Absence of Legislative Action Sparks Citizen Response
By: Cho Hye-seong, Domestic Politics Reporter
SUYANG: It is now estimated that millions of Haesanites are complying with pleas from social media to boycott Xiomeran goods after the Empire’s declaration of the “Imperial Colony of Taragai”. Activist groups, including those led by populations of immigrant Huenyans and Xiomerans, have started a coordinated social media and press campaign to boycott any made in Xiomera goods, and so far, the proposal seems to have gained widespread adoption, particularly in the Suyang metro area and the Southern Coast. Many citizens in that region have previously voiced their discontent with the Xiomeran regime; protests over the shelling of Huenyan capital Chuaztlapoc brought millions to the streets in 2023.
Xiomeran products can be found in nearly every market in Haesan as the nation has typically been friendlier to the Golden Sun Empire than its neighbors. Xiomera contributed to significant infrastructure projects in Haesan during the 1990s and early 2000s, but after the Monetary Crisis of 2004, wariness grew due to Xiomeran creditors’ often brutal collection policies during the recession. Inexpensive Xiomeran materials and building supplies were regularly employed in the building of apartment complexes and infrastructure in exurbs and rural areas throughout recent decades, as trade became cheaper and the price of Hesperidan imports continued to rise. Today, personal electronics and appliances are Haesan’s largest import from Xiomera, mainly purchased by lower middle class or immigrant families who cannot afford more expensive domestic alternatives from brands like Suryu or Seollim. Building materials and industrial chemicals are the next two largest imports, and combined, the three categories combine for 62% of imports.
Posts on Haesanite social media platform Yaegi to boycott Xiomeran goods have been amplified by Deputies from both New Bargain and Social Democratic Party of Haesan. New Bargain floor leader Mireille Kim (AN) stated to the Times-Courier that “It is the imperative to do their part to fight back against unjust imperialism,” and that “we must honor the memory of our past; we can never allow an expansionist empire to take root in Hesperida again.” Social Democratic floor leader Devrim Köroğlu (SY), currently on bail as he awaits a trial date for sedition charges, shared similar concerns, that “the Xiomeran Empire is the greatest scourge of modern geopolitics,” and that “when the government is too cowardly to act, only the might of the people, united, can open the eyes of the willfully blind.” The office of the prime minister responded that “Diplomacy is ongoing, and we are considering all measures to prevent the grave threat that imperialism will return to Hesperida. The prime minister expects to make a public statement in the coming days.” The office of the president declined to comment.
Some activists have told the Times-Courier that they are actively working to expand the boycott to neighboring nations in Eastern Hesperida. However, many citizens even within Haesan told us that even though they support the effort, they will be unable to take part. Farmer Yeong Chu-min from Yeongnam Province mentioned “while I hate Xiomera as much as anyone, I cannot afford to run my business without them. My tractor is from Xiomera, if I were to buy one made in Hesperida, it would cost me three times as much, and parts would be even more than that. I would bleed money every time something were to go wrong.” For reasons like this, experts have told us that without government support, adoption as a universal policy will be near impossible, and with no government statement to date, the probability of that occurring is unlikely. Meanwhile, more and more Haesanites are taking whatever action they can to oppose these sudden actions by Xiomera many considered unthinkable only months ago.
