Manumission Day Address

[Gorundu]

Manumission Day Address
May 26, 2023
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Today is Manumission Day, and this year it marks 18 years since the end of Pixiedance’s reign of tyranny over the region. In those intervening years, we have experienced long periods of instability, multiple coups and coup attempts, rogue Delegates, and more, but through those challenging times the region and our proud members never lost track of our ideals of democracy and freedom. In the end, that is what prevailed. We overcame our past reputation as the chronically unstable feeder that people point and laugh at as proof of democracy’s failures, and now we are a shining example of how democracy on NationStates can indeed produce leaders of the highest calibre. Perhaps more importantly, our robust democratic institutions have weathered controversies and crises, proving itself more than capable of steering the region in the right direction.

Although it has been many years since we last experienced the reign of a rogue Delegate, it is important to remember that we are not immune to a hostile takeover or a rogue Delegate, despite our size and despite our robust democratic culture. A month ago, NationStates released the most significant gameplay update in years, slashing the proportion of new nations we receive by half. While the worst we have feared is yet to come, this update serves as a reminder that we cannot take our security and our strength for granted. To preserve and protect our democracy, it takes not only our Security Council, or the Delegate and Vice Delegate - it has been, and always will be, a collective effort on the part of all our citizens. Robust institutions are ultimately built through input and participation from the people, not the government alone. Through the years, we have significantly raised the standards of what we expect from our different branches of government, and we have overcome our past reputation as the chronically unstable feeder to become known as one of the most secure GCRs. But we cannot rest on our laurels. The accountability of our institutions towards our citizens is a great asset of the region, and I encourage all of you to continue carrying this proud tradition forward as the government tackles the new challenges we face in this new era of gameplay. As a region, we have granted significant powers and rights to our residents and citizens because we have always held faith that democracy and freedom is what makes a region thrive, and I have no doubt you will continue to prove us right.

Let us take this special day to remember how far we have come, and remind ourselves that freedom and democracy can never be taken for granted. I hope each and every one of you is inspired to help our region continue striving towards the best we can be, and to never let our ideals fade away.

With love and joy,

Gorundu
Delegate of The North Pacific