The Essential-Liberalism Manifesto (Article I)
I. UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES
1.
Rights by mere birth: All human beings are born free with
inherent and equal worth and dignity, and are in possession of
fundamental rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of
happiness, as well as the right to defend these rights, to due
process, and to equal protection of the laws.
2. Legitimacy of a limited government:
To secure these fundamental rights, a government is established
which derives its legitimacy and limited powers from the consent of
the governed.
3. Government powers and functions
characterized by the principles of “separation of powers” and
“checks and balances”: The structure of government is based
on a substantial separation of powers between the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches. Each branch is to check and
balance the other branches’ powers. These two principles help ensure
that power does not become centralized in any individual or group of
individuals within government, and makes government officials and
agencies more readily accountable for their conduct.
4. Civilian control of the armed forces:
The armed forces, the police, and related agencies are, at all
times, under the civilian control of the executive branch and are
subject to oversight by the three branches of government.
5. Representative government: Each
citizen has the right to influence, directly or through
representatives, who will serve in the executive, legislative, and
judicial branches of government.
6. Regular elections and orderly transfer of
power: The expressed will of the people being the
government’s basis of authority, periodic, free, and secret
elections subject to the possibility of outside verification serve
to determine the will of the people. This voting right is granted to
all adult citizens, and each citizen’s vote counts as one vote.
When new government officials are elected (by majority vote) for
terms that do not exceed 8 years for members of the legislative and
executive branches of government, a peaceful and orderly transfer of
power takes place according to the mandates of the law.
If elected or appointed officials cease to represent the wishes of
the citizens or have committed a crime of sufficient seriousness, a
legal procedure can be instituted seeking to recall or otherwise
remove such officials from office before their term expires.
7. Right to take part in governance:
Every adult citizen has the right to run for public office and to
seek appointment for public office. Multiple political parties are
allowed to solicit votes and, so long as they receive a
minimally-defined percentage of the total votes cast in a given
election, to serve in government. There is an included right of
every citizen or party to influence the legislative and executive
branches directly or through lobby groups, with financial or other
contributions, by campaigning, by using the media, and through any
other lawful means.
8. Local government rights: Local
governments are to exercise the governmental powers vested in them
by the local community in order to express the local community’s
wishes on matters which are of greater concern to them than to the
entire citizenry. This allows for decentralization of
responsibilities from the national level and for decision-making to
be in the hands of those most concerned with the outcome of such
decisions. This also allows communities of differing values to live
in their local public sphere in accordance with their own expressed
values and priorities. The emergence of local communities that
govern themselves differently from other communities, and pass laws
different from those found in other communities, creates an
environment in which local communities can learn from the successes
and failures in governance and policy of other communities, and
adjust their own accordingly.
The powers of local governments cannot involve the rights and duties
granted exclusively to the national government, or be fundamentally
contravening of the fundamental rights held by all citizens.
9. Rights not specifically granted: All
other rights and powers not expressly and specifically granted by
law to the national or local governments are in the hands of the
citizens.
10. Government officials as public servants:
Government officials are to act in furtherance of the interests of
the citizens they represent and the common good of the public; are
to uphold the rule of law; and are themselves to be subject to the
rule of law. They are to take an oath of office to this effect. They
are to act with a high degree of competence, transparency, and
accountability, thereby strengthening the confidence citizens have in their government and its officials. They are
not to take undue personal gain from their positions of power.
Specifically, they are not to compromise the integrity of their
voting power for bribes of money or other personal benefits, and
are to avoid nepotism. Corruption by and of government officials is to be
regarded as a serious criminal offense, and considerable resources
are to be dedicated to ensuring the eradication of such corruption.
In all matters not relating to national security, information
gathered by public officials in the commission of their duties that
is of general public concern is to be made accessible to the public.
11. Rule of law and clear legal expectations:
Each and every person in society is duty-bound to respect the
fundamental rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of
happiness of all their fellow members of society, and to abide by
the rule of law. What is impermissible or obligated in society can
be known by all members through having easy access to the
constitution (which, in some essential-liberalist societies,
embodies these fundamental rights and which requires a
super-majority vote to amend); to the full body of written laws and
judicial opinions; and to contracts of which one is party. Citizens
are free to act or refrain from acting without risk of government
sanction so long as their conduct does not constitute a failure to
meet their legal responsibility, a responsibility that must be
written in law (in the official or otherwise legally mandated
language or languages) with sufficient specificity and clarity so as
to be comprehensible. A member of society can therefore never be
subjected to the personal whims and arbitrary treatment of anyone in
a position of government authority. One’s ignorance of the law,
however, is not a valid excuse for failing to meet one’s stated
legal obligations.
 |
Page 1/14 |
 |
Page last updated: October 15, 2008