Robert eh Tura

His Excellency Robert eh Tura
First Secretary of Eukatosia
In office 9 July 4103 – 28 October 4122
Deputy	Joan Karr (4103 – 4107) Ingrid Marabay (4107 – 4114) Herman Levdegard (4114 – 4122)
Preceded by	Meehal Lehane
Succeeded by	Gunther Feane
Steward for Education and Skill Development
In office 28 December 4123 – 10 December 4124
First Minister	Gunther Feane
Preceded by	Quientin Robern
Succeeded by	Vacant
Leader of the Eukatosian Peoples Party
In office 29 December 4099 – 20 October 4122
Preceded by	Herman Levdegard Sr.
Succeeded by	Gunther Feane
Party posts Chairman of the Eukatosian Peoples Party In office 27 November 4127 – 10 December 4133 Deputy Ingrid Marabay Preceded by Herman Levdegard Sr. Succeeded by Vernon Levdegard Jr. President of the Eukatosian Peoples Party Youth Wing In office 15 October 4085 – 2 July 4087 Preceded by Post established Succeeded by Bernard Grey Public Relations Officer for Caswell City In office 18 January 4085 – 2 January 4088 Preceded by Rory Smyth Succeeded by Julia Levdegard
Member of the House of Councillors
In office 15 May 4090 – 11 September 4127
Constituency	Caswell District
Personal details
Born	Robert eh Tura 13 February 4067 Caswell City
Died	10 December 4133 (aged 66) Caswell City
Nationality	Eukatosian
Political party	Eukatosian Peoples Party
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Spouse(s)	Linda eh Tura
Alma mater	Eukatosia Colonial University

Robert Gregory eh Tura (13 February 4067 – 10 December 4133) was a Eukatosian statesman and politician. Widely considered as one of the greatest statesmen in Eukatosian history, he led the government of Eukatosia for 19 years as First Secretary. The economic and social blossoming in Eukatosia was accredited to Tura's sound and stable socio-economic policies, which ultimately helped Eukatosia develop its own independent economy, without the need of relying on its colonial superpower, Eroea.

Tura was born to Joseph C. Tura and Rosaleen Bombaday-Coll in the city of Caswell. His family had modest financial means and were notable in social circles. His father, a history professor at Caswell Polytechnical Institute was also an active member of the Eukatosian Peoples Party. His mother, however, was not involved in politics and instead ran her own clothing shop in Caswell. Tura was educated at the Caswell branch of the Justinian Academy, a prestigious primary and secondary education institution in Caswell. Tura showed above-average intellect and was especially skilled in humanities. He went on to study at ECU Business and Administration School, graduating with a masters in Business, Economics and Public Administration in 4091.

By the time of his completion of his degree, Tura had already become a popular member of the Eukatosian Peoples Party. He utilized his mother and fathers notoriety to ingrain himself into the party. His intellect, oratory skills and his degree choice impressed many members of the party, who believed Tura had strong leadership capabilities and could help push the EPP agenda forward. In 4089, the Caswell Board of the EPP put Tura forward as there candidate for the House of Councillors in the constituency of Caswell. He would be the youngest candidate at the age of 22. He subsequently won and took his seat in the House, while also continuing his studies at the Eukatosia Colonial University. Tura became good friends with Herman Levdegard Jr., his father of the same name was the Leader of the Eukatosian Peoples Party and this connection would build Tura's standing in the party. Tura grew close to Herman Levdegard Sr. and by the mid 4090's was one of his closest policy advisers, especially within the areas of finance and economic management. Tura continued in this post and by the retirement of Levdegard in 4099, he was considered the de facto Deputy Leader of the party, despite no such position actually existing. Subsequently, in 4099, Tura was successfully elected as the Leader of the party.

Tura's first major success was at the 4103 legislative election, which saw the collapse of the Lehane premiership due to the fallout over the Riverton Scandal. The election closed the gap between the three major parties; the Eukatosian Conservatives, Eukatosian Union Party and the Eukatosian Peoples Party. Only the EPP made gains in the election, garnering an extra 12 seats, however, they still finished 3rd. Due to the divide in the House, Tura was able to pull together a rainbow coalition, which is now referred to as the Peoples Coalition. The coalition ran a full term, which was seen as impossible to many political commentators at the time. Tura, however, utilized his political and democratic prowess to the full and proved he could lead a cohesive government despite multiple parties being involved. At the 4107 legislative election, Tura won the largest vote share his party had ever experienced and won a total of 68 seats, just enough to scrape a majority. This was helped due to a collapse in the vote share of the Union Party and also the merging of the Eukatosian Rural and Farmers Alliance into the party. Tura's economic and social policies were seen as progressive and helped boost employment. His government also helped restore public confidence in Eukatosian government institutions, and also led to greater respect from the Eroean government with regards to the region handling its own affairs. Tura would go on to win the 4111, 4115 and 4119 legislative elections, gaining a majority at each one. However, as his term went on, Tura's policies grew stale and began to falter in certain areas, this led to a loss of voter share in later elections. After 4020, his support from his own party execute also faltered as he attempted to lengthen the term limits of the office of First Secretary. The Term Restructuring Bill was ultimately defeated 54 votes to 80 votes, Tura's biggest defeat. Overtime, Tura was subsequently isolated by the Executive Committee and his input in many ways was largely ignored. This frustrated Tura and culminated in his resignation in 4122 as he capitulated to the members of the Committee, who had grown increasingly hostile towards him and his leadership of the party.

Despite practically being forced out of office, Tura stated in his resignation speech in October 4122 that his time at the helm was over and he had made the decision to leave. Many members of the party still supported Tura as Leader and this caused issues for the Executive Committee who wished to usher in change. Ultimately, Gunther Feane, his successor, appointed him to the office of Steward for Education and Skill Development, which is a junior ministerial position at the Department of Education and Skill Development. His tenure here was short-lived as it was soon discovered to be a PR stunt by Feane. Tura returned to the backbenches and was offered the position of leader after opinion polls of the 4127 election showed defeat for the EPP. Tura refused, stating his intention to retire from the House permanently. However, he was elected as Chairman 4127. He served in that position, alongside Herman Levdegard Jr. until his sudden death in on the 10 December 4133.

His legacy has been debated extensively by historians. Critics state his opportunistic political motives, such as taking advantage of the Riverton Scandal, put the country in grave danger of internal collapse and destabilizing years of devolution in Eukatosia. However, many sides agree that despite this opportunism, Tura was able to lead a type of government many politicians would fail to control. Supporters have cited the economic growth during his leadership and his restoration of public confidence in the government ultimately strengthened Eukatosia's position within the Eroean Empire and on the world stage. Tura's death also coincided with the moving of the EPP to the far-right. His death destabilized the Executive Committee and upper party leadership, with his compatriot Herman Levdegard Jr. leaving in 4135, this opened the floodgates for the right-wing factions in the party to seize power. This was the foundation of the State of Eukatosia, which ultimately led to the Eukatosia Secession War from 4135 until 4142, which decimated the regions economy and political control.

Early life

Tura was the son of Joseph C. Tura and Rosemary Bombaday-Coll; his fathers birth name included the 'eh' in the surname, but he dropped the usage in favour of his middle name, 'Chester'. His mother used the second half of her surname, 'Coll', in the name of her shop: Coll Clothing. The Tura's, while not affluent, had a comfortable lifestyle, largely due to the salary that Joseph took in through his lecturing at Caswell Polytechnical Institute. His father was also the dean of the School of Humanities and History and was well known within the community for his great oratory skills. Tura's mother was a cloth merchant, and sold from her own store in Justinian Square, the major shopping hub of Caswell City. During his early teenage years, Robert worked in his mothers shop as a cashier but he soon took on more roles in management. His ability to socialize interchangeably with many other people provided him the grounding in business management that would take his interest. Initially, Robert intended to take over his mothers shop and expand it. He excelled at history, english and business at the Justinian Academy of Caswell, and finished top of his year in those three subjects and 8th overall. He graduated in 4085 and by this time, he was already a proactive member of the Eukatosian Peoples Party.

First Secretariat: 4103–4122

Political success and fortune

The Riverton Scandal is often described as the catalyst for propelling Tura and the EPP into power. The scandal began as a normal investigation by the House Committee for Public Standards, Ethics and Auditing. The investigations are on a rotational basis i.e. every 4 years every political figure has their financial accounts audited; during the intermediary years, a parliamentary group are usually selected for auditing e.g. a political party, the front bench etc. The committee had decided on the 3 September 4102 that the financial accounts of the front bench would be audited, thus all members of the Lehane ministry were requested to submit all financial accounts. The committee does have the power to seize the accounts of any politician, but as a common courtesy, all members are asked to surrender their accounts voluntarily. The investigations would be carried out until the Christmas recess, due to happen on the 13 December of the same year. However, as time went by, rumors had reached the members of the committee about financial discrepancies in the accounts of many senior government figures.

On the 29 September 4102, a dossier was submitted to the committee by an anonymous party, who claimed to be a supranational investigative agency. It would not be revealed until 4107 that the dossier had been compiled by civil servants at the Department for the Treasury and Finance in Eroea. The dossier was sent privately to the Vice Chair of the committee, Sabrina Bezos, who brought it forward to Alexandria Visraal. The dossier contained extensive findings and allegations, mainly regarding members of the Lehane ministry. While the dossier was of unknown origin, it did contain information that could only be accessed by a regulatory body or government agency, thus Bezos and Visraal decided that the dossier could be brought forward as investigative evidence. The dossier was presented and read through on the 29 September 4102 and was disparaged by members of the government as a political sabotage. The dossier had heavy emphasis on the role of Martha Penrose, which the dossier claimed was embroiled in an extensive bribery campaign. Thus, the accounts of the then Secretary for Business and Industry were seized by the Eukatosian National Police.

One of Penrose's financial institutions was Riverton Bank plc. It soon transpired that members of Penrose's personal assistance team had contacted employees of the bank to modify Penrose's personal account transactions. This was discovered through the seizure of confidential employee records, along with the seizure of communication between the two groups. Employees of the bank had wiped transactions which showed money being deposited in Penrose's personal account by various corporations. While the reasons for these transactions were not known, Penrose retaliated, claiming they were private business affairs. Upon being questioned about the rationale behind modifying her banking statements, Penrose gave no comment. None of the corporation names were disclosed by the committee but the findings of the committee, despite being shallow, were determinant. It had come to light that a high ranking government official had taken money from unknown corporations, which could not be proven to be private business and subsequently attempted to hide such transactions from auditing agencies. This caused uproar among members of the House of Councillors and led to the resignation of Penrose from her cabinet position.

The committee did not refer its findings to the House, instead, it proceeded with further investigations into not only Penrose but other government officials. Multiple PA's to Penrose were interviewed - many denied the allegations, however, 3 confirmed the suspicions of the committee. They confirmed that they had been instructed to contact the bank to wipe such details, however, these assistants were not given the rationale and thus could not provide direct insight into why the statements were cleared. Tura was appalled by this apparent corruption scandal and made a virulent speech in the House of Councillors during the opening of parliament in January 4103. He demanded the resignation of all Cabinet ministers and wished for a legislative election to be called. This was the first move in a bipartisan effort to end the premiership of Meehal Lehane and bring down his government. Despite the fact that the Committee had not concluded the investigations, they felt the findings in Penrose's accounts were serious enough to warrant a legislative election. On the 15 January 4103, Tura tabled the first motion of no confidence in Meehal Lehane. Despite his optimism for widespread support of the motion, it was defeated by the government with the help of the National Libertarian Party, who provided just enough seats to defeat the motion. This was due to an agreement between Lehane and the Chief Parliamentary Group (the collective leadership) to not end their current confidence and supply agreement. However, as investigations dragged on, the NLP lost support for the EUP and ultimately supported a motion, winning 84 to 50 votes on the 19 June 4103.

Formation of government

File:Robert eh Tura (4103 post election speech, cropped).png

Robert eh Tura speaking after the 4103.

On the same day, Lehane announced that a legislative election would take place on the 4 July 4103, with the House to sit again after on the 11 July. Immediately, election campaigns were formally launched despite the fact that the government of Eroea did not approve of the election until the following morning on the 20 June 4103. Tura based his party's campaign around 'cleaning' up the government, expanding the existing welfare program and also demanding more concessions from Eroea with regards to self-governance. Despite calls for his immediate resignation from politics, Lehane continued as Leader of the Eukatosian Union Party and intended to launch a direct investigation into misdoings by state officials. He also promised to rectify any errors found by such investigation with honesty and dignity, while also promised his resignation should the findings be considered severe. This stance was criticized by opposition members who seen it as an opportunistic stunt by Lehane in an attempt to hold on to power. Tura himself remarked that Lehane was a 'coward' and a 'phoney' and should 'step down without haste'. There was resounding support for this view and on the 29 June 4103, Lehane announced his resignation as Leader of the EUP and he was replaced by Leone Mare, the Steward for Internal Affairs, as interim leader.

The 4103 election was a political upset for the Eukatosian Unionists and the Conservatives, both lost around 20 seats, with the People's Party making considerable gains. Despite this, the EUP maintained second position but many doubted they would even attempt to form a government. Thus, it was a rush between the Conservatives and the Peoples Party. The Conservatives, led by Preston Cartwright, were unable to consolidate a formal agreement with minor parties. On the 8 July 4103, after a number of days of intensive talks, Tura boldly announced that he had reached a deal with the Libertarians, Socialists and the Rural Alliance. This would be dubbed the Peoples Coalition and its motto was 'accountability'.

The House of Councillors formally met on the 9 July 4103 to submit their nomination for First Secretary to the Eroean central government. The Eukatosian Union Party under Mare announced their support for Tura, citing that he was the only force in Parliament able to unite the House to form a government. Tura won the nomination 102-29, all councillors voted for him bar the Conservatives and the Speaker who does not have a vote. At 77.27%, it was the greatest endorsement of a non-incumbent Lord Councillor since the formation of the Eukatosia. The Lord Councillor, Joseph Xao, issued a declaration appointing Robert eh Tura as First Secretary of Eukatosia and approved of his cabinet appointments.

Legacy

Political impact

Many scholars agree that the impact Robert Tura had on the political sphere in Eroea is no less than extraordinary. His term at 19 years, 3 years and 19 days remains the longest in Eukatosian history and he is the longest serving sub-national leader in Eroea. When Tura assumed the leadership of the EPP, his party had only 13 seats in the House of Councillors, they were a fringe group at best, often seen as a balance between the National Libertarian Party and the Eukatosian Union Party. However, Tura's charisma and strong personality would push his party into power, along with his use of political opportunities that lay in his way. Many scholars have criticized this opportunism, seeing Tura as a conman who profiteered of the death of one party. Supporters cite this as the very nature of politics and Tura provided stability in the expanding power vacuum of 4103. His ability to work across bipartisan lines has also been described as miraculous, a feat that many veteran politicians would not be able to accomplish.