A NEW POLITICAL SYSTEM: THE “CITIDENT” SYSTEM

This is the intellectual property of NK Sayer. Permission is not given for any commercial use or sale of this material. No parts of this document can be copied or used without the written consent of the author (NK Sayer).

Thomas Edison's first patented invention was an electric vote recorder which was never used by public! It allowed votes to be recorded automatically & sped up the voting process & prevented errors in counting the votes. The Congress was NOT happy with this invention and was so unimpressed with the FAST speed with which the instrument could record votes!! They told him: "if there is any invention on earth that we don't want down here, that is it." 
The slow pace of manual voting enabled members to allow more fraud in counting votes, filibuster legislation or convince others to change their votes... 
Edison was very much disappointed!

A NEW POLITICAL SYSTEM: THE “CITIDENT” SYSTEM
by NK Sayer

Foreword

The current democracy systems used in many societies are not perfect and clearly have a lot of flaws and problems; they are no longer effective since many people are constantly dissatisfied and disappointed with their governments and presidents. Furthermore some of these democracy systems have become more of a monarchy due to the amount of power given to one person- the president of the country.

In the current democracy systems, elections are the foundation for choosing a president. The election system itself has its own issues and negative points, for example the political campaigns that the candidates run prior to the elections are unnecessary, expensive, time consuming and misleading. The amount of money, resources and time that is wasted to run such campaigns is enormous and most of the time, they are filled with empty promises. Many people later complain that the promises made to them during these campaigns were not delivered when their elected president came to power. It is clear that these campaigns have become more of a popularity contest, such that whoever has more fame and popularity (although often based on illusive promises of wellbeing to the people), will be elected. This popularity also creates another dilemma: many of these candidates rely on the financial support of investors to generate fame for themselves during these expensive campaigns. These favours will of course have to be returned once the upcoming hopefuls become presidents. Essentially they become puppets for their masters. So at the end of the day, the puppet masters are the ones actually running the country and at times obvious corruption happens in a government because of this.

It is the 21st century; the world has changed tremendously and there is a desperate need and demand for change in our current political systems. The current systems are no longer effective or practical and we need to come up with new and innovative ways to solve our problems. We need a fresh political model to bring true democracy back to our societies. My “citident” system described here is one such structure that can be created to give a new meaning to governments.

Description

Citidenty is a new political system in which selection is the method for choosing future ruling person(s) instead of the current election methods used by most democratic countries. The selection methods that would be used, would choose people from the populace randomly and hence give a fair chance to any eligible person to be trained to serve his/her country as a citident (citizen president), regardless of their profession, status, fame and financial support.

The citident system

A citident panel performs a role similar to that of a president (citident means citizen-president). The panel consists of 114 primary citidents and 14 alternate citidents. Majority vote among the 114 primary citidents is the final verdict. In the case of equal disagreement among the primary citidents, alternate citidents will be summoned to vote. A full new panel of Primary citidents and alternate citidents are re-selected every 5 years. Completion of a 3 year training program is compulsory for the prospective citidents (and alternate citidents), and final examination must be successfully completed to qualify for the 5 year citidenty service.

Principles

The idea for this new political system has been inspired by the following systems/concepts:

• Democracy, Athenian democracy, Direct democracy
• Presidential roles
• Jury system, Sortition or Allotment
• Lottery, Drawing of lots

Citident selection

There are a variety of methods that can be used to choose the people who will stand to serve on a 5 year citidenty period. The potential candidates are randomly selected from a pool that contains eligible individuals residing in the country; eligibility is considered with respect to age, mental health, education, etc.

Using methods as described below, 150 eligible individuals are randomly selected from the pool as prospective citidents to enter the first stage of qualifying assessments. The education level, physical wellbeing, mental health, IQ (intelligence quotient) and EQ (emotional quotient) of these individuals are then evaluated using relevant tests and assessments. Depending on the outcome of these tests they may be disqualified or qualified to proceed to the next stage of the process, which is to undergo training. If a selected individual is disqualified, a new one must be randomly selected from the pool and evaluated until 150 suitable prospective citidents are obtained that can proceed to the training stage.

Prospective citident eligibility requirements:

• Must be between 32 years of age and 62 years of age
• Must be mentally stable with no mental illness (medical clearance required)
• Must be in good physical health with no life threatening conditions (medical clearance required)
• Must be educated; i.e. must have at least an undergraduate degree from a university, a postgraduate college degree or a similar tertiary education
• Must be a permanent resident or citizen of that country
• Must have resided in the country for a minimum of 5 consecutive years prior to the selection procedure
• Must have no criminal record, felony conviction or pending felony charges
• Must have an IQ score of at least ..... points
• Must have an EQ score of at least .... points

Methods of selection

Prospective citidents are selected from the eligible population residing in the country. The first step of citident selection is creating a pool from which prospective citidents will be randomly chosen. Two methods can be implemented for creating a pool: a random pool or a nomination/volunteering pool.

Random pool: a pool is created by gathering names from electoral rolls, lists of registered voters, licensed drivers, or other broad-based lists of residents in the community (e.g., tax rolls, public utility consumers, etc).

Nomination/volunteering pool: a pool is created by allowing individuals that are interested in becoming citidents, to nominate themselves or volunteer for this opportunity, and register as a candidate for the position. This process can be done online.

In either case, the pool should represent no less than 10% of the residing population in the country. The selection is then carried out via a process of allotment or sortition*.

* In politics, sortition (also known as allotment or the drawing of lots) is the selection of decision makers by lottery. The decision-makers are chosen as a random sample from a larger pool of candidates. In ancient Athenian democracy, sortition was the primary method for appointing officials, and its use was widely regarded as a principal characteristic of democracy. It is commonly used today to select prospective jurors in common law-based (Anglo-American) legal systems.

* In Athenian democracy (around 508 BC) Selection by lottery (allotment or Sortition) was the standard means as it was regarded as the more democratic: elections would favour those who were rich, noble, eloquent and well-known, while allotment spread the work of administration throughout the whole citizen body, engaging them in the crucial democratic experience of, to use Aristotle's words, "ruling and being ruled in turn". The allotment of an individual was based on citizenship rather than merit or any form of personal popularity which could be bought. Allotment therefore was seen as a means to prevent the corrupt purchase of votes and it gave citizens a unique form of political equality as all had an equal chance of obtaining government office. The Athenians believed sortition to be more democratic than elections and used complex procedures with purpose-built allotment machines (Kleroteria) to avoid the corrupt practices used by oligarchs to buy their way into office.

Note: In case of a random pool selection, if a selected individual does not want to accept the offer for becoming a citident, he/she has the option to decline i.e. it is not compulsory to accept the position. Therefore individuals who qualify for citidenty service, are not compelled to serve- they can be exempted or have the option to decline the citidenty service. The most common types of exemptions would be for people whose job in some way precludes them (for instance, surgeons, scientists, police officials, or individuals whose unique skills & services are so indispensable to the community that their absence for an extended period would create a hardship for the community).However once the position has been accepted and sworn in, it is not possible to reject it or resign without a legitimate reason. In case of a nomination pool however, this situation should be far less prevalent since individuals have already volunteered and shown interest in becoming citidents by registering as candidates.

The Process

150 eligible individuals are randomly selected from a pool and evaluated for the minimum eligibility requirements. After qualifying from the eligibility evaluations, they will proceed to the next stage which is to undergo a 2 year training program. They will have to pass a set of final examination and assessments in order to qualify to proceed to the final year of training to become citidents. Based on grades, the top 128 individuals will proceed to the final year of training while the remaining 22 individuals will return to their normal lives. A certificate of completion for the program is awarded to the unsuccessful candidates, which counts as a valuable education diploma that they can apply to their careers, or day-to-day lives.

Note: In case of failing the examination, an individual will have to repeat deferred examinations until he/she passes, in order to receive the certificate of completion.

The final year of training for the 128 incoming citidents, will prepare them for their respective duties and responsibilities as citidents. This will be a more focused and specialized training to prepare them for their decision making responsibilities in different sectors or divisions. There will be an assessment at the end of the final year training to determine who will become primary citidents and who will become alternate citidents. Based on their performance and score in the final year assessment, the top 114 will become primary citidents and the remaining 14 individuals will become alternate citidents. Ranking does not apply to primary citidents but in case of alternate citidents, they are ranked based on their score. Hence alternate citident 1 will have priority (in decision making, etc) to alternate citident 2 and so on.

Definitions

Citident panel: a sworn body of 114 citidents (and 14 alternate citidents) convene to serve a 5 year citidenty duty. These are ordinary eligible citizens that have been randomly selected to collectively govern the country for a period of 5 years. They collectively play a role similar to that of a president. They must undergo a 3 year training program and pass the examination before starting their 5 year citidenty service.

Primary citidents: these citidents are the primary decision makers and collectively make decisions. They are allowed 2 rounds of 5 year service but are not eligible for a 3rd round of selection i.e. as citidents they are still eligible for random selection from the citident pool at the end of their 5 year service and if selected again, may become citidents for a 2nd round. This is to ensure circulation of citidenty power in society. If randomly selected for a second time, they do not need to re-do the first 2 years of the training program; however they must re-do the 2nd year examinations, as well as final year training and examinations to obtain one of the top 114 scores in order to qualify for primary citidenty status again.

After the citidenty period has finished, retired primary citidents may become trainers, coaches and advisors at the citident training centres for the 3 year prospective citident training program. In this way they can help with improving the training program, providing better education and teaching better skills to the future citidents, whilst continuing to participate in the system and pass on their experience, skills and knowledge to the next generation citidents.

Summary:

• Maximum number of primary citidenty rounds allowed: 2 rounds
• Training needed for second round? Not the first 2 years of general training, but they must pass all 2nd year examinations again, and re-do the final year of the training program and participate in final examination.
• Are Primary citidents allowed to become trainers? Yes, after retiring from their citidenty duty; the maximum number of years that they are allowed to teach is 6 years only

Head Citident: this is also called the "foreman" or "presiding Citident". The foreman is one of the 114 primary citidents and is often appointed before the 5 year citidenty begins or upon the beginning of it. Choosing of the head citident can be done by voting among the citident panel or it can be based on the score obtained at the final assessment, such that the primary citident who obtained the highest score in the final year examination can be chosen for this position. Or it can be a rotational status system among the primary citidents where each primary citident is appointed to be the head citident for a period of 2 months at a time. The role of the foreman is to deliver speeches and talks on behalf of the citident panel, facilitate media and press discussions, and read the verdicts and decisions of the panel. He/she has duties similar to that of a spokesperson and is the face of the panel. He/she may not make any decisions alone, and are given no power except as the representative of the panel.

Alternate citidents: these are 14 citidents that have attend the training program and passed the final examination but were not within the top 114 finalists. Alternate citidents have a ranking based on their final score and based on that ranking they can participate in decision making processes if summoned to do so by the primary citidents. In essence, they provide a supporting role for the panel of 114 sworn primary citidents and remain on standby to replace a primary citident in case of emergency or need such as sickness or death. Also in case of equal disagreement among the primary citidents, alternate citidents may be consulted or summoned to vote during the decision making process.

Alternate citidents are eligible to participate in future selections and become citidents for 1 more round only i.e. their names can be put back in the pool for random selection at the end of their 5 year service and if randomly selected again, may be allowed to become citidents for a 2nd round. If this happens, they do not need to re-do the first 2 years of the training program, however they must re-do the 2nd year examinations, as well as final year training and examinations to obtain one of the top 128 scores in order to qualify for citidenty status again.

Summary:

• Maximum number of alternate citidenty rounds allowed: 2 rounds
• Training needed for second round? Not the first 2 years of general training, but they must pass all 2nd year examinations again, and re-do the final year of the training program and participate in final examination.
• Are allowed to become trainers? No

Note: Only individuals that have been primary citidents, qualify to become trainers/coaches at the training centres; individuals that have served as alternate citidents do not qualify to become trainers and coaches.

The training program

This is a 2 + 1 year training program in which necessary skills and useful knowledge is taught to the prospective citidents to equip them with crucial and important abilities. At the end of the 2 year general training, all 150 individuals will undergo examinations and evaluations and only the top 128 will qualify to proceed to the final year of training to become citidents; the remaining 22 individuals will receive a certificate of completion and will be dismissed. The certificate of completion will be valuable as an education diploma that they can apply to their careers, or day-to-day lives.

The top 128 individuals are the future citidents and will have to then undergo an intense and comprehensive 1 year training program to prepare them for their duties and roles as citidents. Evaluations and assessments taken at the end of this 1 year training will determine who will be on the primary citident panel and who will become alternate citidents.

The 2+1 year training program will be multidisciplinary and cover courses and issues such as: politics and public policy, people management, finance, entrepreneurial strategies, creative thinking, strategic thinking, history, foreign affairs, war tactics, practical application, conflict resolution, leadership skills, communication techniques, international relations, internal affairs, behavioural psychology, diplomacy, legal studies, economics, global ecology, lateral thinking, negotiation skills, organisational change, etc.

In the final year training program for the 128 future citidents, there will be more focus on analysing and studying the current problems in the country, and current and theoretical techniques of approaching them e.g. Internal and neighbourhood problems, family crises, crime, HIV/AIDS, unemployment, etc. It should include an open and unbiased discussion on the current problems, by analysing all the methods that are currently being used to solve them locally and worldwide, and thinking about other innovative ways that could be used to solve these problems. There could also be a module on successful case studies of international techniques that are working.

After this final year of training, the prospective citidents will be assessed and examined through a series of tests, evaluations, and practical projects. The individuals that have obtained the top 114 scores will become primary citidents and the remaining 14 will become alternate citidents. Ranking applies to alternate citidents; hence alternate citident 1 will have priority in decision making, voting or any other duty to alternate citident 2 and so on.

Advantages of the citident system

This system has many advantages, some of which are listed below:

• A fair chance for any eligible person in society to be considered for citidenty service
• Circulation of citidenty power ensures a better, more truthful and transparent democracy
• A group of 128 citidents run the country; not 1 president (that could treat it as monarchy)
• People from varied and diverse backgrounds will work together to govern their country
• The diversity among citidents ensures that all segments of society can participate in decision making and hence problems or issues of all segments of society are taken into consideration when making decisions or plans
• The selection methods used (instead of the current election methods) eliminates the need for political campaigns hence no time and money is wasted for such campaigns
• No voting system is needed hence it saves time and money and reduces rigged voting
• Less corruption – no puppet masters running the country
• Presidency is no longer a popularity contest and ordinary eligible citizens have the potential to become citidents
• No vast financial backing is required, even an individual from a poor segment of society can become a citident (provided he/she is eligible)
• The training program adds value to society through education
• The training program ensures that the future citidents are equipped with all the essential knowledge, and crucial skills to carry out their duty in the best interest of the country.
• Citidents are well educated, trained and prepared for their roles as decision makers and planners - to improve the quality of life in their country

Conclusion

In closing, the citidenty system has many advantages and should be seriously considered. More planning is required in order to create a more detailed plan of action, but the foundation of the system has been broadly described here. A smooth transition from the current democratic (presidential) systems to the citident system is possible with thorough planning and careful preparation. If such preparation, random selections and training were to commence immediately, in a period of as little as 4 years the old systems could be removed and the new citidenty system could be fully implemented.

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This is the intellectual property of NK Sayer. Permission is not given for any commercial use or sale of this material. No parts of this document can be copied or used without the written consent of the author (NK Sayer).

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