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South Pacific Independent News Network · 02-06-2022, 09:46 PM

ELECTION COVERAGE
FEBRUARY 2022 CABINET ELECTION DEBATE SERIES

Senior Editor James Halpert sat down with all candidates running in the February 2022 Cabinet Election to know more about their qualifications, intended policies, and their visions for the coming term.

Prime Minister
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Culture

PRIME MINISTER

Opening Remarks

[HumanSanity] Hi all. I'll keep it simple: I'm HumanSanity, I'm your Prime Minister, I'm running for re-election because I think we've had an excellent term and I'd like to stay your Prime Minister. Across the board, we've been experiencing huge growth: Discord activity is increased and consistent, SPSF participation is skyrocketing, we have refined our FA agreements, Media has continued to publish on schedule but still has work to do in terms of quality, Engagement has started an outreach program that will pay inevitable dividends, we have an actual Culture Calendar that people use, and despite three different OWL Directors in my term we finally have developed a workable and streamlined OWL procedure that can be more easily implemented. There's still a lot of work to do in every Ministry -- especially in the area of staff integration -- but I'm ready for the challenge

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Sure! I'll be brief because I need to go get a COVID test shortly.

Hi, I'm WS, I'm running for PM because I want to see a competitive race and I'm here to offer a slightly different flavor of leadership. I would characterize my approach to leadership and specifically the PM's office as that of the ultimate hype man. i lead by giving those around me the tools and direction they need to succeed and making sure everything runs like one well-oiled machine. Despite some struggles with turnover and personnel in my first term as PM, we got a number of long-term projects out the door and set up several other projects which were brought home wonderfully by HS' administration. My biggest goal in this term is to see the same happen, especially in the area of foreign policy.

I'm back, I'm ready, and I'm looking forward to a great election.

The region has experienced 4 months under HumanSanity's leadership. How do you think the South Pacific is now compared to 4 months ago, and what opportunities for improvement should be looked at moving forward?

[HumanSanity] We're better off than we were 4 months ago. In every Ministry, with the possible exception of Media, we've experienced growth and moved ourselves forward as I explained earlier.

The problems we're facing now are how to continue those gains. We need to do more work -- in every single Ministry -- on staff member outreach and integration. We often think of Integration as a whole-of-region issue, i.e. "bring new people into the region", and not as a task-by-task issue, which is the other layer. When new people join the Culture staff, we need to reach out, then follow up, then follow up again to make sure they get set up with tasks that interest them, and be willing to adjust our ongoing plans to help cultivate the interest of eager new staff members. In the past, new staff have wilted on the vine, which is part of why our staffs are so slow right now. Changing that to create a more sustainable base for Ministry growth is priority #1 for my term

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] I will be honest, HS has been every bit the fantastic leader I expected them to be. There has been tremendous progress, especially when it comes to accountability to the people. Despite being their opponent, I have no real criticism of their term or leadership. What I’d like to see more of mainly has to do with specific issues relating to global politics and issues that have arisen recently. That’s stuff that can mostly be compartmentalized into specific ministries, but as a whole I’m very happy with the place TSP is in. The issues relating to some of the domestic ministries (looking at you, Media) are mostly out of the control of anyone here - with the possible exception of the Ministry of Culture. I have some concerns about the Ministry of Culture basically just being the "Ministry of Events" and I'd like to see us think a little more dynamically about what we consider "Culture." Otherwise I'm very happy that TSP has thrived in my time off.

You each seem to have diverging opinions on the role that the Prime Minister (PM) should play within the Cabinet. What role should the PM play, and why is that the case?

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Yeah, I was pretty clear about this in my campaign and it also played out to great success in my term as PM. I am the ultimate hype man. I generally don't try to take center stage, but rather I try to be the glue that keeps this together and gets things out the door. The unified applications was a prime example of this - there were a lot of moving parts between the individual ministries, LegComm, and admin, and I was the person in the middle making sure everyone had what they needed in the form. I basically only appear on the center stage when it's needed. I've found that works best for me and I enjoy giving those who work under me wide authority to pursue the projects they feel are most important.

[HumanSanity] In contrast to W&S, I think the Prime Minister should act like the head of government of the region and direct the Cabinet. Without someone to actively steer and manage the ship, Ministers often can get side tracked, not work together to fit the big picture of regional growth, focus on quantity rather than quality, and things can slip through the cracks and communication get sticky. When you elect me as Prime Minister, you're giving me your trust to deliver on what needs to happen for the region, and I'll be willing to step up, give the directive, follow up with people, etc. to make it happen.

W&S' prior term saw both the strengths and weaknesses of that model of more collaboratively leadership. Sure, W&S was able to steer through the Unified Applications form, but we also saw problems like OWL reform go unresolved for months, Engagement simply grow frustrated or stall out under two different Ministers in one term, or the way conflicting signals coming from the Cabinet allowed political chaos in the Assembly. My term has been devoid of such issues, and that's due to top-down leadership.

There has been some discussion in both campaigns about ensuring that the Ministry of Culture (MoC) does not stick to simply running small-scale events. Would you say the MoC has a role in using events and activities to highlight and promote the unique culture of the region?

[HumanSanity] Yes.

How? I think Culture needs to diversify beyond "here's skribbl", "here's tetris". Those things are good for generating activity but ultimately re-serve the same narrow subset of South Pacificans over and over again, and are inevitably restricted due to time zones. Writing and art contests, role playing, puzzles, forum games, etc. - moreover, longer-term events - can help pique interest more. I wasn't as forceful about this with MoC this past term as I should have been, in part due to recognizing and accepting the gain we had from the previous term's MoC in some areas. Next term, I'll be more hands on with the Minister of Culture, and while my experience in TSP has largely been external, I have the experience in previous regions to back up a strong Culture push: that's been my bread and butter on NS for years.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Yeah, I'm not interested in just seeing the MoC being the "ministry of events" - and it'd be a major priority to take a hard look at diversifying the view of what we consider "culture." I likewise have a lot of experience in various cultural areas - I spent a total of three terms running 10ki's lottery in my time there in addition to running 10ki University for a couple of years. I spearheaded the revival of the Defender Awards in 2017. "Culture" is not just about a game day here and there - it's about our image and the type of atmosphere that players enjoy once they're here. I'm totally in agreement with HS on this one.

Some things that I really enjoyed while in 10ki were conversations on various topics of interest. I led a German language group and there was a lively chess club, as well as a gaming thread that was quite active. That's something we could explore in addition ot the ideas HS mentioned.

Belschaft, the sole candidate for Minister of Culture, is running on a platform of abolishing the ministry. What do you think of this, and how would you work with Belschaft if they were elected?

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] I would not. I've been very up front as to my opposition to the MoM's abolition without a clear path forward. As Belschaft has not presented a plan for the continuation of the various publication's under the MoM's roof, I do not intend to honor or support any plan to abolish the Ministry of Media.

My prerequisite for working with such a destructive and subversive campaign is a continuation plan. I see it as nothing more than glorified trolling and stirring the pot. There are few things that irritate me more. Maybe unwarranted or false accusations.

[HumanSanity] Look, if Belschaft is elected as Minister of Media, I think that's a pretty clear demonstration we should let things stall for a term.

"But HS, that's in contrast to your platform of telling Ministers what to do!"

Yes, but there's a difference between forcing a Minister to do the exact opposite of the platform they were elected to fulfill and asking them to prioritize A over B or trying to have a consistent message about X. If Belschaft wins, it's pretty clear people don't want a Ministry of Media for the next 4 months, and that's a shame but that's what people want. Not to mention, time and energy for other members of the executive (especially the PM) is limited, so the idea of me simply going through and acting as de facto Minister of Media to get around Belschaft's having shut the Ministry down is simply not feasible.

Now, I will say. I'm not voting for Belschaft, and if there's no other candidate I'll be voting to Re-open Nominations. I would encourage basically anyone with a shred of interest to run at this point. I do think Media in TSP can work, I think we have to change some things from how we've been doing them in the past, and I explained (in brief) how and why in my campaign. Media should drive activity and refocus energy on our regional democracy, rather than simply reflect it.

What role do you see for the South Pacific as a defender region moving forward, and for the Partnership for Sovereignty within the region's foreign policy?

[HumanSanity] I see the role of the South Pacific as being one of defending's foremost political, military, and cultural powers. Unlike other defender military powers, we have a wealth of history to our region, standing and powerful treaties, a robust and long-time democracy, and a fully structured government capable of delivering on a variety of fronts and delivering in synergy. The past several terms for the SPSF - under Moon's leadership as well as mine and W&S - have been about harnessing those political/cultural elements to serve the military aspects of defending as well.

As for the Partnership for Sovereignty, I am interested to see the bloc take on a greater cultural role in defending. Right now, we've restricted ourselves to solely WA recommendations, and that's fine and good, but I think we could do more for integration and communication across defender regions and creating a genuine meeting point for our broader strengths as regions to come together.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] In the last year we’ve really started to realize the potential of a feeder as a defender region. We’ve seen the SPSF’s updater numbers grow exponentially from a year ago when I first took the reins as MoD and was essentially solo-carrying the org to now regular being in the top 2 or 3 in updater turnout among all defender orgs. Regarding the PfS, my general dislike of the WA is well known, but I acknowledge the function the PfS serves in representing defender interests within the WA. That said, I do think it is somewhat myopic in its focus on WA recommendations and not being a bridge toward defending as a cultural phenomenon rather than just a military stance. Defending should be pervasive; it should dominate the airwaves and drown out opposition. I view defending as a moral good and something where every opportunity should be seized, because the alternative is inherently undesirable.

Thanks to the leadership of the last three Ministers especially (two of whom are present in this debate), TSP and the SPSF have become one of the most robust and "complete" defender organizations in the game. There's a lot we can do to further that, but we're headed in the right direction.

There have been claims that the Cabinet has used low quality SPIT in official state functions. How would you respond to these claims?

[HumanSanity] Fake news.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] If so, it wasn't the case in my administration. I take my liquor seriously.

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[HumanSanity] Cake

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Pumpkin pie > apple pie > cake > other kinds of pie

[HumanSanity] W&S has good taste within the category of pie.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] :catnod:

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[HumanSanity] W&S, you've said repeatedly that you are a soldier and not a politician. Yet, you're running for Prime Minister, a thoroughly political role. In your previous term, this gap in focus and experience showed. If elected, how will you adjust to rise to the political demands of being Prime Minister - both externally and internally?

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] Well, you can't really stand up without falling. My first term at the helm had some fantastic highs as well as some fantastic lows. That is to be expected of anyone new to the "top job" - there are going to be growing pains. Now that I know what works and what doesn't, I expect to be more comfortable calling the shots, even if I prefer a style of leadership that doesn't have me as the face of everything.

My question of you is somewhat related - I was a little confused about your discussion of leadership. while I was PM, I had the impression that most of the Cabinet-level issues and turnover was due to pressures from outside the Cabinet and in one case an issue completely out of the Cabinet's control. Where in my term do you feel that leading from the top would have led to a better outcome?

[HumanSanity] I think leading from the top, as Prime Minister, means stepping up to take control of the Cabinet's public message to the international community and to the Assembly.

Your Cabinet, which I was very much a part of, was subjected to a lot of poking and prodding by the Assembly, and this created a somewhat hostile attitude between the Cabinet and some members of the Assembly.

As frustrating as that at times was for the Cabinet, the Assembly has every right and remit to criticize the Cabinet's job performance, and the role of the Prime Minister is to respond to those issues effectively (pre-emptively if possible), cut off or limit possible further avenues for criticism while maintaining a consistent and strong position, and "shield" Cabinet ministers from taking blows themselves so they can stay focused on their work. In your term, I feel that didn't happen, I think public pressure from the Assembly ended up with inconsistent and poorly coordinated haphazard responses, which made political problems worse rather than being handled with ease. A large part of this is due to the fundamental philosophical disagreement we have about the role of the PM: the PM can only coordinate a public response to potential issues if the PM's philosophy is to step up and lead.

By comparison, in my Cabinet we've had no major political issues with the Assembly, in large part due to proactive and pre-emptive handling of potential problems and firm but clear public handling of issues. I think this was due to my willingness to step up and exhibit whole-of-government leadership.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] See, I think that’s a little disingenuous, not because the Assembly doesn’t have the right to criticize, but because (at least form what I saw) the type of criticism that we had was not the type that a “well-coordinated response”, whatever that means, would solve. I would also add that your administration has not been subjected to such criticism even from the outset; so it’s really not fair or helpful to compare these things.

I also didn’t have the benefit of years of leadership experience during that term - it was literally my first in such a position. What we did well, we did REALLY well, and I acknowledge there were a couple of things where my inexperience showed. Fortunately, I now have that experience to look back on and improve on.

I definitely made some novice mistakes in the area of communication, and I don’t intend to repeat those, but I don’t think it’s reasonable to characterize it as being a necessary consequence of my leadership or methods.

Contrarily, I think the top-down model is subject to the same type of “old-guard” syndrome that TSP is often critiqued globally for. That’s something I dislike, but I think it’s a legitimate criticism of TSP generally.

Closing Remarks

[HumanSanity] I think my record as PM speaks for itself. We accomplished a lot, there's more to accomplish, my platform lays out the goals for what I want to accomplish.

The biggest distinction in this campaign is what style of leadership you want the Prime Minister to utilize. Do you want a PM that is on top of things before they happen, pre-emptively addressing issues, and willing to give clear direction to the Cabinet to prevent issues before they arise? Or do you want someone who lets the Ministers run the show, which can at times be good for growth and motivation, but often results in chaos and lack of coordination? There's a huge philosophical difference in these campaigns, and my hope is that the Assembly will place its trust in both the idea of a strong Prime Minister and in my personal experience and record.

[Witchcraft & Sorcery] So. I agree that this is a fundamental question of leadership. I am the type of leader who leads from within - except now I have the benefit of a term behind me knowing exactly where and how to deploy that. Leadership comes from communication, it comes from a team, and it comes from elevating those around you to where they need to be in order to succeed. Both in TSP and IRL that has made me uniquely suited to solving large-scale problems and actually getting projects out the door. We have too much right now that’s been left sitting in back rooms or as merely a theoretical - I’m here to make sure we make those things a reality and likewise I think my record speaks for itself in that department. I look forward to any questions you might have and I hope I’ll earn your vote for Prime Minister.

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MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Opening Remarks

[Sandaoguo] I don't have a big opening spiel. You should just read my campaign if you haven't yet. ? The questions and debates are what we're all here for!

[Roavin] Ohai, fellow South Pacificans! I don't have a big opening statement either, except to say that I look forward to this debate with such an esteemed opponent.

You are both seasoned executive officials, having served multiple times in the Cabinet, and having had key roles in forming today's regional foreign policy. Why do you believe you are particularly qualified to be Minister of Foreign Affairs (MoFA over your opponent?

[Roavin] It would be much easier to state my own qualifications for the role, but to compare them to Glen is difficult — it's not without reason that I have always had him serve as an advisor for me in FA matters dating back to 2017 when I was Prime Minister. One specific item that I can note is that I place much more emphasis and importance on our ambassadors (see my essay on The modern South Pacifican Ambassador here -> https://tspforums.xyz/thread-9905.html), because it is these ambassadors that, with proper nurturing, will become the next generation of awesome diplomats and FA Ministers.

[Sandaoguo] We're both highly qualified and when it comes to substance there isn't a lot of space between us. There's a reason why we've worked hand-in-hand for a long time. There's rarely been a time when Roavin has been PM or MoFA where I wasn't there advising him and vice-versa. One area where we do diverge, I think, is that I'm less inclined to keeping things secret and under wraps. Whereas Roavin's default is to keep a treaty negotiation top secret until the final wording is ready to present to an Assembly vote, I think it's okay and probably beneficial to let the region know it's the works. At this point in our foreign policy strategy, there's little reason why people can't know the general outlines of who we're talking with and what we're talking about.

Roavin expressed a hope in their previous campaign that they would be facing an ambassador as opposing candidate, a hope that did not materialise. Do you believe that is simply a case of luck of the draw, or is there something more that should be done to develop talent among the ambassador service?

[Sandaoguo] I'm not really sure how well the ambassador corps is working, I honestly haven't paid much attention to it. I can't speak to whether or not Roavin and our Prime Minister included ambassadors in treaty negotiations this term, either. From my perspective, the ambassador corps is centered around gathering knowledge about an assigned region. That's kind of represented in the focus on updating wiki pages.

To me, the best way to "develop talent" is to have discussions and debates about foreign policy. That's something our region lacks as a whole. Our Media ministry doesn't write engaging content that encourages debate. Our FA ministry doesn't really allow room to debate, because it's unusual for foreign policy issues to be brought to the Assembly without a pre-determined outcome in mind (either a written treaty or a policy that's already locked-in). The knowledge-gathering model of an ambassador is good for some people. But discussing/debating/arguing about FA is probably the better way for us to get new FA ministers in the long run.

[Roavin] I think it's a bit of both! Some people are more drawn to the role than others, but there is certainly more to be done to develop that talent. Better onboarding and guides (as mentioned in my campaign) are still open work items that will not only make ministerial processes easier, but also help to give confidence to prospective Minister candidates, but that's just one piece of the puzzle.

The other piece is, as Glen correctly states, is the discussion and debate surrounding FA matters. In my first MoFA term, we successfully established a bazaar in the ambassador's halls discussing GP matters and such, but that culture unfortunately atrophied in the term between, and while it has gotten better again, it hasn't yet returned in a way I'd like it to. That's absolutely something I want to keep pushing.

We did include ministry staffers in every diplomatic engagement this term, something I will continue doing as it has been, in my estimation, a successful model.

Given recent changes to the region's alliance network, for example the dissolution of the treaty with Conch Kingdom and the signing of an agreement with Balder, how would you articulate your vision for the foreign policy of the region moving forward and the image that it should project?

[Roavin] TSP should, and I argue has, put forward the image of being democratic, defender, and defenders of democracy (in that order). This image also serves as a guiding principle that informs us on how specifically to move forward. At this time, that includes strengthening defender ties where reasonable, be it through bilateral, multilateral, or even informal means, but keeping the olive branch open for others that work and deal with us in good faith and with mutual interest.

[Sandaoguo] The broad strokes of my foreign policy strategy is doubling down on the sure things, and not getting distracted by everything else. We need to deepen the links with our current allies, namely those through the Partnership for Sovereignty. Whether that takes the form of a second military-focused alliance, or more bilateral ones is more up in the air. I do think, though, if there's some new multilateral alliance in the works, we need to make sure it's not competing with PfS, that we're not putting that on the backburner or abandoning it like a grown puppy.

And that's something we need to talk to the Assembly about, because it could represent a major shift in our overall long-term strategy. I don't know anything at all about this teased possible multilateral alliance, but my first instinct is to question how big of a tent we're talking and if that's really in our best strategic interests.

Balder, TNP, CK... these are all distractions. It's okay to work on these things, they need some level of attention. But we need to maintain perspective and focus. TNP's statement wasn't world-shattering. Balder is a curio, it's fun to think about, but it's not central by any measure.

I do agree with Roavin broadly about the importance of democracy and defenderism. We need to be thought leaders on defending. I think we've been tending to follow more than lead, and that includes ceding leadership on things like quorum raiding. It's usually a fear of annoying or angering anybody, which is something I really battled with previous administrations over. If something is just right to do because of our values and our beliefs about defenderism, then we should do it regardless of the short-term costs... because there are likely long-term benefits in holding the line.

How central is the Partnership for Sovereignty to your view of the region's foreign policy, and which steps should be taken to further that view?

[Sandaoguo] It's absolutely central, as much as can be. It would be a mistake if we shifted on that. The PfS is a ready-made framework and network for defender leadership. That doesn't necessarily mean everything must happen under the PfS banner. It's more that PfS is the central alliance we should be drawing from. It's the core. But I think, yeah, it's been neglected. There is hesitancy in PfS shifting to a military focus, though that could just mean a separate treaty for military cooperation. We just need to make sure PfS doesn't die, but instead evolves.

[Roavin] How important a well-oiled WA bloc can be is something that can hardly be understated; we only have to look at WALL in prior years to see it in action. PfS can and in several ways already does exceed what WALL offered during its prime, giving us and our interests a gigantic head start in the Security Council and elsewhere. This becomes even more important when F/S is implemented into the game — by the very nature of the change, our own WA influence will eventually atrophy to just over half of what it is now, and thus our presence as a major voice within PfS becomes even more important.

But in my ideal world, PfS isn't just a "WA thing", but rather a brand which offers a WA block but also a multilateral alliance network for domestic, military, and interregional political matters. If that pipe dream can be achieved through PfS is to be seen (so far the tendency is, unfortunately, that it's not), but the tenets of that vision can still be achieved through other means so long as they don't compete with, but rather complement, what PfS does and stands for.

Recently the North Pacific announced that, while remaining formally Independent, they would focus mostly on defending and working with defender partners. How do you believe the South Pacific should respond to this, if at all?

[Roavin] TNP's alignment shift is not outright defender and very much a manifestation of changing foreign policy interests rather than necessarily a conviction (as it is in our case). So, there will still be times when we are rather at odds, but those will become quite rare under their new policy, and instead we will find ourselves with even more commonalities than we have had in the past 10 years of our alliance.

So, our response should be to greet them and their efforts with open arms, without being unduly overbearing on a valued decade-long partner. A collaborative event with the North Pacific Army and the South Pacific Special Forces is already in the works, and the 10-year anniversary of the Aurora Alliance will certainly include festivities in the summer.

[Sandaoguo] The announcement was overhyped and I think the initial gut response by some in the Cabinet speaks to being a bit too reactive or short term, or I guess.. not skeptical enough? If you read the statement, it's not an adoption of defender ideals or values. The statement is TNP's Delegate saying, "We've ended relationships with so many raiders, our only real option now is to work more with defenders." And the reason TNP-raider relations have so many burnt bridges isn't exactly because of defender values causing issues.

I don't see the TSP-TNP relationship as changed in either direction as a response. The main cleavages still exist. TNP doubled down on quorum raiding. And the long-term problem with TNP that I've argued about before is that their alignment basically changes each election. If what we saw was their legislature adopting defender values as a matter of law, that would be a diplomatic/cultural reset for the game right now. As a Delegate statement? Well, we don't really know what the policy will be with the next Delegate. The same thing was the case early on in TSP's road to becoming defender.

So, I still remain skeptical of the relationship. TNP has to prove itself, and we've given the benefit of the doubt so much already. I don't really have much more benefit in me to give, and I've made that obvious in Assembly and Discord debates. Their quorum raiding policy is a massive roadblock still. While that's their official policy, TNP-defender relations are entirely dependent on TNP not following that policy, because TSP and our allies are all treaty-bound (and, I would hope, values-bound) to actively oppose quorum raids.

A question submitted by HumanSanity:
"Both of you allude to PfS having a military dimension. How, when, where, and under what conditions should defender militaries of PfS (which work together extensively in the status quo!) deploy as PfS and under PfS' banner?"

[Sandaoguo] We should try to convince signatories to evolve PfS into a WA and military alliance. But if that's not workable, then we can hopefully negotiate a separate-but-related PfS military alliance. I think this group of regions is really our best shot, because our other options are with groups that a) we diverge from in important ways in demeanor, commitment to ideology, etc. or b) they will simply suffocate us and command the alliance. PfS's currently signatories are mostly regions that have a history of working together militarily as equals.

[Roavin] I don't think it's strictly needed to have troops deploy as PfS, since I wouldn't see PfS as a military in its own right but rather an association of militaries working together, with PfS as an organization providing logistical support and engagement.

What would you say about a possible bill that would limit the importation of North Pacific Rum in favour of bolstering the production of SPIT?

[Roavin] Having experienced the deliciousness of SPIT irl, I'm in favor of any efforts that boost SPIT in favor of other alcoholic beverages. Sorry, TNP, as good as it is, your basic rum just doesn't cut it.

[Sandaoguo] As a card-carrying dirty neolib, I think tariffs are inefficient and usually backfire. It'll just raise the price of SPIT overall, which is bad for the people. I would support, though, a bill saying you can only it SPIT if it's made with genuine South Pacifican Rum. Otherwise, it's just an Iced Tea Beverage.

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Sandaoguo] Pie, always and forever. Obviously.

[Roavin] Pie, always and forever. Obviously.

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[Roavin] Glen, you mentioned earlier that the Ministry of Media doesn't write engaging FA-relevant content. Given our staff of ambassadors and a feed of information from the metaverse, what do you think the FA ministry can do that could help the Media ministry do better in that regard?

[Sandaoguo] I think that ties back into a tendency to be more secretive than necessary within FA itself. I'm not going to say leak things, but like... authorize more things for disclosure. Is it really necessary that every treaty negotiation be classified until the final product is in front of legislatures? Not really, no. I'd probably argue it's never necessary. If people know what's currently happening, they can speculate and debate and argue. But what's the point of doing that after the fact, y'know? People are always way more engaged in foreign policy debates that center around something concrete, instead of just abstract think pieces on defenderism or whatever.

[Roavin] (Fair, though I should note that I have done some of that, most notably with the Balder NAP, and that was inspired by your last MoFA term!)

[Sandaoguo] My question to you is that you mentioned military-via-PfS should be more "an association of militaries working together" with the institutional aspect being "providing logistical support and engagement." Do you think lack of a central image could hurt defender recruitment? I'm thinking back to the FRA and the UDL, and how their success was largely because the liberations and defenses were FRA defenses and UDL liberations.

[Roavin] Recently, we've seen record after record in terms of liberator numbers being smashed, and most of that came from the individual militaries massively canvassing in their own spaces. Given that success, I rather see that as the primary way to get the raw body count needed for liberations these days. This also brings in benefits for defenses, since some nonnegligible percentage of first-time liberators brought in through these canvassing efforts will end up becoming active participants in their home militaries' other efforts (and we've seen that in action with SPSF).

That being said, I don't see that as mutually exclusive. PfS can still offer a central image and can make collective statements reporting on big victories and listing constituent militaries, and that might bring in others that are so inclined. Defending is at its best when it's big-tent.

Closing Remarks

[Sandaoguo] I hope this debate has been useful and enlightening ? I know that there isn't a ton of space between me and Roavin. But we do differ on things and bring different approaches and mindsets to FA. If there are any other questions, or something I've said that you'd like expanded on, please ask in the campaign thread!

[Roavin] Thank you Glen for the debate, and thank you SPINN for hosting. I think it's safe to say that whoever wins, the other will be involved in the ministry as well. If you're unsure which flavor is right for you, please do ask me all questions you have; answering them is not only my favorite part of election season, but also a sign of a healthy democracy.

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MINISTER OF CULTURE

Opening Remarks

[Murelia] Hello everyone, good to see you tune in to this debate. In my term as Minister of Culture, I will do my best to have turned the ministry to an active ministry with regular activities for people from all regions at the end of my term. These activities will range from regular, varied and well organized games to interregional events which will make the South Pacific known to a wider public. I will do my best to increase the number of MoC staff, and make sure that new staff knows when and how to participate in the ministry, since I believe this might be unclear for them at times.

[Eshialand] Hello all, it's nice to have you here. In Doge Land's term as Minister of Culture, I saw a lot of things done right, and a lot of things that could be improved upon. I absolutely adored the Culture Calendar being filled out with more weekly activities, but I noticed that, as of late, these activities haven't seen as much participation as they had in the past. This was part of my reasoning for running for this position.

In my term, I intend to both bolster our existing activities and create more opportunities to get South Pacificans involved in community events, both in TSP and alongside other regions.

If elected, this would be your first time in the Cabinet. Why do you believe you are particularly qualified to be Minister of Culture (MoC)?

[Eshialand] While my tenure in the MoC may be brief, I'm quite used to running events and activities outside of NationStates. Alongside that, I'm quite good at identifying problems and figuring out how to solve them, as well as knowing what people want and what they may not know they want.

I may not be the most qualified candidate in terms of TSP government activity, but despite that, I'm more than capable of handling the job.

[Murelia] While not that similair, I think my earlier term as Local Councillor helped understanding our regional government better. I also think having helped in the two events that I was invited to in the seven months that I have been in the ministry has helped me understand better how interregional events work, as well as how they have to be prepared.

Given the office for which you are running, how would you describe the culture of the South Pacific, and what would you do to promote and highlight that culture?

[Murelia] Of course I am biased for this being my own region, but I believe that the South Pacific is active and welcoming. I believe this can be shown well by hosting interregional events with other regions.

[Eshialand] The thing that's always struck me about TSP is how friendly the people are. Whether you've just hopped into the RMB for the first time or you're a regular messing around in a Discord VC, TSP's community is quite unlike anything else. To promote this welcoming community, we should focus on holding more, larger events, to bring TSP together. Not only that, but I agree that we can showcase our community to the world by working with the MoFA on more inter-regional events.

You both suggest in your campaigns that the Events Calendar has an awareness and/or participation issue. What role do you see for the Events Calendar, if any, within your vision for regional cultural development?

[Eshialand] I've always been a big supporter of elevating the status of the Events Calendar in TSP. From what I've noticed, activity in our weekly events dipped when we stopped being able to use everyone pings here in the Discord, what with the new Reaction Roles system. However, there are things we can do to help with that. The esteemed incumbent, MoC Doge Land, experimented with letting people know about our events on the RMB; I would go with a different approach.

First, we should make sure people know about the Games and Events ping role. Looking at the reactions, only 33 people have the role, and I can imagine that a lot of new users simply don't notice it when they join. While increasing awareness of the role, perhaps through reminding people about it when the monthly Culture Calendar is released, is one way of boosting activity, there's another as well.

Last Skribbl.io Tuesday saw near-record engagement! In a game that normally only sees 2 or 3 people in it, we were able to have 6 or 7 concurrently! As it turns out, Nakari had been talking about the game in lampshade-bar and gotten people who had been reading that chat to join in. This sort of informal promotion was exactly the sort of thing we needed, no pings required. Getting people to talk about the games can improve and has improved engagement.

[Murelia] To increase activity, I would like to make games available to more time zones by seeing if there is a different time possible for when the games can be hosted. I would also like to announce the events at the start of the day so people know about the event beforehand and not when it is already starting. Lastly, I would like to post the culture calendar in announcements when no more edits are made.

Murelia mentions in their campaign a desire to engage with the roleplay community, while Eshialand does not mention it at all. What role do you think the MoC should play vis-à-vis the roleplay community?

[Murelia] While roleplay is a big part of MoC, finding a good way to incorporate the roleplay community with MoC is quite hard. Like I mentioned in my campaign, I believe the best way to achieve this is by announcing events in their Discord group, not only for them to participate, but also to help in the event. I believe roleplayers can have good ideas on how to improve events, and I also believe they might get interested in joining the ministry when they help in events. Altogether, I believe more roleplayers in MoC would benefit the ministry.

[Eshialand] I'm going to be very real with everyone here; I didn't mention RP in my campaign because I am not a part of TSP's roleplay community. While I love roleplaying as a whole, I haven't integrated with TSP's RP.

Part of this problem, at least for me, has been this separation, this disconnect between the main TSP Community and the Roleplay community. As I can imagine you're all aware, each Ministry used to have their own separate Discord server; these got merged, and people felt more connected to our ministries as a result. The TSP RP server never got merged, and it feels like its own separate planet.

I'm not saying that a merge is necessary. Absolutely not. However, it does have to be said that the RP community is its own separate beast compared to the one that can be found here on TSP's larger, more centralized server. We need to keep roleplayers' interests in mind; I myself am a roleplayer at heart (though I'm not in TSP's RP, I am involved in NS Forum RP), and I, as MoC, will work to make sure that TSP RP stays vibrant and welcomed.

How well do you think the ministry has been doing in terms of recruiting and retaining talent, and what would you do in that respect if elected?

[Eshialand] Honestly, I feel like the Ministry could be doing a bit better at retaining talent. The Ministry of Culture has (although I don't have the exact number at hand) around 25 members as of right now, but the Ministry's channels really don't feel like 25 people working in a GCR Cabinet Ministry. They feel a lot more desolate than that, and that's a sign that we could be doing a lot better at retaining talent.

When I started out in the Ministry the first time (this would be around... May? June? I don't remember the exact date), I felt like there wasn't much for me to do. I felt like a small fish in a big pond, a small voice that didn't have an important opinion. The second time I joined, MoC Doge Land gave me the opportunity to start working with the ministry almost from Day 1; it was a small project, just hosting Skribbl.io Tuesday every week, but it made me feel important.

With more events and larger events, such as those I have campaigned for, we will need more people running them. Giving newer members of the Ministry the opportunity to help out will help them feel more welcome in the MoC, and hopefully have them stick around and stay active. Also, we can give newer members a voice, a say in what goes on. A little bit of listening can go a long way, and hearing every voice in the Ministry really does matter when our job is to engage everyone here and get them involved in the region.

[Murelia] I believe we let a lot of chances for recruitment slip. I think that every time there is an event or game, it would be a good idea to tell people to join MoC if they want to help with hosting or creating these events in the announcement for the event or game, so interested people know where to look. And like I mentioned in my answer to the previous question, I would also like to do this with the roleplay community of the South Pacific. That aside, I would like to work with the Prime Minister to see if more ways can be found to increase our number of staff members. Overall, I will do my best to encourage more people join the Ministry of Culture.

We know that the Ministry of Culture is responsible for maintaining the Regional History Museum. How would you respond to concerns that the museum might be underfunded and that its lampshade collection is poorly kept?

[Murelia] That is scandalous, there should be more funds put into dusting off and maintaining our lampshades.

[Eshialand] We'll just have to tax the rich! The 1% have more than enough money to fund the Museum for years to come!

Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie?

[Murelia] I must admit that the idea of some pies has interested me, but apple pie is disgusting so I prefer cake.

[Eshialand] A good cake is better than a bad pie and a good pie is better than a bad cake. If it's good, it's good.

Cross Questioning and Open Discussion

[Eshialand] My question for Murelia: in the declarations thread, you received a nomination for Cabinet... but that was for the Ministry of Media, not Culture. What, if anything, made you choose Culture over Media?

[Murelia] Since the Ministry of Media takes a lot of time which I usually do not have. I won't resign yet though, since I am still thinking about the idea of staying. If I did have the time to stay though, I would still prefer the Ministry of Culture. I enjoyed helping in organizing events and hosting games in them, so the idea of creating new events interests me most about the ministry.

I have a question for you as well. Do you have any ideas for new events or games?

[Eshialand] In my campaign thread, I mentioned that one idea I had was for regional movie nights. Similar to XKI and TRR, we could have someone (unfortunately, it can't be me) stream movies into a Discord VC for our region to watch together. I've seen how people have responded to it in those regions, as well as in inter-regional events such as Harry Potter and the Festival of Friends, and I think it could go really well here, providing a bit of variety in our otherwise very game-centric events.

As for other ideas, I would, as MoC, love to solicit ideas from the Ministry as to what we could do. As I've said before, the Ministry of Culture is all about keeping people connected and entertained, so it would be wise to listen to our members as to what would entertain them and the region as a whole.

Closing Remarks

[Murelia] Thank you SPINN for hosting this debate, and Eshialand for participating. I hope that you like the plans and ideas I have presented, and I really hope to use them in the case that I am elected. I can't wait until the election happens, and when it does, I hope to see your vote, whether it would be for me or for Eshialand.

[Eshialand] Many thanks to SPINN for making this debate possible, and to Murelia for being such a great opponent in this campaign. I know it may have taken me a lot longer than it should've to type out these textwalls, but I have a lot of things to say, and, if I'm elected, those will translate into a lot of things I can do for the region. No matter what, I hope all legislators exercise their right to vote in this election, and that the best candidate, whether that be me or Murelia, wins.

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(This post was last modified: 02-06-2022, 09:52 PM by South Pacific Independent News Network.)