The APC has discussed and is now proposing this amendment to the Charter. The amendment would split the Ministry of Regional Affairs into two separate Ministries. The Ministry of Communications and Integration, The Ministry of Culture.

VI. THE EXECUTIVE


Establishing an executive branch consisting of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet


1. The Prime Minister will be the head of government and the leader of the Cabinet. They will be responsible for the overall coordination of executive activities, being a liaison between the government and the community, and protecting the Coalition.


2. The Cabinet will consist of ministers with the following portfolios: Foreign Affairs, Communications and Integration, Cultural Affairs Regional Affairs, and Military Affairs.


Elections


3. Executive elections will be held every four months, where the Prime Minister and all Cabinet positions will be up for election.


4. The date, time, and manner of elections will be set by the Assembly in a general law.


Minister of Regional Affairs


5. The Minister of Regional Affairs will be responsible for promoting regional and forum activity, integrating new players into the forums, organizing cultural events, and communicating with the world about The South Pacific’s activities.


Minister of Communications and Integration


5. The Minister of Communications and Integration will be responsible for integrating new players into the region, organizing and running state media, promoting private media and communicating with the world about The South Pacific’s activities.


Minister of Culture


6. The Minister of Culture will be responsible for promoting both regional and forum activity, organizing and executing regional events, promoting regional roleplay, and promoting The South Pacific’s culture both regionally and abroad.    


Minister of Foreign Affairs


6.7.The Minister of Foreign Affairs will be the Coalition’s chief diplomat. They will be responsible for establishing the government’s foreign policy program, communicating with allies, and coordinating with the military on foreign policy priorities when necessary.


7.8. The Minister of Foreign Affairs holds the sole power to initiate treaty negotiations with other regions, groups, and organizations, but may designate officers to handle those negotiations. Upon completion of a treaty negotiation, the Minister must present it to the full executive for majority approval, before submitting it to the Assembly for ratification.


8.9. The Minister of Foreign Affairs will be responsible for establishing standards for the creation and maintenance of consulates and embassies.


Minister of Military Affairs


9.10. The Minister of Military Affairs will be the civilian leader of the armed forces of the Coalition, the South Pacific Special Forces. In conjunction with a group of Generals, the Minister of Military Affairs will be responsible for the defense of the Coalition, building military activity, and conducting military operations.


10.11. The Minister of Military Affairs may elect to establish an intelligence office, in equal coordination with the Council on Regional Security.


Executive Authorities


11.12. The executive may exercise the collective authority of executive orders, by unanimous consent among the Prime Ministers and Cabinet Ministers. Executive orders may only be issued to address an immediate and pressing issue created by ambiguity or holes in a particular law, which will immediately have the effect of law.


12.13. Upon declaring an executive order, the order will be presented automatically to the Assembly for three days of debate, followed by a vote according to legislative rules, where it will expire and its effects be reversed if the Assembly does not incorporate it into law.


13.14. The Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers may elect to appoint deputies and advisors, who will be considered junior members of the Cabinet, but will not have voting rights in any executive decision.


Recalls and Motions of No Confidence


14.15. The Delegate and individual Cabinet Ministers may be recalled by an Assembly resolution passed with three-fifths majority of those voting. Recalls may only be initiated for dereliction of duty, abuse of authority, or violations of the law, and not for purposes of political rivalry. Upon initiation, recall resolutions must be debated for three days and receive a motion and second before being put to vote. Upon passage, the recalled official will immediately be removed from office and a special election for their position must be started as soon as possible.


15.16. A Motion of No Confidence may be initiated by the Assembly, if the members have lost faith in the effectiveness and activities of the Delegate and the Cabinet. Motions of No Confidence must be debated for three days and receive a motion and a second before being moved to vote. Passage requires three-fifths majority support of those voting, and triggers a special election for all executive offices.




I'll admit that when this was first proposed to the Assembly I was strongly against it. At the time I believed that the Ministry was very short-staffed and that by splitting the Ministry it would just lead to resources being stretched too thinly and would overall do more damage than good.

Now however while the FP may not as strong as it could be or we may like it is in a much better spot now and I now believe that splitting the Ministries would benefit the region. By splitting we take some of the stress of the Minister who can concentrate more time on the areas that he/she is better at rather than dealing with areas that they may not like very much or are poor at. It should lead to more activity as this way a more experienced Minister in that field can concentrate solely on that area rather than working on three or four different areas all at the same time.

These proposed changes would not take places until the next election, we are not splitting the Ministry now. If this bill was to be passed we would need to start with a full transition very soon but I believe that the benefits of splitting the Ministry will all be worth it.