Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 154: Chapter 134: Implementing the Bill

Although there are some people in the parliament who have different attitudes toward the bureaucratic evaluation reform bill, it is clearly unable to hinder its implementation at this time.

Over fifty percent of the seats in the Spanish Parliament are held by the Progressive Party, where Prime Minister Prim belongs, and the Liberal Party, which supports the reforms, occupies nearly twenty percent of the seats.

The two together account for more than seventy percent of the parliamentary seats. According to Spain’s constitution, when the approval votes exceed seventy percent, the bill can be established and begin execution.

However, Prime Minister Prim does not intend to completely offend those conservative parties. Although he has formulated an evaluation system for the existing bureaucratic system, the evaluation is undertaken by a department jointly composed of the parliament and the cabinet.

Meanwhile, the parliament has oversight over the cabinet. Cabinet members also have to complete so-called performance evaluations, and in cases of consistently poor evaluations, the parliament has the power to impeach all cabinet members, including the Prime Minister, and decide the fate of the member based on the final cabinet meeting’s result.

Doing so clearly strengthens the power of the parliament, which is why the bill ultimately passed in the parliament.

But for Prime Minister Prim, whether to strengthen the power of the cabinet government or parliament, in reality, makes little difference.

Prime Minister Prim firmly controls Spain’s cabinet government and parliament; rather than saying the parliament’s power has increased, it is more accurate to say Prime Minister Prim’s power has increased.

This bill has little impact on Spanish society, and the public even applauds it.

But for the Spanish officialdom, the promulgation of this bill is no less than a small-scale earthquake.

However, neither Carlo nor Prime Minister Prim plans to conduct a large-scale sweep of the Spanish officialdom at this time.

This bill is actually targeting those officials who have both corrupt practices and lack any political ability. These people staying in their position will only harm the country, offering no benefits whatsoever.

Those who are clean but lack capability, or have some ability but are corrupt, actually won’t be on Prime Minister Prim’s purge list.

After all, these officials have their own value. Those who are rather clean but lack ability will also have other positions that do not test capabilities much.

And those officials who have some ability but are corrupt can also be used temporarily. To some extent, these people can become livestock raised by the Spanish government, which can be slaughtered when fattened up to fill the national treasury.

There’s no fear of officials being corrupt; there’s fear of them being incompetent and only being corrupt. As long as they can do something for each city and region, promote local industrial or economic development, Carlo and Prime Minister Prim won’t pay much attention.

After all, everyone has their own little thoughts, and Carlo can’t demand that all Spanish officials are upright and honest.

As long as corruption is not too outrageous, embezzling a few thousand from a fund of a million isn’t too harmful.

But if a million fund sees embezzlement of tens of thousands, no matter how capable afterward, he will definitely be on Prime Minister Prim’s purge list.

Of course, corruption must be divided into ways and means. Directly embezzling from Spanish government allocations must be firmly stopped, but if squeezing those old nobles and the Church creatively, more tolerance isn’t impossible.

Before announcing this bill, Prime Minister Prim deliberately expressed through Progressive Party members spreading the word to the vast majority of Spanish officials, forgiving previous corrupt behaviors.

As long as previous corruption wasn’t too exaggerated, funds embezzled under a million Pesseta, the Spanish Government will forgive and will not question past mistakes.

If embezzlement funds exceed a million Pesseta, it’s simple; just promptly pay back most of the stolen funds to the government, then removing a name from the list is doable.

In short, Prime Minister Prim’s attitude is such; this is also the mutual attitude of Carlo and Prime Minister Prim.

As long as there is some capability, a little flaw is acceptable. If having no capability and full of flaws, it’s better to give way to others sooner.

Of course, those rebels, traitors are excluded. No matter how capable rebels and traitors are, once found engaging in rebellion or betraying the country, severe treatment follows to ensure Spanish Government’s stability.

The 1 million Pesseta limit is the result of Prime Minister Prim’s careful consideration. It can save most people from distress while bringing out some typical cases of severe corruption.

If these people are sensible, they can also clear their name by promptly handing over stolen funds to the government and avoid being purged.

It also demonstrates to other officials that the government indeed has no intention of clearing the past, adopting a forgiving attitude toward everyone.

But if these people are not sensible, Prime Minister Prim doesn’t mind letting them understand the strictness and cruelty of Spanish law and show them what the ultimate fate of corrupt officials is.

In fact, if discussing the impact, the primary force affected by this bill is still the old nobles.

There’s no choice, the former Spain was too decadent, with government and the military almost controlled by nobility. How did these nobles acquire many properties? Wasn’t it through the noble class controlling the entire stage of Spain, trying everything to annex from Spanish farmers?