Okay, so I've started with a bad pun, but please, don't go away, hear me out.  I have a speech all prepared and everything.

*Clears throat*

My fellow South Pacificans, I know that I'm still, in a great many ways, a newbie to the region and that I have no past experience to lay before you as evidence of my suitability for the important role of Chair of the Assembly. I'm all too aware of my lack of knowledge and understanding when it comes to the complex history and politics of this fine region. Yet, despite all of this, I know that some of you know me quite well by now and have supported me in the various ways I've involved myself over the past few months and, I hope, you have gained a sense of my attitudes and priorities in a number of different situations. 

When the last wave of elections happened, I had not intended to put myself forward for any role and said then and since that I would not be a good choice for quite a few of them. The issue, you see, is that whilst I have my principles, am more than capable of holding a strong political opinion and am even a member of one of the region’s two political parties, I'm not actually a very political person. I do not tend to have a personal agenda and I don't have a head for legal minutiae, but only the words that convey them. In many of the roles in The South Pacific, this might be considered a serious weakness, but I'm here today to argue that, for the Chair of the Assembly, it's actually a great strength.

The role of Chair is, principally, an administrative one.  The Chair should lead the Assembly, yes, but only in the manner of servant, one who protects debate and those involved in it by ensuring that discourse is fair, impersonal and on topic, one who is timely and efficient in administrative tasks and one who is willing to facilitate in any extra business the Assembly may wish or require.  Having any kind of political agenda would, I believe, only be a hindrance to the smooth operation of the Assembly.

Now, it’s common for the Chair to fill up an election campaign with plans and promises for various kinds of action, commissions he or she will start up, etc. etc. etc.  I don’t have any such plans, but I know a lot of you do.  If elected it would be my desire to work with anyone who wanted to make reforms, or to look into procedural changes and to bring their plans to fruition with the help of the Assembly.  As Chair it would not be my place to mould the Assembly to my own will, but to aid the Assembly in shaping itself.

If you elect me as your Chair, I will step down from my role as Local Council, though there is currently no legal requirement to do so*, as I feel it would damage my ability to remain truly neutral and faithful to the ideals of the Assembly. I promise to remain impartial, to fulfil my duties with a servant heart and to do my best for you, the community I would be elected to serve.  I promise to help improve the Assembly according to that august institution’s own sovereign will and to protect that sovereignty by ensuring that all legislators have the chance to have their say and to vote on legislation.

I will take up the role with humble reverence if you’ll have me.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to ask any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them.

*This was prepared prior to the recent executive order.