I saw in passing today a news snippet that suggested the Federal Administration’s Electoral Commission is reluctant to set a date for the opening of the upcoming election cycle.
Ignoring the rumors at hand, to assume the best of all parties involved, I strongly urge the FAEC to tighten this up and get a specific date in place and furthermore to enforce it. The democratic process, and the voice of the people, is core to the existence of the democracy at the heart of the Federation and any attempt to delay or usurp it should be resisted with all due vigilance and diligence.
Given the state of turmoil in the cluster at large and within the Federation itself, now is not the time to let the core principles of the Federation get brushed aside or, worse, openly trampled on and disregarded. On the contrary, now is the time to demonstrate that even in the most difficult times, the foundation of our Federation is unshakable and the principles that unite and guide us remain strong and ever-present.
President Aguard has made it clear more than once that the core principles of the Federation mean nothing to her, and the wider Federal government has done little to challenge that notion.
The history of the Placid region alone is littered with examples of governmental and legal interference and obstruction, neglect, and breaches of treaty on the part of the Federation.
Experience teaches us that that even the so-called “unshakable foundation” of universal suffrage and the federal election process is anything but, so it’s not at all surprising to learn that new concerns have emerged.
What’s the bending of yet another rule if convenient delays by the Electoral Commission just so happen to result in Aguard getting to remain in office for a little longer?
Forgive me for not knowing the proper honorific as I’m unfamiliar with you personally but thank you for the open expression of your concerns.
I would disagree that it’s “too late” because it is only too late if the people have given up on the ideal, which I do not believe we have. Democracy is a difficult institution to maintain and is subject to the whims and temperament of the people but until the people have stopped giving voice to their concerns and acting in the interests of those concerns then there is still time to correct the course.
It seems we agree on the massive overreach and failures of the current administration which is precisely why I feel it is important to maintain the integrity of our election process and give the people, yours included, the platforms and processes necessary to make our voices heard and remove those elements that we do not believe are in alignment with the Federation and our vision for it. Sitting on our hands now because we believe it is “too late” is exactly the opposite of what needs to be done and is exactly the mentality that lets democracy give way to despotism.
I would urge you and yours instead to join the calls to uphold our democratic process and echo the importance of doing here and now so we can begin to restore to the member-states the autonomy that is rightfully theirs and restore voices to those who have been marginalized and neglected for far too long.
I am known to some as Suresha, but I am happy simply with Bataav.
I, and those who are part of the same political movement, have tried to use the democratic processes available to us to reach for our aspirations for years, and our goal predates us by generations. Others, with similar ambitions and dreams, have chosen to take more direct action.
We may not have been as vocal as we once were in recent years, but there was a time when our supporters were a common sight engaging in public debate, and making our case. Recent events suggest we may need to make something of a return to the fore.
For the people, whose interests we work tirelessly for, to have elected Intaki Autonomist leader Jonas Ivestara as Chief Councillor of the Intaki Assembly in YC125, was a very positive step for our movement, and under other administrations would have been hugely politically significant. In the months since however, under President Aguard, there seems to be little evidence that such a public response to her actions in Intaki have had any impact on Federal policy at all.
And today we learn that the concerns you pointed to in your earlier response, with regards to overreach, and my comments regarding Aguard finding ways to remain in office for as long as possible, were more accurate than we would have liked.
“Until the Drifter crisis has been resolved” seems suitably vague enough for Aguard to delay the election indefinitely.
Yet “indefinitely” is not just counterproductive, but counter-democratic in this case.
As both a born citizen of the Federation and a capsuleer active within its borders, I expect the Senate to provide a reasonable timetable for the resumption of the electoral process. Indefinite suspension is not acceptable on its face, as it indefinitely silences the political will of the Federation’s people.
If an election were to proceed, it too risks tearing apart the Federation, not just it’s base principles of democracy but with the lives of those that the Federation has been charged to protect. May I remind everyone of the political violence that occurred during the last presidential election. If that were to occur again, during a drifter invasion…the results could be catastrophic. I value the lives of those within Federation Borders.
I understand that security concerns are valid, but they are not new, and elections at all levels have proceeded largely on schedule in the past.
The Drifters are not unique in being a risk across the Federation, and allowing Aguard to use what is currently a potential threat to delay elections indefinitely establishes a dangerous precedent. Aguard could point to a number of significant threats, and use them as an excuse not to hold elections.
What about the Deathless? Or the Triglavians? Or the monsters under her bed?
If the Federation’s security services are no longer able to meet the challenges, and keep the very basic mechanics of democracy working, then they are not fit for purpose.
We’ve seen what the Federation is able to do when they follow the rules. Intaki becomes occupied by Caldari corporations selling resources and labor to the highest bidder. Triglavians plucking systems from our fold. And yet, no one denies our strength when Aguard bent the rules of CONCORD to reclaim Intaki, when under her leadership we secured the controversial yet cutting edge technology of Stellar Transmuters and Interstellar Shipcasters. We are constrained by rules, we put on ourselves. This Drifter invasion is coming, even our enemies acknowledge this fact. While elections could have been held earlier, we can’t afford to devolve into a bickering mess, we must meet them head on with a united front.
Nothing says unity and strength like authoritarian rule, military occupation of your own member states as their autonomy is sapped away, and the casual dismissal of core principles of the Federation, yes?
I hear it went swimmingly for you last time, especially militarily.
If the Federation is going to simply cast aside and ignore the rules. If it is going to breach treaties and break with its own founding charter. If democratic rule is to be replaced with domination through strength of arms…
Well then the greatest threat to the Federation isn’t coming from the Drifters.