"No, no, no, I don't need anything. It would be better if Baron Smith could be the chief of the election supervisory committee and select the members!"
When the two sides were arguing very fiercely, Lu Ming said very seriously.
In fact, the situation is very clear. The Ongsawat family and Apaiwan family from East Ferman, the "Freedom Army" from the Inland Sea, the remnants of the Chatchai family in central and southern Ferman, etc., all support this Phraya Lee to play a greater role in the new power structure of Antigua.
Not to mention the Central Continental people.
In addition, the troops directly controlled by Phraya Lee also included the original Phraya Guards, which is today's Guards Brigade.
As for other factions, the Basong family is still immersed in the grief of the tragic death of their leader.
The power of the Northern Fermans is represented by Speaker Pamawinai, but because of his temporary loss of reason and extreme behavior, the Northern Fermans and the Basong family became mortal enemies.
Moreover, its military strength has just suffered a setback and weakened.
The Suriya family of Siferman remained completely neutral, and even in this short and brutal war, they remained on the sidelines. However, no matter which side gained the upper hand, they would have to seriously consider the interests of the Suriya family.
The Willow family, who controls the police system, is in a similar situation.
The Imperial Bank and Western merchants just watched from the sidelines. As long as it did not harm their interests, they did not want to get involved in the struggles of these indigenous peoples.
Although Congressman Bakun shouted happily, the big drug lords are indeed militarily powerful, but if they ever try to interfere in the politics of the peninsula, all the families in the Ferman Peninsula will unite to boycott them.
So, when Phraya Lee smiled and said, "What does Asenquna Island think about the situation on the peninsula?"
Councillor Bakun's expression also changed slightly.
Asenquna Island is the largest poppy island in the inland sea. Its millions of inhabitants make a living by growing poppies.
"Mr. Phraya, the fair supervision of the general election still depends on you!" Speaker Pramawinai said with a smile.
Lu Ming waved his hand: "I really don't have the energy for it. Besides, I think it would be more fair and just for Baron Smith from the Imperial Capital to run this supervisory committee."
Pamawinai was slightly shocked. This guy was really going to refuse. Did he want to run for governor
Chen Huanxing, who had been silent, smiled and said, "Lord Phraya likes the carefree life of a god, and he certainly doesn't like to take care of specific matters. I have the most contact with Lord Phraya, and I understand this."
Lu Ming smiled and waved his hand, saying, "You are right, but I have some opinions on the power system of this state that I would like to talk about."
Pramawinai smiled and said, "Mr. Phraya, please feel free to speak!"
Lu Ming nodded: "Everyone knows that I was born in the Principality of Montenegro. Like us in Antigua, all parties have always fought each other. In fact, in the final analysis, it is just a lack of a place to quarrel. The power of the governor is too great. Whoever does it, it is difficult to be fair. There are too many members, and it is difficult to represent the balance of interests of all parties. So I personally think that in Antigua, there should be a system similar to the Upper House of the Principality of Montenegro. We can call it the Council of State, the Senate, etc. The name is arbitrary. The main thing is the role it plays. The tribal families represented by you can each have a senator seat in it. As the real power institution of the state, if there is a real disagreement, everyone quarrels and votes, and the power comparison is very obvious at a glance. There is no need to actually use force. Everyone will know what the result will be after going to war for these differences. You can know the winner without really using force!" He laughed: "I speak crudely, but that's what I mean!"
Everyone nodded.
Judge Chatisha was so lost in grief that he paid no attention to any of this.
Only Speaker Parmawinai frowned slightly. In this way, their side and the Basong family, who were the most powerful, would suffer.
But when we looked at Judge Chatisha, we saw that Chatisha and others were gritting their teeth. It was easy to imagine how they were thinking of how to take revenge on us.
Parmawinai couldn't help feeling discouraged.
Over there, Phraya Lee continued, "The Senate is mainly responsible for resolving major affairs of the state, most of which are peninsula affairs. Therefore, the Free Traders' Alliance of the Inland Sea and Senator Bakun do not need to enter. In addition, the Central Continentals, the Graifenni, etc., who are not the majority ethnic group, do not need to enter the Senate." He paused and looked around, "Now, the six senators, Speaker Pamapwinai, Judge Chatisa, Senator Khunpa, Senator Sujino, Senator Longla, and Director Willow can each nominate one person. Of course, it seems better for you to take the position directly!"
These represent the six most powerful tribal groups on the peninsula.
The Fermans in the north, the Basong family in the south, the Ongsawa family and the Apaiwan family in the east, the Suriya family in the west, and the Willow family in the center.
When Speaker Parmawinai heard that the Senate was so small, and that all external forces were blocked out and that no one from Central Asia would have a seat, he felt relieved. It seemed that this proposal was not bad. It was indeed more conducive to stability than electing a governor. There would also be no need for conflicts to break out on the Ferman Peninsula during the general election every ten years, with all parties flexing their muscles and fighting for status.
"I propose that Mr. Phraya serve as the permanent Senate President to coordinate the affairs of the Senate," said Senator Sujino with a smile.
Lu Ming immediately waved his hand: "I think the Senate President should be rotated among the senators every year. This is the only way to maintain the balance of power to the greatest extent possible."
Director Willow said: "Sir Phraya's proposal may really solve the stubborn problems of our peninsula for hundreds of years. I also agree that Sir Phraya should be the permanent Senate President. I hope Sir Phraya can bring fresh vitality to the development of the peninsula from a neutral and objective perspective!"
The Willow family is undoubtedly the one that has benefited the most. Their family was originally the weakest, but now it can gain a position on equal footing with other families in the most important power center.
It's not just the Willow family. In fact, all four families except the North Feldman Group and the Basong family benefited.
Any one of the four families was originally inferior to the North Feldman Group and the Basong Family, but now they have gained the same voice.
Therefore, apart from Speaker Padmawinai who remained silent, Judge Chatisa was in a state of long-term grief and anger.
The other four families are all persuading Lu Ming to serve as the permanent Senate President.
But Lu Ming's refusal was obviously not a pretense. In the end, everyone had no choice but to insist that Lu Ming serve as the "permanent first senator". This "first senator" would be held by the Phraya family for generations.
Even Parmawinai felt that it would be unreasonable for him to remain silent, so he tried to persuade them with a few words.
After all, this Phraya Lee represents the remaining power of Chakhai and the interests of the Central Continental people, and even seems to have the support of the forces in the Inland Sea.
The war changed the direction of the entire peninsula, and it is obvious that Phraya Lee played a big role in it.
Moreover, he had to thank Phraya Lee, otherwise, the base of his Northern Feldman Group would have been razed to the ground by the Southern Coalition organized by Mayor Basong.
Although everyone is concerned about their own interests, the parties that later joined the war just didn't want to see a situation where one company dominated the market.
After everyone's persuasion, Lu Ming reluctantly agreed to be the "permanent first senator."
Councillor Bakun's expression became increasingly ugly.
Seeing that the matter had come to an end, Chen Huanxing said, "This war has dealt a heavy blow to Feldman's economy. Many investors have lost confidence and even fled to other places. From an economic perspective, I think we should launch a major initiative to boost the local economy and restore investor confidence!"
Lu Ming smiled and said, "Tell me about it?"
"How about turning Ferman into a free trade port? Exempt all state taxes on foreign goods!" Chen Huanxing's words were earth-shattering. He further explained, "We don't have much industry to speak of locally. Implementing trade protectionism will only increase the burden on the people and protect the inefficient factories of officials of all sizes. In fact, Antigua can completely abandon the industrial development route and move towards the tertiary industry..."
Chen Huanxing explained what the tertiary industry is, talking endlessly.
Lu Ming picked up the teacup and drank water. In fact, in his previous life, this was a complete comprador route. Moreover, from the perspective of the Mitai people, Chen Huanxing was a super foreign comprador.
But for Antigua, this may not be a bad idea. After all, it is not an independent country, so it may not be a bad idea to identify its own advantages.
Chen Huanxing even proposed large-scale training for Mitai servants to go to other states to work.
But in fact, no matter which route is taken, it will be difficult to develop according to the current political and economic model of Antigua and Barbuda, and Chen Huanxing’s priority is the interests of the Central Africans.
…
On September 25, all parties in Antigua and Barbuda issued a joint statement.
The main content is that the state has formed the highest authority - the Senate.
Most of the powers formerly vested in the governor and the Legislature are now exercised by the Senate.
The Senate will appoint officials at all levels of the state's Executive Office, which is the executive body that implements the state's policies.
The new mayor of Fellman will also be appointed by the Senate.
The state's general election next month will mainly elect members of the House of Representatives.
Baron Smith from the imperial capital will organize a supervisory committee to monitor the entire election process.
The city of Ferman is planned as a free trade port.
etc.
…
Lu Ming received an angry call from Schmidt, the representative director of "Punk Trade" on the afternoon of the 25th.
If Feldman City becomes a free trade port, then obviously Emerald Island will become an abandoned island. The 100 million yuan investment of "Punk Trade" will be completely wasted, and there is no way to take the opportunity to contact Baron Smith.
In fact, Lu Ming had already transferred the 100 million yuan to the Special Work Department of the Western Region, which was used as a special fund to support local friendly city-states and to fight against the expansion of the city-state alliance supported by "Punk Trade" in the Western Region.
Under Schmidt's fierce criticism, Lu Ming could only say helplessly: "I didn't expect that, Mr. Schmidt."
Schmidt seemed to calm down suddenly, "You will pay the price! Punk trade is not something you can mock casually."
“I’m so sorry, I really didn’t expect…” Before Lu Ming could finish his words, “Dududu”, the other end had already hung up the phone.