[u][h3][centre]Kingdom of Aontas[/centre][/h3][/u]

[centre][img]http://www.teara.govt.nz/files/p-23505-cp.jpg[/img][/centre]
[i][centre]The workers at a newly constructed branch plant of Northway Fine Furnishings in Malatar hard at work.[/centre][/i]

[centre][h2][u]White Lion Post[/u][/h2][/centre]

	Aontas' manufacturing industry has long been one of the largest in the world, but has historically been limited to Kienne, forcing eager workers from other provinces to relocate in order to find work. With recent investments by the Royal Fund, however, the industrial might of Aontas is being shared across the provinces, and new factories and branch plants are being set up all across the kingdom. Workers at the branch plants already up and running in Malatar say that the sight of smoke bellowing up over the city is a welcome one. The province, perhaps Aontas' most remote after Folam, has traditionally been economically reliant on agriculture. The presence of officials from major enterprises such as Northway Fine Furnishings and Virtanen give the province's citizens hope that, in time, all of Aontas will be just as prosperous as the capital. Most are elated, but the mass industrialization of the country is not without its opponents.

	Mr. Sigmund Stryka, renowned business magnate and current chief executive officer of the Stryka Corporation, is skeptical of the long-term benefits of decentralizing Aontas' manufacturing sector. "It used to be that each of the provinces had their own speciality, and people understood that. Folam extracted resources, Torrik was the agricultural heartland, grew our food, and so on. Kienne had always been where industry and technology was concentrated. Nowadays, the government's decided—and I should say that King Matthias, Matthias in particular—he has decided that it shouldn't be that way any more. The whole country should be like Kienne. And I just don't think that's good for Kienne, and it's also not good for the rest of the country. Why should companies in Aontas be competing with other Aontans? We should be competing with the foreign companies, not competing amongst ourselves. That's bad for business, and bad for everyone, I would say, in the long run." Asked about possible positive effects for the outlying provinces, Mr. Stryka was still skeptical. "Well, look. Those people in Malatar, working in those little factories. They shouldn't be there. They should be in the fields. That's what they're best at. It's what I was saying before, specialization. If you're from Malatar, you farm. You're best at farming so that's what you do. This attempt by the government to step in and give all of the provinces their own industrial capacity is rubbish."

The industrial tycoon's comments did not end there, and became more intensely critical of King Matthias and his policies as the interview went on. "You know, on that account, I would like to add that I don't agree with how things are going in this country in general right now. We've all tolerated this nonsense of being stuck a hundred years in the past without a real voice for ourselves because things have been good, but I'll say this now that things won't be good for long. We need democracy in this country. We need the parliament in Kienne to be above Matthias, not for Matthias to be above parliament. It's time the government stop throwing billions into the economy against the interests of Aontas' largest and most well-known businesses, and mine is in that list, and it's time that we decide how things run ourselves, and in our own best interests. I will go on record right now and say that I do not support Matthias' direction and I am throwing my support under the numerous other voices in this country advocating for change. It is time that the Aontans run Aontas, and not just a single man, and one who does not have this country's best interests at heart. You can print that because I stand by it 100%."