Hi everyone!

I sent a farewell telegram a few days ago, but I still wanted to post some sort of farewell in the forum as well. I have been Delegate for eight months, and yet this is the first time that I have actually addressed the forum community. This is something I now regret, which is why I had to fix that at least once before our new Delegate takes the seat.

Serving as your Delegate throughout the past eight months has been a real pleasure. There have been some difficult moments, and the foreign affairs crises that we faced were challenging and made me wonder if I wanted to continue serving. I certainly didn't enjoy having to handle the loss of our alliance with The New Inquisition, or responding to the difficult situation with Europeia due to our participation in the Regional Sovereignty Conference. There was no right answer in those situations, but I think we made the best call, with the limited options we had. There are probably a few things that I would have done differently, but standing up for our region and its interests is not one of them. Our foreign policy was sometimes criticised for being inadequate to our interests and a departure from the policy that previous administrations followed. Certainly there can be different opinions about how beneficial a policy is to the region, but I hope you all know that we had no more than the benefit and wellbeing of the region in mind, when we implemented them. I like to think that soon enough we will all agree that these policies were necessary to make the South Pacific a more open, flexible and dynamic region.

I am particularly proud of the advances we have had in the area of regional affairs. Throughout these eight months we have seen the success of the Regional Games, the excellent reception of Coup Tuesdays and the huge potential of the Fellowship Programme. These are all initiatives that have shown just how active and fun the region can be, how many opportunities and how much oppeness newcomers can find in our shores, how successful the South Pacific can be. I have said more than once that the Ministry of Regional Affairs is the most important institution in our government. That is not because of my own personal preference towards regional affairs, but rather because it is undeniable that we need an active region for all other government institutions to be relevant. There is no need for a military if nobody enlists, there is no need for laws if they won't affect anyone, there is no need for security bodies if they don't protect anyone. Citizens are the lifeblood of this region, and we need to ensure that they are as active and engaged as possible.

I am proud of how Tsu took a chance and ran for Delegate. He has been in this region ever since it was two months old, and has seen is grow and thrive throughout the years. He certainly has the necessary skills and experience to lead us for the next four months, and I am honoured to have him as my successor. Just like Tsu decided to step up and do his part, I hope that others will follow his example. We always need citizens helping us keep the region an active and engaging place, welcoming to newcomers and full of opportunities. If you know you have the skills for that, then come forward and join the government. If you don't feel capable enough, still join the government and ask for guidance. Our government is not for the veterans or the experienced ones, it is for everyone who calls this region a home.

I wish the best of luck to the incoming Cabinet. They will surely do a great job, and will make this region proud. To the region, thanks for being as awesome as you are. Being Delegate wouldn't have been half as fun without you.

Have a great day and thanks for everything!

Kris Montresor
Delegate of the South Pacific