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The fight over a name: What it mean’s for the past, present and future of Slokais.

The conflict in Kaijan and the push for that island’s independence have absorbed much of the attention of the world. Yet in other parts of Slokais, multiple movements are underway to change the political divisions of the country. One of the most popular movements is not changing borders, but changing names. Point Lee Province, located on the rural Eastern coast of San Fernando Island is named for its largest city Point Lee. Traditionally a working-class and industrial province the province has fallen into economic decline over the last two decades. Point Lee City has gone from 1.3 million people in 2000 to 700,000 in 2020. The name Point Lee is from the founder of the colony Agusto Lee, a Sanctarian benefactor. However, the original name of the region is Wojiang meaning “a place of building”. As a reflection of the colonial period grows, there has been a growing push to rename the province to Wojiang. This movement has been recognized by political parties, as the Green Party of Point Lee became the Green Party of Wojiang/Point Lee. In 2021, the Point Lee Pirates of the Grand Drywall League became the Wojiang Bay Pirates to reflect the movement. Some have criticized the push as another example of political correctness being pushed on society. There was added attention when Point Lee Island Reserve was renamed the Wojiang Bay Island Perseve by the Ministry of the Interior. This led to protests at the park offices by the group “Citizens for Point Lee”. The group argues the name reflects the maritime heritage of the province, and that Agusto Lee is an important historical figure that deserves to be recognized. The leader of the group is former parilmeanty candidate and far-right activist Robert Bond. Bond has called the name change “another example of the erasure of heritage in this country”

In a recent poll, 48% of respondents supported a name change, with 37% opposed to the name change the rest being undecided. Another question is the name of Point Lee City, The mayor of the city has promised he will change the city’s name if the province itself does. Yet some ask why tie the city to the province. Other proposed re-name for the city include Ferguson, Zhangdao, and Newcity. When citizen of the city was proposed with a potential re-name many expressed a sense of political apathy. A middle-aged with a grey jacket of the United Transport Workers Union stated it best “We are putting lipstick on a pig, who cares if Point Lee has a new name, What we need is re-vitalization rather then wasting money on changing signs”

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