From The Holonet: The Republic’s Dangerous Enemies And What To Do With Them

From the Holonet is a series of articles, opinion pieces and features taken from the Old Republic and printed here on TOROZ.

The Republic is threatened by more than just the Empire. A wretched plague fouls the democratic dream. Organised gangs run wild through the capital of Coruscant and across the galaxy, from corrupt law enforcement to drug gangs. To top it off, lately rumours of a prison planet suffering mass break outs are running wild through the holonet. It is clear to most of us that the republic is facing an organised crime epidemic. While the Emperor spends his every waking hour planning the downfall of our galactic republic, treacherous profiteers seek to waste our precious resources, distract our brave soldiers and drive us even closer to collapse.

Take a single gangster. This individual will reside, squatting, in some abandoned locale which could be providing housing for refugees, or a disused factory that could be commandeered for the armies. From there, they will patrol their territory, using guns on Republic civilians, other gangsters, law enforcement, etc in attempt to acquire more credits, expand that territory, or just generally make chaos. To suppress this individual, the Republic government must commit security forces, who then must stop working on other projects, and possibly take casualties in the process. When arrested, they are contained and put through the judicial system. Only to be either let free to continue wasting exponential amounts of time, or returned to containment where they must be fed, housed, and have more resources spent on keeping them around. Given the current threat of the Empire, this is an absolute and undeniable case of treason. There is no scenario in which these criminals are not actively and aggressively shutting down the Republics capacity to make war, and to provide safe housing for its refugees.

To elaborate, if the Empire were to directly threaten Coruscant again, the battle on the planet would be fierce. These criminals, who have spent their lives antagonising the Republic would find little refuge amongst the civilians or the army. So, would this individual not find the notion of joining the Empire appealing? Promises of exoneration for servitude would be a simple decision. Criminals who give their lives to stealing from the Republic are not patriots. It would not be long many if not most of the gangsters across Coruscant were aiding the Empire, and a few prison breaks later there would be plenty more to the fold.

If instead, all organised criminals were issued immediate death warrants, the resource cost would only go so far as the security deployment used to kill them. In this scenario, the Republic could simply issue routine patrols to sweep areas, and killing gangs. Many conveniently ‘flag’ themselves regardless. In this case, the resource cost is significantly lesser, and more importantly, organised criminals are eliminated as a threat to Republic stability. Furthermore, the treasonous criminals could be immediately dealt justice. If nothing else, this law should last the duration of the existence of the Empire.

There should be no mistaking; I do not advocate for the elimination of all criminals, simply an on the spot death penalty for those who organise in groups and actively disrupt the government. I understand how this policy may be considered similar to something in the Empire. I wish to refute this. In this case, the policy only defines treason as worthy of on the spot execution, further, it only specifies active organised criminals as deserving of the death penalty. This is not targeted at political opponents, people who fail to achieve certain tasks or other minor issues, it is not a slipperly slope or, ‘the thin edge of the wedge’ as some might say in an attempt to scare you. It is a simple measure, somewhere between government in peacetime and in wartime. Write to your senator; petition your neighbours, friends and family. Call for a proposition on the organised crime death penalty. The Republic needs safer streets, quieter slums and a capital city filled with patriots, not criminals. It is the only effective solution to the Republics dangerous enemies within.

Cavalair is a Twi’lek raised by a human family on Coruscant, who had adopted him after he was liberated from a busted slave trading ring. A survivor of the sacking of Coruscant and a common figure on the galactic political scene, he is often found writing articles and advocating his views on the Empire, the Republic and everything related. His views are held in high regard right across the Republic.