The Rise Of Australasia

Chapter 849: Chapter 635: To Move the Capital or Not_2

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As Prime Minister, Prime Minister Roger had so many things to consider.

Firstly, in order to stabilize his own position, it would be best to proceed with the capital’s relocation during his tenure, and Prime Minister Roger would also become the first to enter the new Administrative Court. Saint Arthur Castle was destined to be different from Sydney.

More importantly, the relocation of the capital was decided by Arthur, and relocating the capital at this time clearly aligned with Arthur’s interests.

If Prime Minister Roger wanted to seek re-election, Arthur’s support was also very important. This was why Prime Minister Roger proposed to relocate the capital as soon as possible, to gain Arthur’s support and start anew in a new place.

However, where there was support, there naturally would be opposition.

The opposition came from Minister of Livelihood Ludger, an official who obtained Cabinet seats with the help of the Australasian Rural Party, and naturally, he valued the interests of the rural and low-income populations.

“Your Majesty, I believe that now is not the right time to relocate the capital,” Minister Ludger explained, “Although Saint Arthur Castle has been completed, its scale and prominence are far from matching Sydney.

If we moved the capital to Saint Arthur Castle, our capital would be transformed from an international metropolis to a rather obscure small to medium-sized city.

It would be a heavy blow to our ability to attract immigrants, and some might even not know where our capital is.”

Australasia was also a mighty Power, and its international reputation was undoubtedly secure.

In any country in Europe and America, when mentioning cities in Australasia, Sydney and Melbourne were almost the first to come to mind.

The scale of these two cities was considerable on a global level, with the population of Sydney even ranking in the top ten in the world, which attested to their global fame.

But Saint Arthur Castle was a different story. Although it had completed its basic infrastructure during the extensive construction, the city’s scale and population were currently only that of a small to medium-sized town.

Rushing the move would waste Sydney’s reputation; not being the capital anymore, Sydney’s attraction for certain immigrants would not be as strong.

“This is not a problem,” the Industry Secretary Joey said with a smile, “After this parade ceremony, the fame of Arthur Castle will significantly increase. While it may not match Sydney’s, it definitely won’t be an insignificant small town.

Moreover, only by becoming our new capital can Saint Arthur Castle usher in better development and better radiate throughout the entire Mure River Basin.

If it’s just for the sake of one city, we could delay the relocation. But for the development of the entire Mure River Basin, the earlier we relocate, the better.

Your Majesty, ladies and gentlemen, I agree with Prime Minister Roger’s view. Since the relocation is to happen, it’s naturally better to do it sooner rather than later.”

That Industry Secretary Joey supported Prime Minister Roger’s view did not surprise Arthur at all, considering the Mure River Basin needed to support Agriculture as well as Industry, which was a very important aspect.

As the Industry Secretary, Minister Joey had been re-elected twice, and seeking a third term was becoming increasingly difficult.

This meant he must contribute to the industrial sector, and developing the industrial scale of the Mure River Basin became very important for Minister Joey.

Simply put, the previous Leonora Industrial Base had nothing to do with the current Minister Joey.

Although Minister Joey had also advocated for the construction of several Industrial Areas, they couldn’t compare with the Leonora Industrial Base in terms of scale and reputation.

To secure enough achievements for himself, constructing an Industrial Area comparable to the Leonora Industrial Base had become extremely important.

At the very least, he had to build some industry in the Capital Region to have a chance of seeking reelection for a third term.

If he continued to stay in Sydney, there was no room for Minister Joey to make decisions regarding the industries close to Sydney.

These industries just needed to follow the rules and develop in the direction that had already been set; Minister Joey would not be able to take any credit for that.

Whereas the Capital Region, though not destitute in its industrial aspect, lacked good planning, and Minister Joey could entirely build new massive Industrial Areas according to his own ideas.

The achievements brought by an Industrial Area comparable to the Leonora Industrial Base were even enough to make the Cabinet member Minister Joey’s heart flutter.

The Cabinet was roughly divided into two factions: one, like Prime Minister Roger and Minister Joey, wanted to relocate the capital as soon as possible and have Saint Arthur Castle be the new capital of Australasia.

The other faction, like Minister Ludger, had political parties and forces without much influence in the Capital Region; relocation was a loss for them and would decrease their chances of seeking reelection.

There were also neutral parties like Minister Raul, who were waiting for Arthur’s opinion and then unconditionally supporting Arthur.

Arthur saw the Cabinet’s controversy clearly, but such disputes were unavoidable, and Arthur was completely unfazed by them.

Even though Australasia was under Arthur’s control, as long as there were people, there would be desires and ambitions.

It was true they were loyal to Arthur, but under the premise of loyalty to Arthur, they would naturally also seek more benefits for themselves and their political factions.

Arthur accepted and even encouraged this controllable competition and divergence within the government, as it represented more ideas and perspectives.

As long as it was within Arthur’s control, such divergence was entirely manageable. No matter how great the government’s disputes, they must ultimately adhere to Arthur’s opinion.

As long as Arthur was in high command, the government couldn’t possibly create greater conflict, affecting the stability of the government and the prestige of the country.

As a Monarch, one mustn’t expose one’s thoughts and opinions too early or directly refute the views of one’s subordinates.

Whether right or wrong, this would give an impression of despotism and would damage the Monarch’s position.

A better way to deal with such disputes was to make the final decision in a reasonably fair manner when in control.

What would be fairer than having all cabinet members vote?

This was Arthur’s shrewdness, expressing his opinion through the voting results of the entire Cabinet. This seemed like the Cabinet’s own choice and therefore wouldn’t create an illusion of Arthur’s despotism.

On the contrary, it would give the impression that Arthur greatly respected the opinions of the Cabinet members, and it would make the Australasian Government appear more democratic and fair.