Fregerson for Vice Delegate - Stability in Change

[Fregerson]

Hello all! I am Fregerson, and I will be running for Vice Delegate of TNP. If you don't know who am I, my CV and history in TNP can be found in my signature, and I can take any questions on that as well. I refer to my campaign as looking for Stability in Change - our region is facing lots of challenges, and changes have to be made to ensure that we continue to keep ourselves relevant and make sure we follow the events around us. In this time, the least I believe I will need to do as Vice Delegate is to find some stability within our region, to ensure that our internal mechanisms continue to work, or are restarted properly, so that we as a region can properly handle the changes around us and the changes that we have to make on the external front.

I will keep things short, and have 3 main campaign points.

1. Focus on Endotarting and keeping endorsement counts high
As we continue to face the issues of the summer lull, and our falling endorsement counts, much more work on endotarting is necessary. The Delegate tip has shown to us that there are definite improvements that needed to be made to our system, and we going forward, we will be figuring out the best way to reach out to our WA residents to make sure they give the Delegate, the Vice Delegate, and the Security Council all the endorsements possible. I believe that this needs to be our main point of issue to handle - and will be looking into ways to work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve the endorsement levels.

2. Linking the Security Council to the Executive
Given the unusual circumstances we are currently in, I think we can definitely use this time to tap on the expertise of some of our older Security Council members. While I am not advocating for a full involvement of the Security Council in the Executive, I believe that their knowledge and understanding would be useful as we work hand-in-hand to improve the security of our region. As our Executive considers its options in dealing with the BoM and TCB question, this is the time where we should make sure we are able to maintain our regional security, and also work to improve our current security situation so that we would not face a repeat of the Delegate tilting situation again.

3. Keeping an eye on the Executive
Even as Vice Delegate, I will continue to be keeping tabs on events in the Executive and making my ideas and thoughts heard. Recent Vice Delegates have shown that level of competence as they continue to keep themselves updated on things in the Executive, and then moving on to the Delegacy in a much smoother manner. While I don't want to commit to a future Delegate run as yet, I think it is important to have all hands on deck as I believe that this would be a very busy term for the Delegate and the Executive as a whole.

Open to answering any questions/concerns.

 

[Dinoium]

Hello Fregerson. It’s great to see you willing to step up to the challenge of being the region’s next Vice Delegate. I read your platform and it is quite interesting. I do have some questions for you.
1. In your platform, you mention you would be “looking into ways to work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve the endorsement levels”. Can you elaborate more on this? I think this is a very unique idea that could be beneficial, but I’m curious to how the Ministry of Home Affairs can improve endorsement levels. Will you be cooperating with the next home affairs minister on telegram lists to encourage WA residents who aren’t endorsing an individual security councilor to do so?
2. As of writing this, you have 598 endorsements. You mention how endorsement counts continue to decline. Do you believe this decline you refer to will affect your ability to close the gap and become the 2nd most endorsed nation in the region? It’ll be a mammoth task as you would certainly need 200 endorsements at minimum to be in that range.
3. You mentioned your history and CV in this region. Do you believe your past positions can help you take on this new role if elected? If so, why?

I’ll probably think of more questions later, but I’ll let you answer these three first. Cheers.

 

[Simone]

1. Do you personally support war?

2. I am not asking the recall question because you have been recalled before and didn't vote in that recall.

 

[Fregerson]

Hello Fregerson. It’s great to see you willing to step up to the challenge of being the region’s next Vice Delegate. I read your platform and it is quite interesting. I do have some questions for you.
1. In your platform, you mention you would be “looking into ways to work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve the endorsement levels”. Can you elaborate more on this? I think this is a very unique idea that could be beneficial, but I’m curious to how the Ministry of Home Affairs can improve endorsement levels. Will you be cooperating with the next home affairs minister on telegram lists to encourage WA residents who aren’t endorsing an individual security councilor to do so?
2. As of writing this, you have 598 endorsements. You mention how endorsement counts continue to decline. Do you believe this decline you refer to will affect your ability to close the gap and become the 2nd most endorsed nation in the region? It’ll be a mammoth task as you would certainly need 200 endorsements at minimum to be in that range.
3. You mentioned your history and CV in this region. Do you believe your past positions can help you take on this new role if elected? If so, why?

I’ll probably think of more questions later, but I’ll let you answer these three first. Cheers.

1. While the Security Council has its own WADP and alert dispatches for people not endorsing the Security Council, the effectiveness of it alone may not be enough to stop the slide. We definitely can tap on the MoHA's current infrastructure with lists to establish a better manner of getting the information across, so that more people are aware about the benefits of cross-endorsing and endorsing members of the Security Council
2. I have not be on an endotarting streak for quite some time. In fact, as of writing Delegate Chipoli's endorsement count is 861, and according to the advice of the Security Council, non-SC members are encouraged to keep their numbers around 50 below the Vice Delegate's minimum count (three-quarters of the Delegate's count), which as it stands is 595 (75% * 861 - 50). This means that I am actually borderline crossing the limit and therefore have decided against endotarting until I reached the point of being elected as Vice Delegate. I have close to 300 (EDIT: It seems to be 403 yet-to-endorse as of writing now, and to be honest my 300 estimate was around 2 weeks ago when I got the notification from the SC) nations which I have not endorsed, recently only endorsing nations which endorsed me and not actively seeking them out. I do believe I have the space and ability to catch up to a fairly decent amount within a month of election, should I resume the endotarting work I have been doing.
3. I have been in TNP for quite a long time, in fact, stepping into my 4th year now. I have seen leaders who have shown me different ways of leadership and decision making, and my experience as Minister under different portfolios gave me an opportunity to figure out what is my style and how I can do things to fit my style. Also, I believe my recent knowledge and understanding about events around various regions, as well as my involvement with some of the more recent FA discussions, would allow me to be able to be in a position to understand where we stand in terms of the security of the region and what are the backups we actually have to make sure the security levels remain there.

1. Do you personally support war?

No sane person would want war for no reason. In this case, I guess its either we have a pseudo-war or a war, given the actions that have been taken against us. There are FA implications at play that is changing at the moment as well.

 

[Tim Kasto]

Thoughts on Eurodance as a music genre?

 

[Robespierre]

Fregerson,

I must say, when speculation about this election began to pick up, yours was a name that I saw come up more than once for the Vice Delegacy. Nonetheless, upon further inspection, I was pleased to see that your personal endorsement level was comparable to my own and that you could reasonably be expected to complete a transition into the #2 seat within a timely fashion.

Having said that, it's undeniable that voters are placing a greater emphasis on who the Vice Delegate is more so now than ever before in light of the past two Delegates and their respective resignations. With that in mind, I must ask: Do you feel prepared?

You mention how you've been a consistent presence within the region for some time now and how you've been able to observe the leadership styles of others who've come before you firsthand. But, in the extremely unfortunate event that your services would be required as Acting Delegate, how would this knowledge/experience translate to your own leadership of the region during a difficult time?

Moreover, what do you believe is the most profound quality that separates you from your opponent, Nutmeg, in this race? Why should voters choose them over you and, conversely, why should voters choose you over them?

If you'll indulge me, I'd like for you to please give answers/reasons for both. Additionally, ...

1. Focus on Endotarting and keeping endorsement counts high
As we continue to face the issues of the summer lull, and our falling endorsement counts, much more work on endotarting is necessary. The Delegate tip has shown to us that there are definite improvements that needed to be made to our system, and we going forward, we will be figuring out the best way to reach out to our WA residents to make sure they give the Delegate, the Vice Delegate, and the Security Council all the endorsements possible. I believe that this needs to be our main point of issue to handle - and will be looking into ways to work with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve the endorsement levels.

I'd planned on asking you, as well as any other candidate for Vice Delegate who happened to stand up this time around, about the unexpected change in the WA Delegate's seat that recently occurred courtesy of TCB/BoM. However, since you already mentioned how you feel that there are definite improvements that need to be made to our regional security system(s) going forward, I'd instead like to ask you to elaborate on what your main takeaways from this incident have been.

Aside from working with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve endorsement levels, as you've proposed and have since clarified to Lionsroar in response to their question, what else can/should be done? Is working with the executive/HA the only remedy that you see at this time? If not, what are some other possible ways for us to improve the system, and what degree of difficulty do you imagine you'll have with pursuing possible solutions if you're elected?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

 

[Skaraborg]

If elected VD, will you be continuing the trend of running for Delegate the term after?

 

[Fregerson]

Thoughts on Eurodance as a music genre?

Why not

Fregerson,

I must say, when speculation about this election began to pick up, yours was a name that I saw come up more than once for the Vice Delegacy. Nonetheless, upon further inspection, I was pleased to see that your personal endorsement level was comparable to my own and that you could reasonably be expected to complete a transition into the #2 seat within a timely fashion.

Having said that, it's undeniable that voters are placing a greater emphasis on who the Vice Delegate is more so now than ever before in light of the past two Delegates and their respective resignations. With that in mind, I must ask: Do you feel prepared?

You mention how you've been a consistent presence within the region for some time now and how you've been able to observe the leadership styles of others who've come before you firsthand. But, in the extremely unfortunate event that your services would be required as Acting Delegate, how would this knowledge/experience translate to your own leadership of the region during a difficult time?

I think one can never really be fully prepared because things are ever changing and no matter how much advice you have from others who have been in the position previously, they never really cover for the lack of experience that someone new to the position has. But I can say I feel more prepared than before, if anything. Among all the candidates here, my experience is probably the most varied. The lowest points I faced was when I roped in unexpected to handle a dying Ministry of Communications, or struggled to handle the administrative issues that piled up and snowballed during my term as Speaker. Or my high points when I got to grip with the MInistry of World Assembly really quickly as a newcomer, and became a Deputy within my first few active months in TNP, and managing to juggle the after-effects of the TSP fallout in May. I would say these varying points have provided different lessons and experiences to me, that will very much help me as I go through this new phase of being VD.
As for being Acting Delegate, I think the last 2 incidents happening in quick succession was an unfortunate series of accidents that just so happened to be back-to-back. Its ugly, but I would think my experience in the Executive under different Delegates and different Ministers have helped me find my own style of leadership. The importance of communication, keeping up to things in different ministries (even those which are not exactly your area of expertise), and making sure that there is nothing stagnant - those are the most important aspect of being an Acting Delegate. And as Vice Delegate I am not going to stop my involvement in the Executive. Sure, I may scale back a bit, but ultimately I feel these recent incidents proved the importance of a VD keeping up with things in the Executive. This way, if I need to step in due to unforeseen circumstances, I can help to maintain status quo and tide the region over.

Moreover, what do you believe is the most profound quality that separates you from your opponent, Nutmeg, in this race? Why should voters choose them over you and, conversely, why should voters choose you over them?

Nutmeg has been newer to the region as a whole, and I believe that they can provide a lot of fresh blood and newer energy to the office as a whole. But my difference is the experience I have under my belt. Given the way the past 2 Delegate terms have ended, I believe that the region needs some stability to ensure that we continue to have some level of continuity. Switching governments, Delegates, and policy directions may not be the best thing we need right now. And I believe I have the ability to bridge the past to the present, to help to ensure that we continue to do what we are currently good at, bring back what we are used to be good at, and ensure that we maintain some level of internal stability while we tide over these trying times.

I'd planned on asking you, as well as any other candidate for Vice Delegate who happened to stand up this time around, about the unexpected change in the WA Delegate's seat that recently occurred courtesy of TCB/BoM. However, since you already mentioned how you feel that there are definite improvements that need to be made to our regional security system(s) going forward, I'd instead like to ask you to elaborate on what your main takeaways from this incident have been.

Aside from working with the Ministry of Home Affairs to improve endorsement levels, as you've proposed and have since clarified to Lionsroar in response to their question, what else can/should be done? Is working with the executive/HA the only remedy that you see at this time? If not, what are some other possible ways for us to improve the system, and what degree of difficulty do you imagine you'll have with pursuing possible solutions if you're elected?

I am an outsider to the Security Council. I don't want to make much comments on how they have been endotarting and maintain the endorsement counts at the top without looking exactly at what is inside. Working with what I know, that is, the executive, is something that I am more familiar with, and a promise which I believe is easier to achieve. As for my takeaways, I think this incident is largely seen as the final snowball at the end of the slippery slope. The signs have been there - a bigger than usual Summer slump, Delegates did not complete a full term for 2 consecutive terms now, and then the external pressure we face from ideologically radical regions. The WA Delegacy tipping was the final straw - it showed that what we thought was an "unbreakable" system has been broken exactly because the right combination of factors came together. I don't want to put fingers and blame anyone for this error - it very well may not have been the SC's fault at all, because we can't simply control how big of a margin we can keep between the Delegate and the VD. But if the problem comes up, we need to minimize the chances of it happening again - and this is the main direction I will take this term.

Thank you in advance for your answers.

Hope my answers have been satisfactory

If elected VD, will you be continuing the trend of running for Delegate the term after?

I will be real honest with everyone - I contemplated running for Delegate as early as in May. But in the end looking at how busy I was IRL over in the end May-June period, I think I made the right choice not to do so. And I will continue to take this one step at a time. Whether I aim for a second VD term, stepping up to the Delegacy, or just dropping back for a while before making another run - that would depend on my RL circumstances in January 24, the state of the region then, and also how I felt my performance has been.

 

[Gorundu]

Over the past few terms, various Vice Delegates have expanded the role of the office by exploring different ways of improving community engagement with the Security Council. What are your thoughts on these efforts, and would you make any efforts of your own on the community engagement front?

 

[Fregerson]

Over the past few terms, various Vice Delegates have expanded the role of the office by exploring different ways of improving community engagement with the Security Council. What are your thoughts on these efforts, and would you make any efforts of your own on the community engagement front?

I don't see community engagement with the Security Council as "expanding the role of the office". I would much rather consider "getting involved in the Executive" to be beyond the duties of the VD, but seeing how recent Delegacies have ended, I think that is something necessary for every Vice Delegate.

I think of these community engagements as something necessary. In fact, for any government official. Its important to keep people aware of your presence, especially the newer users, because they will eventually form the backbone of our region. But I think the methods that have been employed might need a bit of refinement and tweaks. I don't believe it is about just letting the RMB know about you, but rather making your presence known. Because the first thought for most people is simple - if they see a familiar face, they would more likely want to know about them. If they see a person who rarely comes up and has nothing memorable, no matter what you do to introduce yourself to them, nothing is going to stick. As for the details, I don't have any right now, but I definitely see community engagement as part of the things the Security Council needs to do, and as Chair of the Security Council, I believe I am in the position to help the body as a whole do that.

 

[Simone]

Similar questions I asked Nutmeg:

1. If whoever is elected D seeks a second term (if they want, and there's always a possibility that RON wins and we get a different set of candidates), would you run against that sitting delegate?

2. Have you thought about how you would do in terms of other ministries if you are required to step up as delegate? MoWAA I assume you are familiar since we have been colleagues. (This applies to both you and Nutmeg since I've been in MoWAA for quite sometime).

 

[Fregerson]

Similar questions I asked Nutmeg:

1. If whoever is elected D seeks a second term (if they want, and there's always a possibility that RON wins and we get a different set of candidates), would you run against that sitting delegate?

2. Have you thought about how you would do in terms of other ministries if you are required to step up as delegate? MoWAA I assume you are familiar since we have been colleagues. (This applies to both you and Nutmeg since I've been in MoWAA for quite sometime).

1. Usually I wouldn't run against an incumbent.

2. I have seen enough of the various ministries to do my job as a Delegate if it comes to that, and will simply macro manage the executive as a whole. I am not the kind of person who likes to micro-manage every ministry, I trust the Ministry leadership on that.