dictate. The Sevropian government collapsed, and the new government have become fiercely nationalist. Most Sevropians have also become ultra nationalist. They demand the treaty to be revised. After all, they have lost territories, that belonged to them for more than half a millennia. And your are surprised, that they now hate foxes? Racism apparently have become the buzz word of today. The always handy excuse for Vulshain to attack somebody. Frankly, I’m surprised, that Vulshain haven’t declared war on us.”
“The reason is because there is no reason to, in addition to that Vulshain isn’t a warmongering nation. You have to forgive me, but Vulshain is a nation of tolerance, so it is no surprise that we have a low tolerance for bigots and racists. To be honest, I will admit that Listonia has become…increasingly radical and full of surprises. Don’t you think it is odd that one moment Stapen Evesuni wants to protect his nation from naval attacks by joining the Gulf Alliance and is very open to the idea of Vekaiyu and Listonia rejoining into a full Vekaiyu, but then suddenly changes his mind and is against both decisions. A little odd if you ask me. But since Lazlowia was involved in the Listonian Crisis, you might have some information about their leader that could shed some light to his sudden strange behavior.”
Preusz arched his eyebrow.
“-Fascinating. Excuse me for a moment.”
He then turned over to the other members of the council and said to them in Hungarian, so that Akim would not understand what he is saying:
“-Gondolom önök is értették, amit a katonai szövetségrõl, meg Vekiayu és Listonia egyesülési tárgyalásairól mondott.”
“-Ezek eddig csak pletyák voltak, de akkor ezt vehetjük megerõsítésnek.”-said another person.
“-Mindenképpen értesíteni kell a megfelelõ kormányszerveket. Ez mindent más megvilágításba helyez. Vulshain egyértelmûen Vekiayu csatlósa, ez a vén bolond meg mindet kikotyog. Biztos a király ügynöke.”
(OOC: Use Google translator, or something similar, if you’re interested.)
A man stood up and went out from the room. Preusz turned back to Akim.
“-Sorry about that. I have no knowledge about Mr. Evesuni’s private life. Of course, our intelligence agency probably has some information, but that’s classified, and you can’t expect us to just simply hand it over to you. Evesuni was always erratic and paranoid, so I don’t think that this change of policy has anything unusual behind it. But, I think that the primary subject of our meeting is not the personal life of Evesuni, but rather the development of the communist movement in Vulsahin and in the region in general. A significant question, for example, is, that if a Communist International would be organized here in Lazlowia, would it have the support of you party?”
OOC: Sorry about the earlier post being terrible. I sort of panicked and just posted something. I’ve been busy as of late trying to get more hours at work, working on my house, and trying to pay a ton of bills.
IC:
Akin nodded. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said as he took some pills. “Heart medicine. I’m afraid, I’m getting old. Still, that shouldn’t stop me from attending. However, I must ask if the people of Lazlowia would be…upset if those who will accompany me back here are not human.”
OCC: Blimey! I was about to post something about the guy being in the hospital, and now I see it’s edited.
IC:
“Great!” - thought Preusz - “The guy is coming again with the racism issue. Is that the only thing he can think of?”
“-Of course you must realize, that there’s nothing concrete about said regional Comintern. For such an organization to actually work, we must need to co-operation of all communist parties of the region.” - he said to Akim - “In recent times communists have been violently prosecuted in Dannistaan. The millitary junta in Bai Lung have also used anti-communist propaganda recently. The communist movement is in danger, that is why a close co-operation would mean greater protection from the imperialists, and would also help to get us closer to the ultimate goal: world revolution.”
“Hm…Yes, that is true. But we also must be careful in how we work towards it. However, imperialists may be one enemy we face, we also face the threat of fascists as well. If you were to somehow…say accidentally find a list of fascists that are wanted in my nation, it might help bolster support for us communists in Vulshain.” He pretended to drop a piece of paper on the table. He smiled.
OOC: I’ll probably come up with some names later. But, one of them is General Lankard Pawson, a member of the former Republican Regime’s Death Squads. Think of them as the Third Reich’s secret police, yep, the infamous black uniformed ones.
OCC: No, please, don’t give me a list of names. I’m not interested in the backstory of ancillary characters, who serve no purpose.
Preusz looked quizzically at the paper.
“-I don’t understand what are you driving at. The Comintern wouldn’t be a secret cabal, we won’t be sitting in a dank basement, plotting. It would be an open meeting of legitimate political parties and organizations. Furthermore, I don’t understand the purpose of this paper. If you say, that these men are wanted by your government, then that must be open knowledge. Revealing it to the public wouldn’t achieve anything. It would certainly not help the popularity of your party. And I also don’t understand why would it be of any use, if we reveal it. Imagine the situation: the President goes on TV, and says <Here’s a list of people wanted by Vulshain.> Or people would be baffled, because they don’t care, and you’re people would be baffled too, since they probably already know this, and they don’t need a foreign government to tell them. You didn’t put too much thought into this plan, did you?”
He push the paper back to Akim, with an irritated look on his face. Akim so far contributed nothing worthwhile beside rants about racism, fox propaganda and pointless conspiracies.
Akim sighed. He had always hated fascism. Maybe the Lazlowians hated fascism in a different way, he thought. He took the paper back. “I see. Well, I am thankful for your invitation. There is one thing I must ask you before I must depart: would you be against one who is both a communist and a member of the nobility from visiting as well?”
OOC: Yes, I’m serious. A communist noble.
OCC: You can’t be serious!
An awkward silence fell on the room, as the men inside tried to digest Akim’s words. Preusz frantically tried to think of someone, who was both a communist and a noble, but couldn’t. He concluded, that the communist party of Vulshain must be corrupted at he core. Corrupted by the king, to make the party nothing more, than a loyal subject, that poses no threat. The party must be completely overhauled, to get back on track.
“-You do realize, that the nobility is against all that we stand for. They are part of the oppressors. In the class struggle, they must fall, in order to achieve communism. They’ve always oppressed us, since the antiquity. They oppressed the slaves, the serfs, the workers. I simply can’t comprehend how someone, who claims to be a supporter of communism be an aristocrat.” - Preusz finally said.