Participants:
Farengeto: Host and moderator
Roavin: Current Prime Minister, running for re-election
Farengeto: Hello to all Citizens and welcome to the first of our October 2017 Cabinet Election debates and interviews. We'll be starting with an interview with Prime Minister Roavin about his re-election campaign in a few minutes. We will be taking questions from the Audience during this segment, if you have any questions ping them to me or send then by PM.
Roavin: Thank you for having me - I'm here for your questions, tough or easy, silly or serious, cake or pie!
Farengeto: Let's start with the basic question. We're coming to the end of your first term now, why did you want to become Prime Minister of TSP?
Roavin: Well, for one, it was a vacant position, since Drugged Monkeys didn't run again.
I felt like it was a good way to help the region, and it would be something I could do well. Furthermore, I had some specific ideas regarding the role of the Prime Minister and how it's exercised, so it was a chance to present those to the region via a campaign!
Farengeto: How do you feel your past four months as PM have gone? Under your predecessor the position was subject to significant controversy over several issues such as apparent inactivity. Do you believe you have addressed these issues and improved the image of the role?
Roavin: I would say the term has gone well - not perfect, but pretty good. I have always been active and present, have engaged on Discord, the forums, and the RMB, and tried to keep everybody in the loop on what the Cabinet is doing.
Farengeto: Let's move on to our first audience question: "What are you happiest to have accomplished for this term? If re-elected, what would you like to accomplish first in this term?"
Roavin: Regarding the first question, I suppose it depends on whether that is referring to me and my position specifically, or generally the Cabinet; and even so, I'm not sure I could narrow it down to one specific thing. I'm very happy of the new Ambassador Corps system that we rolled out near the end of this term, and I have high hopes that it will be a huge success in the next term. I'm also satisfied that, despite the immense pressure from outside, we didn't buckle on the Lazarus issue but rather held our ground and showed that we are anything but a fair-weather ally. And as it concerns just me, I would point to my previous answer — I'm happy to have made the Prime Minister an active and significant figure in the region again, one that everybody knows is always ready and willing to answer questions, face criticism, or jump into action on short notice when it's necessary.
Regarding the second question, I'll write another update from the Office of the Prime Minister, and endeavour to make these much more frequent by posting on-demand rather than waiting to have a statement on each ministry.
Farengeto: Touching on an issue you mentioned in your last answer, during the past term we have been facing significant pressure from foreign regions and individual, a lot of it regarding yourself, The Grey Wardens, and defenderism in general which has had some unfortunate impacts on our foreign relations. How do you feel this diplomatic drama has been handled during your previous term, and how do you think it should be handled next term if you are re-elected?
Roavin: Three-part answer:
On the last term: We didn't handle it perfectly. When accusations and conspiracy theories come up, obviously they need to be refuted, but I think it's fair to say that both Escade (as Foreign Affairs minister) and myself had, in several instances, indulged their arguments more than was necessary. What was positive, on the other hand, was also that we didn't waver, but rather stuck to our guns - The South Pacific is a region that defies alignment because we are great and stand strong and proud, without having to align ourselves with, or pander to, raiders or defenders or those so-called "Independents" that have defined an alignment, including a seminal text, for themselves.
On the coming term: It should be noted that the Lazarus situation fueled the fire of the arguments in the last term significantly, through no fault of our own. With that situation coming to a close, I see in general that the discussions will die down again in that regard. We should continue being the strong proponent of "true independence", being able to stand on our own, selecting alliances and diplomatic relations based on merit and cultural understanding rather than for the sake of buffing the portfolio of diplomats.
On the issue itself: I have a strong record of separating concerns, unlike many of the very people that have accused me of collusion in the first place, and I always act for the betterment of my home, my one true love in NationStates, the South Pacific. What I find positive is that all this pressure came from the outside. My fellow South Pacificans always had my back and kept me strong throughout, despite some of the attacks and smears getting way too far into OOC territory.
For that, I can't express my gratitude enough. Thank you, South Pacificans, every single one of you. You are the reason why this region is the greatest.
Farengeto: On to another audience question, which we received from a couple people. What is your vision for TSP?
Roavin: That's a vague question, but I suppose I can try to give a general answer regardless.
I'd like to start off with a quote. Specifically, I'm quoting the Charter of the Coalition of the South Pacific. The versions from October 2003 to sometime in 2009 included this preamble:
As it was in the beginning, the Charter of the South Pacific was created by who originally shaped our region and, even with the majority of them gone now, we shall keep faith in their ideals. We, the nations of the South Pacific, hereby resolve to establish a federation of nations in order to preserve and protect the freedom, prosperity, security, and well being of our region as a whole and its individual states.
While that preamble has since been changed, for a long time this was the foundation of our existence, and its guiding principle holds true today.
We are the oldest democracy in NationStates. Not only that, we continue to be a forerunner in that democracy, in finding ever-better ways of bringing that democracy to all nations. The Local Council was hard, and we had many growing pains with it, but we persisted - and it's now a staple of our democracy, a unique and innovative concept amongst the GCRs.
I'd say my vision of TSP is to continue to be that beacon of a true and sovereign democracy, as it has been for the past 14 and a half years, continually improving organically to be the best it can be.
Wow, what a politician answer.
Farengeto: Let's discuss the Local Council. How do you feel about how interactions between it and the Cabinet were handled last term, and what would you like to see changed about these interactions in the next term?
Roavin: We had pretty few interactions, actually, but that wasn't because of a lack of want, but rather because of a lack of need, based on the happenings of this last term. Depending on what happens next term, I can imagine more cooperation coming up, particularly with regards to the Regional Affairs Ministry.
Farengeto: Time for another audience question: Which GCRs should TSP be aiming to improve relations with? Which GCRs should TSP clearly distance itself from and why?
Roavin: In my personal opinion: We should always stay close to the North Pacific - they have been a fantastic ally. We should absolutely be closer to the East Pacific, a fellow democracy, as well as the Pacific, which is pretty much the opposite of a democracy but nonetheless a region we share more value with than it may appear at first glance. We should stay away from Balder, as they are hostile towards us (while accusing us of being the same, ironically).
Farengeto: You are running unopposed as Prime Minister this election. How do you believe this reflects on your performance, and on the position itself?
Roavin: I mentioned this briefly in the campaign. I could, if I wanted to, see that as a positive reflection of my performance, at least insofar as nobody thought I was bad enough to feel forced to run against me. On the other hand, I just generally feel that it's always better to have competition in a race, because that ensures that the tough questions are asked that the winners are then held to during their terms. I do wish more people would gather the courage, even if they feel it's a longshot, to run for this position if they feel they have the chops. We have several people absolutely capable of it, but the only ones that ever ran for it ever since it was reinstated last year were Drugged Monkeys (3 times), Farengeto (twice), Sandaoguo (once), and myself (now a second time). That's not alot.
Farengeto: Alright, now let's move on to some super serious important questions. Cake or Pie?
Roavin: I am a card-carrying member of the Pieletariat.
Farengeto: Fenda Roavin, Statesman Roavin, or Daddy Roavin?
Roavin: Depends on my mood.
Farengeto: What is the best pun to pun them all and in the darkness pun them?
Roavin: When you're playing Monopoly, you always want Boardwalk ... unless you're playing it on a pirate ship. But seriously, don't make a mockery of puns. I always make sure to use them respunsibly.
Farengeto: Seeing as it is Spooktober, will you institute a law requiring people to get into the spirit of the holiday?
Roavin: This question is 10/10. As in, it was asked on October 10th. (Well, it's the 10th in my time zone at least.) To answer the actual question... nope. Forcing people into a mood is spooky.
Farengeto: What do you think about RON as PM?
Roavin: RON's a good guy. I'm absolutely jealous of his beard. (Seriously, don't just vote for me because I'm the only candidate. Vote RON if you don't feel I'm a good candidate - there's no shame attached to that)
Farengeto: A last minute audience question: "No region is perfect. What needs improving in TSP?"
Roavin: We do have several shortcomings in our Judiciary (even though Kris is doing a fantastic job as Permanent Justice), and I'm generally a proponent of sensibly reforming our security infrastructure. There are things in the works for all of those.
Farengeto: One final question to wrap it all up. Why should the region vote for you?
Roavin: Because I'm awesome, of course.
First, the Prime Minister is the head and voice of the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is the person to turn to, the person to ask, and the first person to explain. Therefore, the Prime Minister needs to be very active and reachable. I am reachable at almost any time of the day, and I love answering questions.
Second, the Prime Minister works with all ministries, and should know all ministries. I have served as Minister of Regional Affairs and helped to organize various cultural events. I have served as Minister of Military Affairs, and have furthermore won "Best Up-and-Coming Defender" in the 2016 Gameplay Awards, as well as the "Best Defender" in the 2017 Defender Awards. I have served on Escade's MoFA Team since its inception at the start of her first term, and as our ambassador to the Pacific.
Third, the Prime Minister should be a South Pacifican at heart. While there have been claims that I have colluded with Defenderist interests and whatnot, none of those claims could ever be shown to be true to any reasonable standard of evidence, and to the contrary, I have a proven track record of loyalty since April 2016 to my home, the region I love, the South Pacific.
Farengeto: Thank you Roavin for participating in this interview, and also a thank you to everyone in the audience who submitted questions.
Roavin: Thank you as well for being a wonderful host, and thank you all for the great questions!
Farengeto: To our audience, stay tuned to this channel for more candidate debates and interviews. Tune in this Wednesday from 5-9pm EDT for our Debate Night Special, featuring back-to-back MoRA and MoMA debates. Thank you all, and have a good night.
