ITERIA A look back at Kasu's Leaders
By Geoff Kongh Koy
May 28, 2020
With the Kasugan General Election coming up soon in October, we at ErasPolitics have decided to release a series of articles on each of the Prime Ministers of Kasu; from the inaugural officeholder of Dao Mai Vong, to the current Prime Minister, Dinh Sayasone. Within these articles, we will be taking a look at the many examples of leadership Kasu has to offer.
ErasPolitics will be exploring famous speeches, statements and events that have defined the tenure and legacies of each Prime Minister. Campaign speeches and formal press conferences allow us a window into what was going on in that period of time, and allows us to paint a more clearer picture of who the person was.
In this series, we will dissect how each Prime Minister has approached leadership, and how they've defined leadership. Whether one has left a legacy of success, or one of failure is for you to decide.
ITERIA Dao Mai Vong (1965-1968)
By Becky Snaakatak
May 30, 2020
The mid-to-late sixties were a period of rapid change and upheaval within the newly-independent principality. With the death of Prince Vong Hsayabeng K'ang in 1964, the head of state wouldn't be the only thing changing as his reform-minded son, Prince Vong Phoumsayang I, would take the throne. While studying in Goyanes, he would be exposed to the idea of democracy, and would strive to implement such a system within Kasu. His dreams would come true with the Royal Edict on Democracy of 1965, establishing the Kasugan House of Representatives.
Prince Phoumsayang's brother, Prince D.M. Vong, served as one of the very first Representatives within the House, and would be elected as the first official Prime Minister of Kasu via a coalition styling themselves as the "Pro-Royalist" faction. The faction would eventually evolve into the Monarchist Party, which would attempt to maintain the status quo with the Royal Sapha (Council) in governing.
D.M. Vong's Government would preside over the birth of Kasugan democracy, and he helped in establishing a largely internationalist foreign policy, increasing ties with other nations and improving the economy through increased exports and trade. Along with that, he presided over major infrastructure improvements, which would better connect the cities of Kasu. Despite overseeing a period of relative stability and growth, his political skill and personal popularity weren't very grounded.
Following the election of 1966, the first official Parliamentary election within Kasu, D.M. Vong would closely hold on to the government. The incumbent Monarchist Party and its coalition with the Center, Conservative, and Democratic Parties would beat back the opposition, comprising of the National Liberal Party, Socialist Party, and Social Credit. However, his lackluster electoral performance would foreshadow things to come.
This takes us to the press conference outside of the Prime Minister's office in November of 1968. His lack of general political skills and his rather cautious and vague campaigning had blindsided him to the newly-forged Liberal-Socialist coalition lead by the young and charismatic Huay Minh, who managed to easily defeat the ruling Government and unseat D.M. Vong as Prime Minister.
Though he could easily have attempted to discredit, dispute, or even ignore the election results, he ultimately chose to respect the decision of the Kasugan people and concede the election, congratulating his opponent on the victory. This marked the first peaceful democratic transition of power within the nation, showing the populace that democracy can work.
Many historians look back upon the era of D.M. Vong with admiration, and he, along with Prince Vong Phoumsayang I, are credited as the founders of Kasugan democracy. His concession speech to Huay Minh is incredibly famous and is praised by both historians and the politicians of Kasu.
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"I've said repeatedly in this campaign that my colleague, Mr. Minh, was my opponent and not my enemy. And I wish him well, and I pledge my support to him in his administration, so we can work together and advance towards better Kasu, because that's what this election was about in the first place. I congratulate my opponent on his tremendous victory, and I do look forwards to working together.
The peaceful transfer of power is rare in the history many nations, the history of Eras. Yet now, we in Kasu have proven that we are able to peacefully and non-controversially do such, and that we ourselves have proven the system of democracy can work. I'm very proud of us as a country."
