110.06.09Fourth District Releases Statement on State of the State

For the first time since their statement following the Caldari Constructions riots, Fourth District spokeswoman CAPT Svetlana Scarlet spoke to reporters about her alliance's stance on Tibus Heth and his Caldari Provisional Directorate, calling Heth "no savior of the Caldari people" and denouncing the Directorate as having "no legal authority."

Speaking from a hangar in the Reserve's Nonni offices with a Scorpion-class battleship undergoing maintenance in the bay behind her, CAPT Scarlet delivered the following speech while flanked by a number of Reserve marines.

"For a month now, the State has been held in the grip of terror by a man who has claimed that the leadership of the State has failed, that our problems can all be blamed on the Federation, and that he is the only one who can save us. That he, a man who not more than two months ago was working on an assembly line, has the financial and political acumen to see us through these difficult times, and no one else.

"Meanwhile, he has amassed his own private army and used intimidation and the politics of fear to consolidate his political position, creating a shadow government that seeks to usurp the authority of the Chief Executive Panel, the Caldari Business Tribunal, and the Caldari Navy. The one man with the vision and the strength to stand up to him, Otro Gariushi, has been killed in a tragic attack by a deranged madman.

"We in the Fourth District have watched as one by one, the Caldari megacorporations that we have pledged to serve have turned their operations over to him, with no apparent regard to the economic health of the State, the good of their shareholders, or common sense. Repeated calls for an investigation into the financial dealings of this man and his supporters have been ignored, and his enforcers have been allowed to run wild while the legitimate authorities of the State have only stood by and watched. The CEP and CBT have remained silent as a power-hungry demagogue has driven us headfirst towards the precarious cliff of war.

"The 'Directorate' has no legal authority and Tibus Heth is no savior of the Caldari people. Blaming the Gallente for our current problems is an excuse, it is not a solution. This thinly-veiled attempt at a planned economy and his appeals to the masses have no place in the State. We are not an ochlocracy, as much as Mr. Heth may like us to be. The will of the shareholders, the people who own the corporations of the State, have been ignored, despite their legal rights to authority over the companies they have invested in.

"The lack of any attempt by anyone within the State's power structure but Otro Gariushi to question the manner in which this egotist has managed to seize control of our nation is greatly disturbing. We have come to the conclusion that there is but one choice for us, and that is to once again refocus our efforts in Caldari space and confront this man and his supporters head-on.

"The Fourth District retains its commitment to defend the corporations and citizens of the Caldari State. We realize that in this time of trouble, it is more important than ever to keep foreign powers from attempting to get involved in our affairs, and as always, we will not allow anyone, including the Federation, to interfere in the domestic matters of the State. That is, and will always be, our primary duty. However, we do not recognize the command authority of Tibus Heth and his Provisional Directorate.

"The Fourth District offers its assistance to any Caldari corporations who feel their corporate sovereignty is being threatened by Tibus Heth or his supporters. Any interference in Fourth District operations by the Directorate or its supporters will be met with any and all necessary force. Any attempt by the Directorate to give orders to the Fourth District will be ignored, and any attempt to enforce the illegal edicts of Tibus Heth will be resisted with all appropriate measures. Furthermore, until such time that the legitimate government of the State is restored and the Directorate is disbanded, the Fourth District is removing itself from the Caldari Navy's chain of command.

"Those who would use this as an excuse to question our loyalty to the Caldari State do so at their own peril. The District and its members have served the State since their founding and our loyalty lies with the legitimate government that guided our people through their struggle for independence and in the century since. We Caldari pride ourselves on being a practical, rational people; what is practical or rational about the course of action Heth and his cronies espouse? What do we have to gain from denying our own faults and banging the drums of war? Do not allow this man to destroy all that we have worked towards for the last two centuries. Do what is right for your shareholders and your countrymen and follow our lead."

Following the statement, CAPT Scarlet took a few brief questions from the assembled reporters, making it clear the the Fourth District would not be interfering with civilian traffic, regardless of whether or not the ship flew under the flag of a Directorate-member corporation.

"We have no intention of sabotaging the economic strength of the State any further than Mr. Heth has already done with his socialist planned-economy agenda," she explained. "Nor do we intend to weaken the State's lines of defense against foreign intrusion. We are loyal to our people, to their proud history, and to the institutions that have preserved our State for over a century. That is why we must do this, why we cannot simply stand still and ignore the descent Tibus Heth is pulling the State into."

When asked of the Fourth District's future plans, CAPT Scarlet declined to comment. "I'm afraid any statement on our operational decisions would be premature at this time, but as soon as I have more information I will be sure to see that it is relayed to you post-haste."