Our Roots Are Strong
Introduction
The North Pacific is the largest region in NationStates, with thousands of nations more than the regions that come behind it. Our government, however, has been inactive and unable to take advantage of the resources our great region has, and is not doing as much to lead the world as it once did, and for that, I am disappointed. My experience in The North Pacific's government for many years has shaped my views of our government and how to best serve it in the coming months. I have not lost hope in my region becoming the region that leads the world stage. Our region needs an active Delegate, order in the Ministries, and ideas that will not only lead us into the future, but reflect on our past. Through these three things, I'll prove that with me as Delegate, our roots are strong.
I've held almost every position in our region. I've been Vice Delegate, Chief of Staff, Security Councillor, Justice, Minister of Communications, Minister of Culture, Minister of Education, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker. I have a plethora of experience in the government, but especially in the executive, and am more than capable to step into the role this May.
The Ministry of Culture
I have years of experience working with Culture, either directly or indirectly. This past term, Gladio had to pick someone who knew Culture and would run the Ministry without much help. With the two Ministers that preceded me, this was not the case. I firstly was disappointed to not see McMasterdonia as the head of this ministry this term, especially since he was active and willing to serve Culture. This term, Culture also faced activity issues and then inefficiencies and chaotic management, resulting in holidays and events that did not occur as planned or expected. Culture is one of the areas TNP has thrived in for years - but at the beginning of the term, the Ministry stumbled. Despite those challenges, after I took over as Minister, we successfully pulled off events for April Fools' Day and Flag Day, we released the first ever Eras RP Magazine, and we finally wrapped up the Lennart Awards, and reflected on how to manage this better for future iterations of the awards. Culture under my Delegacy will be jointly working with Foreign Affairs to plan a summer world fair, attended by friendly regions and allies. The reasoning for this is to reestablish The North Pacific as a world leader in cultural activities and community building, and to share our culture, ideas and philosophies with other regions. We'll also be hosting events for Manumission Day, Democracy Day, and Liberation Day, as well as other RL holidays that fall within my term.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Foreign affairs is a vital piece of NationStates, but especially The North Pacific. Our ambassadors need to have the proper knowledge and training in order to successfully facilitate their duties. The mentoring program done by the Ministry this term was a good start, however, it relied heavily on the mentors and mentees both working together. The Minister and their Senior Diplomats need to make sure that ambassadors are aware of the Diplomatic Protocol prior to sending them out on their assignment. There are many people wanting to be ambassadors, but few are aware of the seriousness of the role. I also would like to see a TNP World Factbook created on our offsite forum, using resources provided by myself, the Minister, and their staff. The Factbook would give current and future ambassadors knowledge of who is in charge of the government, who the Minister of Foreign Affairs (or equivalent) is, and what type of government the embassies have. Our Ministry will be attentive to the actions of other regions, and respond quickly and efficiently. Using the summer fair mentioned earlier, and working to make our diplomatic corps more active and engaged, I expect us to both expand our foreign policy horizons to partner with new regions and reinvigorate our current ties with our allies.
The Ministry of Defense
Prior to my appointment as a Security Councillor, I was an active member of The North Pacific Army. The North Pacific has the greatest and most consistently active military of the Game Created Regions. To uphold that, our army needs to consistently be deploying and doing a variety of operations. I'd personally like to see us coordinate large-scale operations with our allies. With the instability of our fellow GCRs in the past couple of years, our army must be ready to coordinate a liberation of one of our allies, or at worst, our own region. We need to be ready, at a moments notice, to get all hands on deck in case the unthinkable happens. Our army needs to be there when our allies need us, and I think we can do that. I know that not everyone can participate in every operation, but every nation involved in each operation counts, and we must acknowledge every individual contribution that assists in keeping our Army strong and active. The NPA continues to lead the world standard in activity, ability, and we have a duty to maintain this momentum consistently for the months to come.
The Ministry of Communications
The Northern Lights has been regularly published each month, and to that, I am very thankful. However, I think instead of using our dispatches and other onsite resources, TNL has turned from a news source to a foreign update for our allies and embassies. I have been impressed with the high volume of work completed by Communications this term. The need for news, research, and internationally interesting pieces needs to be balanced against the need for regular issues for releases. I really want to take advantage of the resources that r3n has provided to us onsite to publish news as quickly as possible via the in-game nation of TNL and its dispatches. This frees up TNL for opinion articles, interviews, and other more-relevant news stories. This also encourages onsite participation with upvoting dispatches of TNL. One of my achievements this term was the release of the Eras Magazine. This term, Communications will share in the responsibility of getting the Magazine published by helping edit and craft the articles. I will host multiple fireside chats this term, and I want to see Communications using both the regional message board and the onsite resources to engage with our citizens to keep them updated about both onsite and offsite activities and news.
The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs
The North Pacific alone has one of the strongest votes in the World Assembly. Being active in the World Assembly is one of the most important things I will do this term. I will actively engage with WALL, and make sure that proposals submitted by us or sponsored by WALL will be stacked in our favor. Missing votes is unacceptable. Hours can separate a WA win from a loss. The current government has had trouble getting to votes on time and I will strive to ensure I will not fall into the same pattern. I will rely heavily on my WA Minister to coordinate the upcoming votes so that I can be prepared to stay up and vote on time. Obviously, I cannot speak to the Ministry and not mention my WA endorsement count, which I will make sure is within range to make the transition as smooth as possible. I also want to use this term, the most active term, to beat the world endorsements record, which with our summer burst, should be accomplished easily. Citizens, as usual, should be informed when and how to vote, and we need to make sure everyone is getting involved in both endotarting and WA voting.
The Ministry of Home Affairs
Home Affairs is one of, if not the most vital piece of The North Pacific. The work of this Ministry is critical to the induction of new members, and is often an underrated Ministry. The connections people make are important. This election cycle, I did the unthinkable. I bought enough stamps to telegram the entire region, and thus, get not only input from citizens, but our region as a whole. Building relationships is crucial to translating nations into engaged forum citizens. I will be actively engaging on the Regional Message Board, asking for feedback, chatting with our residents, and inviting them to engage on our forum and Discord, and expect our Gameside Advocates to be doing the same. We've been a region that looks down upon our onsite counterparts, and I would like to change that this term.
The Vice Delegacy and the Security Council
I didn't want to finish my platform without speaking to the Vice Delegacy and their role in my government. Most Delegate candidates are asked to define what they'd hope to see from their Vice Delegate, though obviously, that choice is for the people to make. I believe the Vice Delegate should have an active role in my government, and be ready to step in in the event that I am temporarily unavailable. When inactivity has arisen in the Delegacy this term, this has not occurred. I'd also like to see the Security Council active this term, and hope that the Council continues to allow me access despite being Delegate.
Conclusion
As a member of the Security Council, Minister of Culture, RolePlay Moderator, and citizen of The North Pacific, I am an active member of our community and will be an active Delegate. I've defined exactly what I expect from each of the Ministries this term and how I expect them to run. I've also laid out many ideas that I believe will bring TNP back into a stronger position on the global stage. All this being said, I hope you enjoyed reading my platform, and I hope I have your vote. The last thing I want to say is thank you. Even if you aren't voting for me, I want to thank you for all that you've done to get me to this point where, even by losing twice in a Delegacy race, that I can confidently stand here and submit another platform and try my luck again. Whether I've known you since I first arrived in TNP back in 2013, or if we just met, thank you so much. You are the roots of TNP that I built my platform on, and our roots are strong.
