Poltsamaa for Prime Minister!!

Poltsamaa

Poltsamaa

TNPer
First of all, I'd like to thank those nations who formed the Cabinet with me this term including the Deputy Ministers who stepped up to take over the role in the absence of the elected Ministers!! In order for a government to work it has to have people capable of working objectively and are willing to tackle tough issues with a view to providing a better region for us all to reside in!! I think the members of Cabinet have done exactly that this term and the region is a better position because of that!! I hope that our next Cabinet is just as good whether it be with me as Prime minister or one of my competitors!!

What I offer this in my second term is more of what I have delivered this term!!

What was achieved this term?

At the beginning of this term our region was in a precarious situation with many people feeling that their basic rights were being removed for no legal reason!! By tackling the issue early in the term it was quickly and easily rectified!! Those that had had their voter status illegally denied were soon able to register to vote and participate in the region's affairs!! I believe this was a big step and it created a more pleasant atmosphere in the region!!

Through this more pleasant atmosphere people began to focus not on who should be allowed to participate but on what positive contribution they could make to the region!! During this term we had many ideas proposed by our citizens and continue to do so!! People are looking forward rather than back and talking of strengthening our region rather than where the next attack will come from!!

We have moved to a new forum!! The cloud that hung over s2 has now been dispersed and people are free to post their ideas for the region without fear of an overzealous admin editing their posts!! This again enabled people to be more creative and open about their ideas and their goals for the region!!

We have a functioning Cabinet that deals with issues in real-time with no need to wait until the weekly IRC meeting!! We raise issues as we think of them and work out actions as a team!! We have transparency through the weekly reports posted by our Minister of Communication, WishyWashyWonder, in consultation with myself, the cabinet ministers, Delegate and Vice Delegate!!

I, as Prime Minister, have been approachable through private message on the forum, question and answers in my office and on IRC!! I believe I dealt with all questions, no matter if they were serious or in jest, quickly and honestly and that is something I believe is important!! There is nothing worse that someone who tells you what you want to hear or tells you something while telling someone else something entirely different!!

This term was about setting a foundation for the region to grow and become a power in NationStates rather than a basket case!! I believe, that with the assistance of the Cabinet and the people of this region that that foundation has been built!!

What's next?

The next step for our region is work within the constitution to optimise the government model for our region!!

Before those that preach doom start crying out about tearing the Constitution apart, I will say that subtle changes make a huge difference!! For example the bill that allowed the Minister of External Affairs more autonomy and cut out some unnecessary bureacracy from the procedures for opening Embassies!! The changes were relatively minor, but it does allow other regions to open official diplomatic channels with our region without having to wait weeks for a referendum to be organised!!

Our legal process seems overburdened and totally out of proportion to what is needed in NationStates!! I place no blame on the judiciary ot the Minister of Justice, they worked admirably under the laws and procedures we have in place!! However, I believe a simple tribunal system would be sufficient in most cases!! A system whereby each side puts their case to the head of the tribunal (Chief Justice) and then the evidence is weighed up and a decision made!! An appeals process to an Associate Justice or the "full bench" of Justices would allow any concerns or grievances to be aired!! I believe this would allow judicial matters to be dealt with lawfully, efficiently and in a timely manner!! I don't believe that real-life legal processes translate well to NationStates and do not really think most people have the time to sit through a trial such as that we saw with Cathyy!!

Term limits have also been an issue and one I feel is important!! If we are to have truly free and open elections then anyone willing to run should be allowed to run provided they meet the registered voter criteria!! At present we have a system which was designed to prevent people monopolising office in the region!! But, if people get enough votes then why should they not win office?! I did propose such a change to the Regional Assembly this term and it looks like it will be narrowly defeated!! I hope to work with the Regional Assembly next term to iron out any concerns and propose changes again to open our electoral process up to as many people as possible!!

We also need to look at our Military and ask ourselves "do we really have a military anymore?!"!! One of my goals from last term was to work with Heft, our Minister of Defence, to expand our military and implement a structure that would allow our regional military to function as an independent army!! Sadly, Heft and I soon realised that this was a task nigh on impossible with the current population and general apathy towards defending, due in some part to the timing of update for those in the US!! Presently we have very few North Pacificans in our army which consists mainly of puppets from other armies!! So much so that we do not have a nation that qualifies for the Minister of Defence this election that calls the NPA its home army!! I do hope to strengthen the NPA in the next term should I be elected, if not it must seriously consider being disbanded or taking on new roles in the NationStates community to attract more people to it!!

We need to continue to expand our diplomatic ties to increase our sphere of influence!! Positive steps were made this term as a diverse range of regions have opened diplomatic relations with The North Pacific!! I will work with the Minister of External Affairs to ensure this continues and to do what ever I can to maintain open channels of communication with the rest of NationStates!!

Conclusion

Overall, I believe my first term was a productive and successful one!! I believe I achieved almost all I promised and set out to achieve!! I promise to again work as I have this term to improve the region and to make it stronger and independent!! You don't have to like me, that is not important!! What is important is voting for someone who you think has the ability and the determination to get the job done as Prime Minister!! We have come so far in the last three months and we have a long way to go until our region reaches its true greatness!! I believe I am the nation to lead The North Pacific towards that greatness and ask that you vote for me and allow me to continue the job I started three months ago!!

Thank you for your time and best of luck to all candidates!!
 
A good term, Polts. Though nobody can rightly claim you were ever inaccessable, many feel that, during your term, the cabinet and the discussions taking place amongst the members of the cabinet were not transparent enough. How would you discourage such thought?
 
All aspects of Cabinet were published in the weekly report!! I don't really see any advantage in posting IRC transcripts, although we did post the transcript from the only IRC meeting we had!!

Any decision we made was made public as soon as the decision was made and open for discussion by anyone on the forum!!

The government is as transparent as it needs to be, the previous government did not publish any transcripts and for that matter rarely met at all!! I'd say this term was a huge step forward for cabinet activity and reporting to the citizens!!
 
Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you Poltsamaa on the achievements of this term. I value my Registered Voter status, probably moreso because it was denied for so long. And despite the doom-mongers I don't think anything terrible has happened because of me during the 2 months I have had that status.

You discuss several areas that interest me and I have a couple of questions/comments...

Firstly, concerning transparency. It seems to me there has been somehwat of a 'culture' change in The North Pacific from the time of my Delegacy when even not producing an entire transcript of a meeting was frowned upon and indeed cause for legal action. The Cabinet area on the then forum received complaints because although it was fully visible it could only be posted in by the Cabinet.

Now, there seems less concern with that. My question is this: Do you beleive that some Cabinet discussions could/should be made public? If so should it be all of them? Should there be some time delay in their release?

Regarding trials I am generaly supportive of the sort of model you suggest. I would just like to add that the time demands for both myself and Nik were huge in preparing for the trial. Not just the things that were actually seen but for example collecting often difficult to find evidence from many different forums.

I was also fortunate in having Nik's extremely adept services in representing me. I don't believe it ought to be the case that participating in an NS trial ought to require that someone has ANY real life legal experience whatsoever.

Next, to the constitution, it is my personal belief that it is over-long and difficult (except perhaps for its authors) to understand/find information. I believe this is especially a deterrent to 'newbies'.

My question is really a sort of hypothetical I'm afraid and I want to say before I ask it that it is certainly NOT my intention to propose it!

Would you support a major re-write/simplification of the Constitution if there was support for such an idea from the RA?

And finally, what is your opinion of chocolate? ;)
 
I do hope to strengthen the NPA in the next term should I be elected, if not it must seriously consider being disbanded or taking on new roles in the NationStates community to attract more people to it!!
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Could you expand on what you meant by that last phrase. What new roles could you see the NPA taking on?
 
Cathyy:
Firstly, I'd like to congratulate you Poltsamaa on the achievements of this term. I value my Registered Voter status, probably moreso because it was denied for so long. And despite the doom-mongers I don't think anything terrible has happened because of me during the 2 months I have had that status.
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Thank you, i am glad you have Registered Voter status and that you are now able to work within the community as you should have been permitted all along!!

You discuss several areas that interest me and I have a couple of questions/comments...

Firstly, concerning transparency. It seems to me there has been somehwat of a 'culture' change in The North Pacific from the time of my Delegacy when even not producing an entire transcript of a meeting was frowned upon and indeed cause for legal action. The Cabinet area on the then forum received complaints because although it was fully visible it could only be posted in by the Cabinet.

Now, there seems less concern with that.  My question is this: Do you beleive that some Cabinet discussions could/should be made public? If so should it be all of them? Should there be some time delay in their release?
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I don't see the need to make all Cabinet conversations public but I do believe that the issues dealt with by the Cabinet do need to be conveyed to the citizens of the region!! Hence, the weekly report outlining the activities of the Cabinet, Delegate and Speaker!! I think the past demands for transparency and posting rights in the Cabinet were born of motives other than the best interests of the region such as personal point scoring and smear!! I'd like to think that the region is evolving to the point where the elected officials have some scope to do their job without having to publish every post they make in the cabinet forum!!

Regarding trials I am generaly supportive of the sort of model you suggest. I would just like to add that the time demands for both myself and Nik were huge in preparing for the trial. Not just the things that were actually seen but for example collecting often difficult to find evidence from many different forums.

I was also fortunate in having Nik's extremely adept services in representing me. I don't believe it ought to be the case that participating in an NS trial ought to require that someone has ANY real life legal experience whatsoever.
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Thank you for the support!! I agree that as this is a game, people should not require rela life legal expertise to defend themselves from allegation via the judiciary!! A simple weighing up of evidence would be sufficient for the needs of the game!!

Next, to the constitution, it is my personal belief that it is over-long and difficult (except perhaps for its authors) to understand/find information. I believe this is especially a deterrent to 'newbies'.

My question is really a sort of hypothetical I'm afraid and I want to say before I ask it that it is certainly NOT my intention to propose it!

Would you support a major re-write/simplification of the Constitution if there was support for such an idea from the RA?
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If it were supported by the RA, then that would be great!! I do agree that the Constitution needs to made more "user friendly" for people not versed in legalese!! a major rewrite may not be the best avenue, but certainly working on amendments to simplify the constitution would have my support!!

And finally, what is your opinion of chocolate? ;)
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I love chocolate!! :yes:
 
Deikura:
Polts, what is your opinion on the Admins running for various cabinet positions?
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I have no problem with it!! There is no reason why someone cannot separate the jobs and do both equally well!! It depends on the person, but i think anyone charged with being a forum admin will be mature and sensible enough to be able to handle both aspects of their job here!!
 
flemingovia:
I do hope to strengthen the NPA in the next term should I be elected, if not it must seriously consider being disbanded or taking on new roles in the NationStates community to attract more people to it!!
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Could you expand on what you meant by that last phrase. What new roles could you see the NPA taking on?
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I would like to see the NPA get involved in Warzones either as a single entity or with other armies (especially with our current numbers!!)!! I would also like to see some work on organising war games with other regions/groups!! I believe both these thinsg would allow the NPA to generate more activity and interest and hopefully attract more troops to the fold!!
 
Poltsamaa:
flemingovia:
I do hope to strengthen the NPA in the next term should I be elected, if not it must seriously consider being disbanded or taking on new roles in the NationStates community to attract more people to it!!
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Could you expand on what you meant by that last phrase. What new roles could you see the NPA taking on?
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I would like to see the NPA get involved in Warzones either as a single entity or with other armies (especially with our current numbers!!)!! I would also like to see some work on organising war games with other regions/groups!! I believe both these thinsg would allow the NPA to generate more activity and interest and hopefully attract more troops to the fold!!
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And what would be your response to those people that would then turn around say "So when are you guys going to get back to real defending again?"

Not that that's ever happened, of course. <_<
 
Thanks for answering my questions Poltsamaa and I wish you well in the elections :)

EDIT: And I forgot the most important bit! Anyone who loves chocolate has to be a serious contender for my vote!
 
Heft:
And what would be your response to those people that would then turn around say "So when are you guys going to get back to real defending again?"

Not that that's ever happened, of course. <_<
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To an extent, we are involved in real defending, but the reality is that real defending is not at all interesting, it is a chore!! People play a game for fun and quite frankly it is a tough task selling as fun the idea of sitting up to the small hours of the morning waiting for update or sitting around waiting for someone to tell you to move your nation to a new region and then wait for update!!

Nothing wrong with real defending, but we need something more to generate interest that will see new people join the NPA!! There is no reason why we cannot be involved in real defending as well as involve ourselves in other areas like those I mentioned in response to Flem's question!!

Flemingovia:
Thank you for the prompt, and rather good, answer. I may steal the idea if I am elected. LOL
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I hope it works for you when you are elected!! ;)
 
In the coming election, you're running against two very strong candidates, but yet you've already served a term as imcumbent. What do you feel that you would be able to contribute to this office that would make you the better choice?
 
In running for a second term, people will expect a lot from you. How can you give them the unexpected with out letting them expect it out of giving the unexpected so they can expect it?
 
Hersfold:
In the coming election, you're running against two very strong candidates, but yet you've already served a term as imcumbent. What do you feel that you would be able to contribute to this office that would make you the better choice?
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I think I have shown over my last term that I can make decisions and operate in a manner that is fair, measured and removed from any personal opinion I might have!!

My opponents are capable people and have been in the region and involved in the regional government for a long time!! I feel that I sit in between the two!! Roman is quite determined to shape the region in his own image and Flemingovia tends to be the inert candidate!! I am the candidate that will act when action is necessary and will be inert when no action is necessary!!

In the past three months the atmosphere of the region has changed markedly and I believe that that is a reason for the continuation of my time as Prime Minister!! I have shown that I can put my personal viewpoints aside and work with the Cabinet for what is best for the region!!

The lack of questioning and complaining in my campaign thread and during my term also shows that my term was a calming one that will give the region a foundation to build on to become a power in NationStates!! We still have a lot of work to do, but we have the beginnings in place!!
 
Public Relations HQ:
In running for a second term, people will expect a lot from you. How can you give them the unexpected with out letting them expect it out of giving the unexpected so they can expect it?
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Hmmm...how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?! :huh:

People did not so much expect a lot from me last term in so far as they waited for me to screw up!! As there was not outcry I assume I did not screw up!! This term, I do not feel a lot is expected of me!! I believe that, should I be elected, the citizens would like to see a continuation of the processes that have been started last term!! Our foreign affairs is set to blossom after the proposal to simplify the process for opening diplomatic channels with other regions was passed!! I believe this will allow the sphere of influence of our region to expand more rapidly provided we can get the people involved to staff the new embassies!!

The unexpected, perhaps this region has had so much of the unexpected that the unexpected is now expected!! I don't see the need to create the unexpected, just to anticipate what is going to happen and have the plans in plae to deal with it!!

I forsee the next term as a peaceful one and one of expansion in the region!! The problems of the past are in the past and we are moving forward now!!
 
I polts would also liek to thank you for granting me my RV status which had been denied to me unlawfuly.

One point that has been raised both here and abroad is apathy in feeders and how to keep things moving. how do you propose to maintain and grow intrest in the regional government?
 
Fulhead Land:
I polts would also liek to thank you for granting me my RV status which had been denied to me unlawfuly.

One point that has been raised both here and abroad is apathy in feeders and how to keep things moving. how do you propose to maintain and grow intrest in the regional government?
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Thank you, Fulhead!! While allowing all eligible citizens to vote was one of my major goals of this term, it could not have been done without the Cabinet as a team recognising the importance of this issue and acting in the best interests of the region!! So, I'll pass on your thanks to all involved in assisting you to regain RV status!!

As far as revitalising the region, I think I have touched on a few areas where we can improve!! The NPA being a case in point and my plans to get involved in warzones and wargames as well as the routine defending will hopefully get a few more people involved and provide some sort of interest in the region!!

Another area is foreign affairs!! New legislation opens the door to expand our foreign affairs department rapidly over the next three months and this has generateed a lot of interest in running for MoEA!!

These are two areas where people can get involved in not only the region but expand their horizons and become involved in the greater NS community!!

Another area would be the Regional Assembly (or whatever it may be called depending on how current proposals before the body fare) where people can freely float their ideas for the region!! Something that was not possible 3 months ago!!

Essentially, we have to market each area of the region and I'll again be working closely with members of Cabinet to try and attract new nations or older nations that have not gotten involved in our region to give it a try!!

People with time, dedication and ability will have a chance to show others what they can do with a view to election to Cabinet in the future!!
 
Many feel that the Prime Minister has little real power and consider the PM to be little more than a coach to a team of ministers. Taking this as truth for the sake of this discussion, how have you used the power you have to keep the cabinet on track during your term? Do you plan to take up different methods if re-elected?
 
Fedele:
Many feel that the Prime Minister has little real power and consider the PM to be little more than a coach to a team of ministers. Taking this as truth for the sake of this discussion, how have you used the power you have to keep the cabinet on track during your term? Do you plan to take up different methods if re-elected?
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To a large extent what you say is true!! The Prime Minister has no portfolio to speak of and generally just manages the Cabinet!! I believe I have directed the Cabinet's attention to issues when they arose or when I felt an issue needed raising!! So, yes, I believe I did use what power I had to keep the Cabinet and region on track!! This is shown by the fact that you and others denied voting rights last election now have them!!

I do not plan to use different methods next term if elected!! For a start, there is no scope for me to do much more than I have under the current laws!! The region is headed in the right direction, should I win another termm I will continue to push for it to move in the same direction!! If someone else wins and decides to go a different way, then that is what the people of the region wish!!
 
For whatever my opinion is worth, I believe that Poltsamaa's track record proves him to be plenty well-suited for a second term. He has always acted within the law, the constitution, and the will of the people, even if he disagreed, and he is one of the best at actually getting things done that need to be done. The various issues this current cabinet inherited from the previous were all settled within a few weeks, at the most, and then any issues that came up later were always dealt with in a very timely, efficient manner.

It's not in my nature to just sit here and talk about how great someone is (you'll notice I very rarely, if ever, do), and I usually don't endorse any candidates, but I do believe Polts would be the best for the job, and I do think it's worth speaking up and saying so.
 
Thank you for your kind words Heft!! I enjoyed my first term as PM and if not re-elected will be content with what was achieved during that term with the assistance of the Cabinet!!
 
You're welcome!! Although you had already voted before I answered I'm sure it swayed your decision somehow!! :lol:
 
Yea, common logic would dictate that I ask this question before I vote but.... I don't always follow dictators.
 
I'm gonna go ahead and echo Heft's sentiments. It was a very nice term. :)

I haven't voted yet, but you have my vote. [tongue-in-cheek]If for no other reason than some people just want to have all the cool positions under their belt. *Cough* Sorry, had some phlegm in my throat.[/tongue-in-cheek] ;)


Good luck!
 
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