Tan Chiew Sern

> *"No further delay will be tolerated, Gardener Darius. I am giving you a final twenty-four hours to make certain the garden is fully operational."*
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> *"Thank you, Your Excellency. My men are working as we speak. I will not fail-"*
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> *"You have already failed, Gardener Darius. I suggest you keep that in mind."'*
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> ― Tan Chiew Sern and High Gardener Darius Chan
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**Tan Chiew Sern** was a member of the Imperial Gardening Council of the Horticultural Federation. He was promoted to the rank of Gardener Prime by Gardener Supreme Wang Xingchen.

## Biography

### Counsellor to the Garden

Tan Chiew Sern served as Counsellor to the Garden on the Imperial Gardening Council during Charmaine Chiang's term as the Gardener Prime. His role placed him as Vice-Chair on the Imperial Gardening Council and second-in-command on the executive branch of the Federation, as well as chief advisor to the IGC at large.

Contrary to popular belief, Chiew Sern served the Imperial Gardening Council in more than an advisory capacity, possessing executive powers markedly more than those of a permanent Councillor, and had the ability to convene or adjourn Council in the absence of the Gardener Prime. The Counsellor to the Garden also operated closely with the Green House and the Royal Gardeners, acting as the Council's envoy.

### Gardener Prime

After Charmaine Chiang's retirement from the Imperial Gardening Council, Tan Chiew Sern became the clear option to be her successor. He was elected to the seat of Gardener Prime in a near-unanimous vote by the IGC and was appointed the Gardener Prime by Wang Xingchen. Upon beginning his term, Tan Chiew Sern felt dissatisfied by the current state of the IGC, making multiple decisions that would later cause him to be seen as ruthless.

#### Combating corporate influence

Tan Chiew Sern found that the presence of business representatives on the Council placed it at the mercy of the industry leaders, to the point where the IGC was wrestling with the business magnates for political power. The magnates could use their proxies on the IGC to bend the economy to their will, profiting at the expense of the general stability of the Federation. This also resulted in the declining legitimacy of the Council as a whole. As a result, Tan Chiew Sern decided to open investigations into them, expelling a total of 8 members from the Council.

#### Budget allocation

Tan Chiew Sern found that a disproportionate amount of budget was allocated to the research and military sectors, and found that not all of the spent budget was properly reported. He decided to cut expenses on the research department by over a third, displeasing Research Secretary of State Jasmine Koh, who argued that the progressiveness of the Federation would be stalled by this decision. Tan Chiew Sern also found pensions of top-ranking officials to be excessive and seemingly unrestrained, and reduced the allocated budget to that department. His actions, while antagonising the upper classes, seemed to gain the approval of most other Federation Gardeners.

#### General Opinion

Tan Chiew Sern's radical decisions gained the respect of many and disdained many others, and he was seen as a ferocious and unrelenting head of government. A vote of no confidence was called shortly after his term began, and Chiew Sern won by a landslide, with 44 Councillors in his favour and 5 against.