Honoring our Oath, 1748

[Piov 2643]

Statement from the Office of Senator Terrence May

 

“HONORING OUR OATH” 

10th of Harren’s Folly, 1748

 

My fellow Haensemen,

 

         I write to you here today as your incumbent senator with profound gratitude for your confidence and trust in me to continue to represent our kingdom in the Imperial Senate. Over the last twelve years since you first elected me in this great honor of service, I worked to create committees to hold the Imperial government accountable, secure suffrage rights, create the groundwork to codify the creation of provincial schools, and push for the passage of criminal justice reforms. In this last session, I garnered the unanimous support of fellow senators to become President pro tempore where we set out an ambitious agenda to work on many important matters of state and holding the Imperial government to account to ensure that the welfare of every citizen is safeguarded. Today, you have affirmed your support in giving me a fourth term in the Imperial Senate.

          I know to many of you, the Imperial Senate seems like a distant, insignificant institution that is far away from the daily realities of ordinary people. Ever since I took the gavel of the Senate, it has been my mandate to you to make the Senate as closest as possible to our constituents. It has always been my primary concern that the people that send us here are heard, that our debate reflects not our own selfish desires, but that of the farmer tilling the field outside Reza or the blacksmith in Ves or the tailor in Avalain or the scholar in Helena. 

 

          Allow me to reflect with you on my recent decisions I have made as we move forward in this election. A bill titled, the Civil Equality and Discrimination Bill of 1746, was introduced in the Senate. Let me first clarify that I am a fervent believer in the rights, protections, and privileges to all denizens of Oren. However, given the recent rejection by the Elven Tripartite, I felt compelled to ABSTAIN because I came to the conclusion that it did not do enough to promote the unity of Man and the integrity of our laws to protect humanity from within and from without. However, I will seek to work in the Senate to author a bill to provide the same basis of civil protections for our citizens in a way that uplifts humanity and is fair to us all.

          I am happy to report to you that legislation that I authored titled the Scholastic Organization Act which passed in the 1745 has now become a closer reality to all Orenians. The Department of Civil Affairs has recently commissioned an official to oversee its implementation. A building has been constructed to house this vitally important institution. In the midst of depravity, violence, banditry, and uncertainty, let me echo the power of this initiative to cultivate learning, decency, and civility among our youth. Let this new university be, first and foremost, a premier academy open to all who seek to learn and uplift our society. I will continue to oversee this legislation develop, hoping to enter its new phases to support provincial schools such as our new Saint Charles College. It is my hope to formalize a circulation and direct a burgeoning effort in the arts, humanities, letters, and sciences so that our civilization will be one of progress, grandeur, and intellect.

 

          I now must relay to you on the debacle of this “partial shutdown” of the Imperial government. In this last session, we were unable to agree on a budget, leading to closures and the halting of funds to some departments of state. I am ashamed of this and account for my responsibility. I did my part and all I could to oppose the motion of holding our budget hostage. I fervently believe that we can agree on a budget and secure the livelihoods and integrity of our institutions as we move forward. I pledge my entire effort to work for the betterment of the Senate and a return of collegiality as it once was. 

 

          I will continue to uphold my oath to the Empire and honor the sacred trust that you, the Haeseni people, have given me to ensure that your priorities and your concerns are voiced in Helena. As we embark on this journey, I vow to continue to introduce and support legislation that builds on the transparency of our government, promotes the unity of our Imperial demesne, maintains the integrity of Haense’s standing, and delivers on a future of prosperity for our children. I continue to be an advocate for my constituents. I continue to condemn threats and actions that would see our province and that of our Empire put asunder.

 

 

Signed, 

 

Imperial Senator from the Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska, Chairman of the Imperial Senate Committee on Justice, President pro tempore