Kalistan

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Empress Spars with Democrats in Sulari
"She's clearly not used to be questioned," said attendees
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
December 5, 4651


Her Imperial Majesty and the Chancellor of the Empire sit in one of the few light moment during a public forum with Sulari Democratic Club President Miguel Calderone

In a rare, and some might say, foolhardy, move, Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto appeared in a public forum sponsored by the Sulari Democratic Club. The forum was aimed at allowing people the opportunity to openly and directly question their Head of State, an opportunity that few citizens in so-called Democratic Nations are even afforded. Her Imperial Majesty appeared at the request of the forum, and was with the Chancellor of the Empire, whose job was to ensure protocol was kept at all times. The event was moderated by incoming Sulari Democratic Club President Miguel Calderone.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he began. "We should remember tonight is your opportunity to do something that nobody in this room has ever done. The Empress has agreed to sit with us, and answer your questions of her directly, but its our hope to give her the best possible impression of our work here and with the UNited Democratic Clubs, so even if your questions are provocative, please remember to keep your tone civil, listen to the Chancellor if she needs to remind you of protocol, and remember that our goal here is to practice people's power, to show it can be done, and maybe even can be a pleasant experience."

The Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Jennifer Alvarez-Miller gave an opening address where she merely explained the rules of the forum, and enjoined all to follow those rules. "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a formal audience with Her Imperial Majesty. For those of you who have never sat in one, the law of our Nation prevents you from directly addressing Her Imperial Majesty. So you will need to address all your questions to either myself or the President of the Club. He and I discussed these things prior to this forum, and he assured me that you all have done teachins on Imperial Protocol. He has given me the authority to end this forum at any time, and should I need to do so, doing so will be more for your good than it is for mine or Her Imperial Majesty's because it means you are either currently or about to violate the Law, and I would rather you go home to your family than wind up before the City Magistrate for violating Lese Majestie. Her Majesty has authorized me to waive the rules governing when you may sit and stand, given that this is her first public forum. Please pay attention to me at all times for everyone's safety. With that we can begin the questions."

As she handed the microphone back to the President, several people stood with cards in their hands, and walked up to a microphone which was placed in front of the stage. The first question was from a 10 year old kid, who wanted to ask how Her Imperial Majesty got into planting trees. She dutifully asked the Chancellor to request the information of the Empress, who answered that she has always loved the forest, and finds that environment to be peaceful and tranquil, and she can meditate there and clear her mind, which she has a difficult time doing while she lives in the city.

Several additional questions followed this line, many of them dealing with personal information such as her favorite kind of music, or her favorite food. About the seventh question, one audience member asked "Madame Chancellor: If Her Imperial Majesty is so so committed to peace, why did she agree to allow my father to go fight in that worthless Kundrati Conflict? That country isn't worth a bucket of warm spit and she sacrificed all those lives for nothing I'd like her to answer for that decision, if you please."

The question clearly caught Her Imperial Majesty off guard, and the Chancellor leaned over and whispered something, to which the Empress shook her head. She drew a breath and answered, "The decision to return to Kundrati after we had lost so many in the Artanian Campaign and the Likatonian War was a difficult one. We had concluded an agreement with the Legion, a decision we paid for in terms both of political support as well as international prestige. But we agreed to allow the Militia to deploy there for a number of reasons: first and foremost being that the Militia asked us to allow them to do so. Most of the Militia were Nationalists and looked for the opportunity to avenge those they lost when our Father reigned in the chemical weapons attacks. Recommitting to that war was not our first choice, but we do not regret it. At the end of the day, we did have losses, but our Militia redeemed our military and our nation from the Likatonian scandal, and they did so at their own request. You have nothing to be ashamed of: Your father died bravely in a noble cause. The failure of the war does not lie in our Militia, but the countries who were supposed to stay and cleanse the nation of its filth and tarnish after we left, and didn't do anything of the sort."

The next question was just as difficult. "Please ask her Imperial Majesty how she can spend so much for such a gaudy throne uh... pavillion I guess you could call it; How is there no public accountability or oversight into how she burns vast sums of money on houses, jewelry, a gem vault and now this gaudy monstrosity?"

The Empress smiled and asked "What is the gentleman's issue?"

"Does her Imperial Majesty not care at all about how it looks if a value in our Empire is equality?"

The Empress looked him in the eye, and said very seriously, "There is no equality in this Nation except under the law."

The short answer took the questioner by surprise. "Well, Your Majesty, I always knew it but its a shock to hear you... actually... say it." To which the Chancellor said "Mr. Edwards. Mind the Protocol." Edwards was about to speak again, but the President of the Club also shot him a look with a slightly noticeable shake of his head. The questioner exhaled loudly into the mic and turned to leave.

"Sir, our fortune is our property. If you are a liberal, we hope you will respect that. If not, there ought to be no question to the matter. We hope you understand that at any rate. How we spend our money is our business. And we thankfully do not spend any of yours." The man did not look at the Empress, but strode out of the hall.

Other challenging questions were about why the Empress will not permit multiple parties, when there is clearly a diversity of ideology in the Empire, to which Her Imperial Majesty responded, "That opinion remains in the minority, and is not enough to compel our National Assembly to petition to overturn the Single Party Act. 17% of the population is not nearly enough to outweigh the opinion of the 60% who still support the act and the 23% who doesn't care one way or another." Or for a reassurance about the independence of the Courts: "When the Monarchy has been a party, the Courts have found against us far more often than for us, and nobody has ever lost a job for the correct dispensation of justice."

After more than an hour of questions, it was clear that the Empress was ready to end the forum. The Chancellor told the President the Empress will allow one further question. The last one was by a young mother. "This question is for Her Imperial Majesty," said the young woman, with a kid who was five or so holding her hand. "Would Her Imperial Majesty say one way whether or not my little son here will ever get to experience true democracy in our Empire? I'd like to tell him that there is something to look forward to, where he can actually see his ideas as policy, rather than the fiat of a monarch."

The Empress looked at the boy and then at the mother. "As long as we are Empress, we can assure you, this Empire has more than enough democracy." She paused to let the words sink in. "Democratic governments in our cities are selected by more than 70% of our population. Are those concessions not enough for our people? We are absolutely committed to the maintenence of our our regime: Through it we provide order and peace so that you and your son may live to your fullest potential. Democracy brings strife and discontent. Why would we want something like this in our Realm? Why would you want that for your son?"

The response brought gasps from the crowd. The Chancellor, noticing a shift in temperature in the auditorium, nodded at the President Calderone, who said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we thank Her Imperial Majesty for taking the time to come sit with us. Let's give her a hand." There were a few people who applauded, but most people remained silent. The Chancellor and the Empress left the stage through the wings, while the audience erupted in discussion. The President waited until the dignitaries had left before calling the meeting back to order.

After the meeting was wrapped, several individuals gave comments to the Paper. "Well, she was fairly honest at least," said one, while another called her tonedeaf. "She's in a forum sponsored by the Sulari Democratic Club, and she couldn't have answered those questions worse. I mean: throw us a bone here!" Others noticed that eventually, her lack of patience with the interrogation was clear. "She's clearly not used to being questioned," said a member of the club. "This is not familiar ground for her, and after a while, I even felt a little sorry for her."

"An arrogant Princess," said one woman, dismissively. "But she stood her ground. I don't honestly know what else I expected. I give her points for that." The Office of the Empress had no comment, but given her reception in Sulari, it may be a long time before before her Imperial Majesty attends another Democracy Club event in Kalistan.

@TheRepublic