Post by Dr. Hendrei Gromsinger on Jul 11, 2021 18:31:11 GMT
[President Yulia Meyers - Hall of the Dagestani People]
"All rise for her Excellency, the President of the Republic."
Yulia, the brightest object in the room with her shiny blue ball gown and megawatt smile, strode through the Hall of the Dagestani People, entering at the back and then traversing down the aisle to the podium. Along the way, she shook hands, gave out high-fives, and even dealt a select few hugs.
She rose to the lectern, and gazed out at the floor of the assembly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, honored members of the new Assembly, distinguished guests, thank you. Thank you all."
"We are all gathered here thanks to an election that was the envy of the world. We listened to the candidates from the different parties with openness, with great interest, and with tolerance. We considered different viewpoints and different visions for our country. We made our preferences known at the ballot box, using an electoral system of the highest caliber. We did all this as one nation, united; we embraced our diversity, but we did not splinter along sectarian lines. Most importantly, we conducted ourselves as democratic nations do, without violence. We have risen, in so short a time, from the depths of authoritarianism, to the peak of democracy. We have much to be proud of."
"In our democracy, there is room for a plethora of opinions, and indeed I see a plethora of different opinions in this great hall. I see conservatism and liberalism, big- and small-government visions, those who share my views, and those who do not. I see people on the left, right, and center. I welcome this, and in fact it warms my heart to see. It is my hope that in the next five years, we will debate these visions in this hall and outside of it, with the same good, positive spirit that characterized our election."
"However, we cannot let our differences in ideology get in the way of doing good for our country. Our job, first and foremost, is to be workhorses, to make a tangible impact on the lives of our fellow Dagestanis. We were not elected to grandstand, but to roll up our sleeves, because ideology won't bring broadband internet to the mountain west, and fiery speeches won't create good-paying jobs. Good legislation, good policy, forged together, can do that. For this reason, we must be pragmatic, not dogmatic; we need not sacrifice our principles, but sometimes, we must compromise. That's what governing is about; that's what living is about."
"There is but one thing on which we cannot compromise, and that is our fundamental democratic freedom. Our democracy, though strong and vibrant now, is only a step away from plunging back into despotry. After all, we have been here once before, ten years ago, and at the risk of aging myself, I was there. Then as now, we had elected a new Assembly. Then, as now, our future looked bright, a young nation embracing democracy as its path forward to prosperity. However, at that time, we allowed ourselves to be blinded, corrupted. We lost sight of our cardinal principles - equality, justice, and fairness - and abandoned our first, solemn duty: our commitment to the people. In doing so, we lost our democracy and plunged into darkness. When we lost our democracy, we lost our liberty; the road from the Enabling Act of 2000, that 'emergency measure', to the prison camps of the SNB, is neither long nor hard to follow. Shadowy firing squads in the basement of Sabnova prison, disappearing dissidents in the dead of night, are a direct consequence of the Sedition Act."
"We cannot allow that to happen again. We have a solemn duty to keep the lights on, to keep our democracy alive and well. You see, if we lose it, my friends, we'll likely never get it back again."
Yulia sounded emotional, impassioned, as she delivered these words.
"Never forget that, my friends. We are the guardians of democracy, and we only have our Republic if we can keep it. To that end, I implore you to treat this hall, this Assembly, the Speaker it will elect, the cabinet it will approve, and your fellow members, with… reverence; yes, with reverence. Many of us follow different gods and prophets, but whichever denomination you belong to, consider our democracy to be divine, because it is."
She adjusted her microphone.
"Now, I will administer the oath of office. Repeat it after me."
"I"
"Do solemnly swear"
"That I will support, protect, and defend"
"The constitution of the Republic of Dagestan."
"And I will faithfully execute"
"The office to which I have been elected"
"As a member of the National Assembly."
"Congratulations, my friends. As the temporary presiding officer of this Assembly, I will now open the plenum to minute-long speeches by the members. Please rise and be recognized."
"All rise for her Excellency, the President of the Republic."
Yulia, the brightest object in the room with her shiny blue ball gown and megawatt smile, strode through the Hall of the Dagestani People, entering at the back and then traversing down the aisle to the podium. Along the way, she shook hands, gave out high-fives, and even dealt a select few hugs.
She rose to the lectern, and gazed out at the floor of the assembly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, honored members of the new Assembly, distinguished guests, thank you. Thank you all."
"We are all gathered here thanks to an election that was the envy of the world. We listened to the candidates from the different parties with openness, with great interest, and with tolerance. We considered different viewpoints and different visions for our country. We made our preferences known at the ballot box, using an electoral system of the highest caliber. We did all this as one nation, united; we embraced our diversity, but we did not splinter along sectarian lines. Most importantly, we conducted ourselves as democratic nations do, without violence. We have risen, in so short a time, from the depths of authoritarianism, to the peak of democracy. We have much to be proud of."
"In our democracy, there is room for a plethora of opinions, and indeed I see a plethora of different opinions in this great hall. I see conservatism and liberalism, big- and small-government visions, those who share my views, and those who do not. I see people on the left, right, and center. I welcome this, and in fact it warms my heart to see. It is my hope that in the next five years, we will debate these visions in this hall and outside of it, with the same good, positive spirit that characterized our election."
"However, we cannot let our differences in ideology get in the way of doing good for our country. Our job, first and foremost, is to be workhorses, to make a tangible impact on the lives of our fellow Dagestanis. We were not elected to grandstand, but to roll up our sleeves, because ideology won't bring broadband internet to the mountain west, and fiery speeches won't create good-paying jobs. Good legislation, good policy, forged together, can do that. For this reason, we must be pragmatic, not dogmatic; we need not sacrifice our principles, but sometimes, we must compromise. That's what governing is about; that's what living is about."
"There is but one thing on which we cannot compromise, and that is our fundamental democratic freedom. Our democracy, though strong and vibrant now, is only a step away from plunging back into despotry. After all, we have been here once before, ten years ago, and at the risk of aging myself, I was there. Then as now, we had elected a new Assembly. Then, as now, our future looked bright, a young nation embracing democracy as its path forward to prosperity. However, at that time, we allowed ourselves to be blinded, corrupted. We lost sight of our cardinal principles - equality, justice, and fairness - and abandoned our first, solemn duty: our commitment to the people. In doing so, we lost our democracy and plunged into darkness. When we lost our democracy, we lost our liberty; the road from the Enabling Act of 2000, that 'emergency measure', to the prison camps of the SNB, is neither long nor hard to follow. Shadowy firing squads in the basement of Sabnova prison, disappearing dissidents in the dead of night, are a direct consequence of the Sedition Act."
"We cannot allow that to happen again. We have a solemn duty to keep the lights on, to keep our democracy alive and well. You see, if we lose it, my friends, we'll likely never get it back again."
Yulia sounded emotional, impassioned, as she delivered these words.
"Never forget that, my friends. We are the guardians of democracy, and we only have our Republic if we can keep it. To that end, I implore you to treat this hall, this Assembly, the Speaker it will elect, the cabinet it will approve, and your fellow members, with… reverence; yes, with reverence. Many of us follow different gods and prophets, but whichever denomination you belong to, consider our democracy to be divine, because it is."
She adjusted her microphone.
"Now, I will administer the oath of office. Repeat it after me."
"I"
"Do solemnly swear"
"That I will support, protect, and defend"
"The constitution of the Republic of Dagestan."
"And I will faithfully execute"
"The office to which I have been elected"
"As a member of the National Assembly."
"Congratulations, my friends. As the temporary presiding officer of this Assembly, I will now open the plenum to minute-long speeches by the members. Please rise and be recognized."
