Chapter 366
The words of the Devers made the people in the square fall into deep thought, and they began to whisper among themselves. Some smart people realized that the smart governor would not bring up such a sensitive topic at such a sensitive moment for no reason. Perhaps he had something to announce, so they became excited.
Sure enough, the Devers raised his voice and continued, "As the highest authority in Diónia and the leader of the citizens, the Senate immediately conducted a deep reflection and reflection on itself after this incident. After repeated discussions and amendments, it passed the Act of the Local Assembly of Diónia this morning."
As soon as the words came out, the whole square was in an uproar.
"Quiet! Quiet! " The Devers made a hand gesture and said loudly, "Listen carefully before you discuss, otherwise you'll miss the key point. If you want me to repeat it again, I won't have such a good attitude."
After the Devers's joke made the people burst into laughter again, they stared at the Devers on the stage and pricked up their ears, afraid to miss a word. The square became silent.
"This Act allows each city in the Union of Diónia to establish its own local assembly. The citizens of Bendermo (this is an administrative unit of Diónia being established, it's a level lower than the cities, it's formed by the merger of several villages) will vote to elect the councilors of Bendermo. The basic requirement is that every 300 citizens will elect one councilor. The candidates must first be citizens of Diónia who have served in the military, have no record of tax evasion, no major criminal record, and have a good performance. Then, the councilors elected by the citizens will form the local assembly of the city. They will assist the city governor to formulate local laws and regulations, supervise the work of public officials, and put forward suggestions that are beneficial to the development of the city … The term of the councilors of the local assembly is two years, and the election will be held during the winter break. In addition, at the end of October after the autumn harvest every year, the local assembly of each city will elect a delegation to come to Turií to participate in the Senate General Assembly. They will listen to the elders of the Senate's summary of the development of Diónia in the past year. They can put forward their own opinions and participate in the revision of the Code of Diónia and the enactment of new laws … "
As soon as the Devers finished speaking, the entire square began to boil. The Senate of Diónia had finally granted ordinary citizens the right to participate in and discuss politics!
Dios and Dikboris looked at each other and thought the same thing. The problem they were worried about yesterday had been solved by the Devers. When the merchants heard the news, they would probably dispel their decision to leave Diónia.
The two of them, like the rest of the people, were waving their arms and cheering excitedly.
However, they saw Devers still standing on the wooden platform, shouting, "Silence! Please keep quiet! I'm not done yet! "
Through the reply of a dozen soldiers, the citizens who heard this immediately reminded each other, "The Consul still has something to say!! … "
The people immediately suppressed the excitement in their hearts, held their breath, and continued to listen to what other good news the Devers would say.
"The Alliance of Diónia is different from other city-states. The Senate directly governs many cities and leads hundreds of thousands of your citizens. Because there are too many affairs and the territory is too vast, the Senate is unable to carry out comprehensive and strict supervision, and it is also unable to ensure that the public officials of the cities are fair and honest. This is why there are criminals such as Polyxis and Orifis who embezzled the public property of the Alliance. Now that there is the assistance and supervision of the local parliament, the situation may be much better, but — "
The Devers changed the topic, "All citizens of Diónia can be elected as members of the local parliament, including those who have held public office in the Alliance and those who have held public office in the city-state after retiring. As time goes by, I'm afraid there will be some problems."
The Devers stopped speaking, and immediately, the people below the platform asked curiously, "Sir, what problems will there be?!"
"Aren't you worried that there will be collusion between the parliament members and public officials like today?" The words of the Devers were like a bucket of cold water poured on the excitement of the people, causing them to fall into deep thought.
"Sir Devers, it seems that you shouldn't speculate about the future local parliament members with such an attitude," Raphael, who still served as the Alliance's Registry Officer, said softly.
"No, I think it's the opposite." Senior Judge Tritodemos, who returned to the Senate, retorted, "Sir Devers, in order to deal with the worst possible situation, enact the corresponding bill, which is actually to protect them and prevent someone from becoming the second Polyxis. This is the best effect that the Law of Diónia aims to achieve, that is, to deter the people and make them abide by the law, not to catch more criminals."
At this time, the Devers said in a loud voice, "For this reason, I propose to ask the Senate to discuss and pass the Guardian of Diónia Bill."
Civilian Protector? The people were puzzled by this unfamiliar term.
Compared to the slow reaction of the people, the expressions of the Senate members on the platform were much more interesting. Even the usually steady Cunogorata sighed helplessly, "Today is really a victory for the people!"
"This is a good thing!" Cornelis said happily, "I used to have some misunderstandings about Sir Devers. I didn't expect that once he decided to let the citizens participate in politics, he would make such a big concession!"
Marigi sneered in his heart as he listened to the discussion of the Senate members around him.
"This bill allows the citizens of each city to elect a Guardian through voting. Each city can have no more than ten Guardians, and their term is also two years. Guardian — from the name, you should know that it is a position to protect the people. The Guardian must be a citizen who has never held any public office and has sworn not to do so in the future. Of course, he must also be a good citizen who has served in the military, paid taxes on time, and has no criminal record. His task is to supervise and expose the illegal acts of public officials and Senate members. For local laws that harm the interests of the people, he can discuss with the Senate to amend them or even reject them. The Senate will also grant the Guardian the privilege of" inviolability "during his term of office. No one is allowed to harm the Guardian unless it is a serious crime. Otherwise, the sentence will be heavier! During the winter break every year, the Guardian of each city will also elect representatives to come to Turií with a delegation from the Senate to report to the Consul of Diónia, as well as the highest level Censor and Judge about the local supervision and make suggestions … The original text of the two important bills, the Act of the Local Assembly of Diónia and the Act of the Guardian of Diónia, will be posted on the Bulletin Wall for you to read carefully. (The Bulletin Wall is a screen wall that was built two years ago under the side steps of the Senate at the suggestion of the Devers. When the Senate passes a new bill or gives a new order, the original text will be posted on the Bulletin Wall so that the people can understand and learn in time.)
After the Devers finished speaking, the square suddenly fell into a strange silence. The people seemed to be unable to believe that it was true. Yesterday, they were still angry about the corruption of the Senate, debating whether they should go to the Senate to protest and ask for a Citizens' Assembly. Today, they suddenly had the right to participate in politics, discuss politics, and supervise. Especially the position of Guardian of the People, it really gave the ordinary people the right to speak in politics.
The people felt like they were dreaming. Some people even asked the Devers on the stage, "Sir, is this true?"
The Devers replied with a smile, "Don't you believe what I, the Devers, say?!"
So there was jubilation in the square. The ecstasy in the hearts of the people was far more than watching a football game, soaking in a big hot spring, or even attending a Hades celebration. This was the natural desire of human beings for power and freedom.
The experienced people knew that even in a very democratic city-state, such as Athens, most of the people only participated in politics and voted for the election of the general. The people in power were always well-educated, wealthy citizens, and even nobles. The ordinary people had to work all day to make a living. How could they have the money to receive education? How could they have the time to deal with the political affairs of the city-state? When the city-state was in the hands of the nobles and the rich, would they think more about the civilians? The answer was very obvious. Now in the Alliance of Diónia, the Governor had asked the Senate to take the initiative to hand over some of the power to the civilians, so that they could directly intervene in the implementation of laws and find out the lawbreakers among the public officials. How could they not be ecstatic!
"Long live Diónia!!!"
"Long live Sir Devers!!!"
These two kinds of cheers from the heart were like the waves in the sea, rumbling over the square until they resounded throughout the city.
This was going to be a new era! The Devers stood in the center of the surging waves, motionless and solemn. The Senate had the power to legislate, the Assembly had the power to participate in politics, and the Commissioner had the power to supervise. They restrained each other and formed a balance. This was the first step to achieving the political structure that he had envisioned. But where was his position?
The Devers looked at the sun that had begun to set in the west. It was warm but not scorching, striking but not glaring …
… …
In the city of Syracuse, the Diónia emissary delegation led by Ancitanos had been staying for several days.
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