Sir Michael "Mikey" James Vlokozu II (September 26, 1929 - March 25, 1989) was a Vlokozuian politician and political theorist. He served as president of Georgeland from 1967 to 1968, also served as president of El Kadsre & Georgeland from 1968 to 1969 and of the Vlokozu Union from 1969 to his assassination in 1989.
Under his leadership, the Vlokozu Union became a semi-presidential socialist state under the constitutional monarchy governed by the Vlokozuian Union Party. Michael's main goal was to create a utopian society with "no corruption, fighting or discrimination, but only peace, friendship and understanding." Ideologically to Kayosism, he adopted one of Kayos' customs to develop his own political ideology and philosophical system known as Vlokism.
Michael was listed in the inaugural Time 100 most influential people list in 1999. He is the namesake of the Michael Vlokozu Center for World Peace and the International Vlokist Society's annual Michael Vlokozu Prize for Unity, Peace & Friendship. He came in second place in the national Great El Kadsreians election in 2009.
History[]
Early life[]
Vlokozu was born in the small coal-mining town of Madwyn on September 26, 1929. His father, Michael Vlokozu, Sr. (1897-1983), was Australian who migrated to Georgeland following the end of the New Edo War, and his mother, Lily Frank Tuiasosopo (1902-1957), was Ekni. He also had a eldest brother named Albert (1926-1947).
Vlokozu and his family moved to the New Edo suburb of Dunwich in 1931, where he spent most of his childhood there. In 1947, Albert was killed in a traffic collision near Surao.
In 1948, a year after his brother's death, he attended University of New Edo (now University of El Kadsre) between 1949 to 1952, where he expressed interest on Kayosism. He married to Canadian student Laverne Vlokozu in 1951.
Early political career[]
Vlokozu in 1954
In 1953, Vlokozu won the seat of Dunwich and was entered into parliament. After the assassination of Edward Gibson in 1960, Vlokozu became the opposition leader.
As opposition leader of Georgeland[]
As the opposition leader, he was one of the people who pushed Australian influence in El Kadsre and he was involved along with the Education Department of El Kadsre in its adoption of LTC schools, which originated from Australian state of Victoria. Many of the LTC school buildings were built in Georgeland. In 1960, he formed a Georgelandian space program as he wanted Georgeland to beat the United States and the Soviet Union in the space race.
In 1961, Vlokozu announced plans that if he was elected president, he would make Georgeland an bigger and powerful superpower more powerful than Republic of El Kadsre as well as the two superpowers; the United States and the Soviet Union, which would later become the Union of the Vlokozuian States. He created an operation aiming to achieve his goal to transition Georgeland from a British-occupied state into a semi-presidential democratic socialist state, called the "Three-Year Plan". First, he would plot to dominate the Statute of Westminister, then invade East El Kadsre by force to oust Hiroshi Kayos from power as he saw him as the only person who could stop him from succeeding his goals and finally annex a few other states to creation his union in 1969.
Vlokozu in 1967
As president of Georgeland[]
In 1967, Vlokozu became the president of Georgeland after defeating Harry Carlisle in the 1967 presidential election. Under his presidency, he introduced a universal health care system to the country, nationalized the utilities sector and introduced free public utilities for all citizens, introduced a system of universal basic income for all citizens, raised the minimum wage and improved pensions. In July 13, 1967, Vlokozu was one of the major targets of Operation Verlammen, when East El Kadsreian spy Hiroki Sakamoto disguised as a Georgelandian soilder, planted a bomb in one of the Georgelandian bases in Vicnora. While the then-prime minister of Georgeland Takehiko Maeda and Richard Giles were killed instantly, Vlokozu managed to narrowly survive when Giles moved the briefcase containing the bomb to the leg of the table. After being waken from a coma for 3 weeks, Vlokozu spent four months on a wheelchair to recover his injuries from the plot.
On November 2, 1968, it was suggested that Georgeland's decision to invade East El Kadsre and send Kayos to the Ikeda Islands in exile was Vlokozu's initiative, not the Commonwealth one, since it was the part of the three-year plan to create the Vlokozu Union. After the war, Georgeland occupied East El Kadsre and it invaded the Sentanese State and Firxt Republic of Mahri until the East was absorbed in 1969.
As prime minister of the Vlokozu Union[]
Vlokozu in 1970
On November 11, 1969, Vlokozu formed the Union of Vlokozuian States after East El Kadsre, North El Kadsre, Mahri and Sentan were united with Georgeland after signing the treaty of the creation of the Vlokozu Union.
Vlokozu made dramatic changes after the formation of the union, such as improvements on the economy which led to the Vlokozuian economic miracle, and the military. Vlokozu made the Vlokozu Union the first county to land their astronauts on Mars.
Vlokozu in 1978
On April 15, 1974, Vlokozu gave the "We Must Bring Back Peace" speech at the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The written version of the speech is considered one of the most important documents of Vlokism. During an interview with CBS News, the first interview granted to him in his position as Vlokozu Union leader, Michael famously responded to a question about civil rights in the Union with "There is only love, happiness, peace, and friendship in the Vlokozu Union. Discrimination, hatred and resentment? Well, that's unheard of."
Death[]
Main article: Assassination of Michael Vlokozu
Vlokozu died on March 25, 1989 at NTT Medical Center Tokyo in the Gotanda district of Shinagawa, Tokyo, Japan due to wounds received from ballistic trauma. He was assassinated by David Hukina, a member of the Hukina royal family, who was the last ruling royal family of Vicnora at the time. He was a third and recent El Kadsreian leader to die in office. Susumu Mizushima took over after his death, but dissolved the Vlokuzu Union afterwards, forming the United El Kadsreian Nations.
Following his death, Michael's body was flown from Japan to El Kadsre, where his body was displayed in a room at the Vlokozu Palace (now United El Kadsreian Nations Administration Building). Afterwards, his body was brought to his birthplace of Madwyn for burial within the Second Madwyn Cemetery.
In 1995, his burial site was declared a National Monument of El Kadsre.
Personal life[]
Vlokozu was married with Laverene since 1951 and had nine children.
In 1967, Vlokozu lost both his lower legs to the explosion, which was detonated by undercover El Kadsreian spies. Following this, he wore lower-extremity prostheses for the rest of his life.
Michael with his wife Laverne and daughter Jacqui in 1983 at El TV Kadsre Television Centre
Vlokozu's prized possessions included a restored 1943 Toyota AC, a 1971 VCMC Hornet, which was a first VCMC car to be built, a ZIL-4104 limousine gifted to him by Russian pianist Irina Plotnikova, and a collection of abstract artwork. He also owned a collection of pocketbikes, and participated in several celebrity pocketbike races.
Beliefs and ideology[]
Vlokozu was an utopianist and world peace advocate. When ruling Georgeland and the Vlokozu Union, his main goal was to create a Western-style utopian society with "no corruption, fighting or discrimination, but only peace, friendship and understanding." He called activism in general "a cancer that destroys families and societies" and instead encouraged "unity and cooperation" to resolve problems activism is used to combat. He also wanted the Vlokozu Union to join the Non-Aligned Movement, but its application was rejected by Vizhutua because it violated 3 of the principles of the Movement (Mutual respect for each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, and mutual non-interference in domestic affairs) by illegally annexing the Vicnoran Kingdom (one of the founding NAM members), and promoting Georgeland's excessive use of force during his Three Year Plan.
Although he did not officially prohibit freedom of speech during his reign, Vlokozu voiced his disillusionment with freedom of speech, calling it "a flawed concept that divides communities and families."
Legacy[]
Coty Hodges portrayed Michael in the 2002 documentary comedy film Vlokozu. He was portrayed by El Kadsreian-American actor Alexander Meyers in the 2016 biopic of his life, The Legend of Vlokozu, which is based on Vlokozu's political and social life from his 1953 election until his death.