The Lazarene Gazette March 2019

[New Rogernomics]

The Official Newspaper of Lazarus

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LAZARUS SIGNS TREATY WITH OSIRIS
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NEW REGIONAL APPOINTMENTS
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REGIONAL ELECTIONS BEING PREPARED
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Lazarus is beginning the process of moving towards the democratic election of Deputy Directors (or Deputy Ministers), with both the Department of Public Relations, and Department of Internal Management, holding elections. This will be a major test of the attempts of the new administration, given the difficulties in holding votes during the failed Constitutional Convention, and the expectation that such mistakes won't be repeated in these elections.
Also of concern is whether Lazarus has the political climate and maturity to hold such elections, as a result of past factional differences built during the civil war period. Though, given that these are deputy positions, and not as strong as say the Delegacy or full Ministerial roles directly dictating regional policy, it seems unlikely to be of issue.

RP GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS BEGIN
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be listed in a game side dispatch.

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LOOKING FORWARD TO DEMOCRACY
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Lazarus is at a crossroads, with some un-certainty over how democratic institutions and elections can be handled, and there is a sound argument for us to take our time and be careful, as well as an argument that we are going too slowly and should attempt to speed up the process. Both positions have their dangers, the former could mean stagnation, the later major security risks so soon after a civil war.
As a former elected Delegate, and a citizen, I've seen quite a few attempts at Lazarene democracy, and was distraught when the Celestial Union collapsed, and the democratic institutions built up for years with it. It is very hard to get that back, when nations have moved on, and all the expertise they had with them. It could be too easy to say, 'let's hold a constitutional convention and just restart what the Humane Republic had', or to call for some redrawn alternative that was put forward in the failed constitutional convention that led to the current government.

Though with renewed attempts at democracy, comes with threats towards regional sovereignty. Lazarenes could find pretty solid ground to worry about infiltration by outside actors, in any future Lazarene election that places nations without a history in Lazarus into positions of power or influence. Worse still is the concern that nations that already traumatized the region might return under a new persona, and wreak havoc once again upon the region. Lazarus in starting open elections, would hold the possibility of allowing such risks to become a reality, if such elections are not handled well. So while Lazarus attempts to move forward, there are dangers in attempting a more democratic and open Lazarus.

The Humane Republic of Lazarus was not always an ideal democracy, and had flaws, but it still had a functional democracy and thriving culture, despite infiltration that may have taken place at the time. It was also not as interesting to a lot of people, and it lacked the ability to make people enthusiastic about the government and the theme. This led to the Celestial Union, which despite being passed by a substantial majority, failed to hold a region together that was falling into civil war, with it's institutions losing support among critical members of the civil society. Everyone had different ideas for the region, and for who they wanted to run it. Members of the New Pacific Order, and members from other regions, took advantage of this chaos, but all Lazarus really needed was some wood on a fire that had been burning for some time.

Generally, I'd affirm that a functional democratic society requires institutions to be respected, and for citizens within that society to support the constitution and government in principle, even if they don't agree with all the decisions and all the actions of that society. Perhaps this is best explained in a four pillars analogy, with each representing an aspect required to have a democratic society function effectively.

The first pillar, is respect for legislature and it's ability to pass fair and reasonable legislation, to support freedom of speech and expression, and not persecute those who disagree. This pillar collapsed in Lazarus, when two major factions formed hostile to each other, and were unable to compromise. The faction I am describing consisted of Funkadelia and Lamb, and those who supported them on one side, and what would form 'La Resistance' on the other. When the Celestial Union finally fell into civil war, the legislature rightly or wrongly was then used against citizens.

The second pillar, is respect for the chief executive, in the case of UCRs this varies, but in a GCR, the Delegate has to have some respect for the region to prosper, and in turn the Delegate must respect those citizens that disagree with their actions. During the Celestial Union, this respect also collapsed, with Funkadelia losing the ability to rely on his own regional officers or guardians, and him coming into hostile confrontation with the judiciary.

The third pillar, is respect for the judicial procedures of the region, and the members of the judicial branch, in their ability to deliver a fair verdict, as well as a fair interpretation of regional law. Judges are allowed to make mistakes, but those mistakes should not compound to totally undermine the respect of the justice system. Unfortunately, in the Celestial Union, numerous decisions appeared to one major faction of the region to be a threat to the Executive, and not simply an opposing opinion - but an attempt to remove the leader of their faction, in this case the Delegate of Lazarus.

The last pillar, is the one that just as important as any of the last ones, if not more important, which is civil society. This is the ability of non-government individuals to be able to respect and support their region, and hold it together, in form of some cultural identity that can weather a crisis - constitutional or otherwise. For a long time, Lazarus had this, however by the Celestial Union this had broken down. There were still figures respected in Lazarus by both factions, but they couldn't stop the conflict, nor hold both factions back from further escalation.

Once all these pillars had collapsed, the Celestial Union and Lazarene democracy with it, was doomed to fall apart, despite the best efforts of many involved, including myself, to stop it. When we talk about democracy, it is my opinion that we need to take our time, and not just create democracy to be popular at home or abroad, but to create one that lasts, which can mean taking more time and risking some stagnation.

At the same time, that position naturally holds the risk of long-term stagnation, of active members staying away from Lazarus, as there is no ability for them to advance politically in the region, or to hold a position to support their opinion or vision for the future of Lazarus. So Lazarus can't hold back free elections on major positions forever, and will at one point have to take a risk. Naturally though, the Delegacy is too far for the vast majority, given if we lose the Delegacy at this moment, we lose the freedom of our region to decide our own fate, but that doesn't mean that Ministers and below can't be gradually made into roles elected through free elections. The general concern though would be to guard the region from bad actors, who might undermine the region through their position.

As a citizen, I don't know the future of Lazarus or entirely which direction it should take, but eventually it should be a return to democracy. Lazarus may choose to elect our Delegate or make it a long-term Executive that requires a challenge system to remove, either position I would support in principle. But that should be our choice - not one handed down by infiltration, threat, or power lust. What I do know is that we need to make the right choices in our future, and not the ones that led us to bitter factionalism and civil war.

Disclaimer:

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Divine CervineThe Copper Statesthree whole years!

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