Part One - Structure of Government
At the heart of any decent government is an efficient and effective structure of government. Ensuring that all tasks are handled in such a way that the goals of that government are not just met, but exceeded, that progress is made when they are, and that these goals take care of all duties and responsibilities of that government to its citizens, is an art. Today, I will be outlining my vision for a solid structure of government that I believe will achieve this high wire act, and best serve the region’s interests.
First, let’s start with what is remaining the same. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Home Affairs will see no changes from how they operate currently. I will be addressing both of their respective policy directives at a later date in this campaign, however it should be widely expected to hear echoes from the past on these topics, as the current policy directives of both of these Ministries have been quite effective. In particular, it should be expected that Roleplay activities will continue free of government interference. Roleplay has an important place in our community and I look forward to working to continue their work and maintain their prominence in The North Pacific.
Second, I would like to address the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Radio. One of my top domestic priorities will be the Ministry of Radio and maintaining it as a separate institution from the Ministry of Communications. The quality of work that comes from the Ministry of Radio is top notch and maintaining that separation is ultimately a positive. For several terms now we have been observing how Radio functions outside of Communications, and have tested whether or not this separation will continue to work indefinitely. As of now, I am confident that we can continue to allow them to operate separately, and I will encourage their development as two separate and distinct ministries.
Now, let’s move to what is going to be changing. Broadly speaking, cooperation between the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense is very important. I believe we can take that cooperation a step further than we have been, and ensure that all of these crucial ministries operate under common directives and achieve the same goals that can only be achieved with the immense talent we have in all three of these ministries. To accomplish this, I will create a new position under my administration, one that codifies the cooperation I wish to see take place among these ministries, the ‘Inter-Ministry Officer.’ This individual will serve alongside the Delegate to follow events in these Ministries, educate members on areas of policy and government they may not yet be familiar with, and ensure clear messages and policy directives are given to each Ministry. What I have in mind is functionally very similar to the current position of Chief of Staff, but more focused and involved in these key ministries.
During this past term I have observed an excessive number of deputy minister appointments, with some individuals serving as a deputy to several ministries at once. Sometimes this is a result of one deputy minister becoming less active, sometimes it is a result of the wrong person being chosen initially forcing a redo of sorts. Sometimes a minister simply fears backlash for removing someone who they might prefer to replace. I believe the title of deputy minister should mean something, so while I will not be placing a hard cap on how many deputy ministers may be appointed to a given ministry, I intend to direct ministers in a Cosmo Administration to limit their appointments to what is necessary and to work with them in any situation where they feel additional deputies, or continued service from deputies who may otherwise be a seemingly bad fit for the role, may be in order. Of course some ministries require greater manpower and delegation, and there may be circumstances where a poorly performing deputy should be given some consideration, which is why I will work with the minister and give them every opportunity to resolve the situation as needed, and every ministry will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
As for positions like Chief of Staff and general advisory roles, these serve an important purpose. In times of hardship and turbulence, there must be those who can be relied upon for their experience and intelligence. For the role of Chief of Staff, I have a few names already in mind for the position. This person should be someone who has served extensively throughout our region’s history and has led the pack in various ways. Someone who I know I can trust and someone that the region can trust as well. Under my administration the Chief of Staff will also serve as a primary line between the Delegate’s Office and the public, working to educate them on policy directives and government operations. Having said that, I believe that the best adviser any public servant has is the public. Listening to feedback from the citizens of The North Pacific, both through more formal forum-based discussions and more informal voice and text chats on Discord, is something I have been encouraging since becoming involved in The North Pacific, and it is something I want to strongly encourage as Delegate. The power of the people in TNP is something they too often undervalue and underestimate, and I want them to be just as involved in the decisions their government makes as the people I will call on to help manage it.
I look forward to addressing questions on topics touched on in Part One of this campaign. I will be in Voice Chat on Discord for the next few hours, as well as responding to questions here on the forums. Any questions in Voice Chat will be transcribed and their answers will be replicated here on the forums as well.
