| Breaking News #2 - Interview with Penguin |
. Good, Insightful and Timely | Year 18 | 11 July 2020 ![[Image: 1mQECaD.png]](https://i.imgur.com/1mQECaD.png) ELECTIONS
"I MEAN BUSINESS AND WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR TSP" - INTERVIEW WITH PENGUIN Penguin is one of two candidates who have advanced to the gameside round in the election to succeed Somyrion as Delegate of the South Pacific. They are a former Vice Delegate who currently sits on the Council on Regional Security and the Legislator Committee. Penguin agreed to sit with the SPINN and answer some questions about their candidacy, their ideas for the region and why they have the necessary experience to serve as Delegate. You have just advanced to the gameside round. How do you feel about that? Honestly? I'm very surprised that I get to move to the next round. Now that the campaign moves to gameside, it is possible that some nations might not be familiar with you. How would you introduce yourself to them? Oh that's a definite. I try my best to be active on gameside and I know I can do so much better with it. I would hope that they would see my campaign and they would see me and know that I'm more than just a pretty nation, psychotic dictatorship or not. I do what I always do: "hi, how are you, I'm Penguin(Pies) -I like Penguins and Pies- and I'm open to get to know just about everyone". Your campaign has a noticeable lack of graphics, especially compared to Amerion's. Was that a conscious decision on your part? In comparison to Amerion? Yes. Everybody knows that he is THE graphics king and I have nowhere near the skills he does so instead of embarrassing myself, I chose to go simple because I have a different set of skills to showcase. Is that why your campaign highlights your extensive record in the region, not only as a citizen but also as a government official? Kind of. While I applaud Amerion for his diversity and responsibilities in other regions, I'm strictly a TSP homebody. Now while I know that this can be looked on in different ways and I think both sides have their pros and cons, to me TSP is home and serving TSP in any way I can is the only goal. You have served as Vice Delegate, Minister of Regional Affairs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and you currently sit on the Legislator Committee and the Council on Regional Security. How do you think all these positions have prepared you for the role of Delegate? While I don't claim to know the ins and outs of everything that happens in the region or in NS because I don't think anyone really can, I think it gives me a pretty good understanding of the responsibilities and requirements to be the Delegate. As I stated in my campaign, I liken the role of Delegate to the role of the Queen. The position is a figurehead and I like to think that it brings stability. I would like to bring hope and openness and welcoming to all in the region and our friends. TSP may not be where you started, but we hope it's where you'll stay. You have been asked about your stance towards the fledging Office of World Assembly Legislation (OWL) and the promotion of defender values. Do you expect to take positions on those issues? If so, to what extent? I mean, my understanding of OWL is the region is asked for their opinion on WA votes and gives advice to the Delegate. I have always been under the impression that the Delegate votes as the region votes. So whatever the region decides, if elected, would be my stance. And as for the defender values, I mean the Delegate has no real power in that regard. That would be more towards the Minister of Foreign Affairs or the Minister of Military Affairs. I wouldn't make decisions without consulting those who need to be consulted because again the Delegate is a figurehead. We just get to sit there and look pretty and smile and wave. How would you balance the idea of the Delegate as a figurehead that brings stability with your role as a legislator? They are one and the same really. You can't be the Delegate without being a Legislator. However just as the Queen keeps her opinions private, the Delegate must keep their personal opinions private as well depending on the situation. They have to remember that they speak for the region in most cases whether they want to or not. Does keeping your opinion private include abstaining or casting private ballots? It does. And this is where it gets tricky because how our constitution is set up one needs to vote in the Assembly a certain amount of times a month depending on how many votes there are. That's something I'm actually going to have to check the legalities of (and check out what previous Delegates did) so thank you for bringing that to my remembered attention. Recently there have been some discussions on integrating the gameside and offsite communities. Do you have any thoughts on the state of the region and what can be done to keep it united? I feel like I want to start a buddy system, really take RMBers and pair them with Offsiters and work towards getting to know each other. I think a lot of it has to do with not being comfortable in an environment one isn't used to. And it can be hard to try and break into a community that is already established. If we had some kind of buddy system I think that might go in the right direction of breaking barriers. Kind of like an exchange program but everyone also gets to stay where they start. There have also been discussions about the Local Council's moderation policies. Do you have an opinion on those rules and the recent articles for and against them? While I appreciate that the LC has a sometimes difficult job, I'm not as informed on this topic as I would like to be to make a statement. It is on my list of things to read more on and I would like to talk to the current LC members. I understand they have an election coming up as well. What are you looking forward to now that the campaign moves to the RMB? I guess getting to showcase myself a little bit more and showing that again I'm not just a pretty nation -I have things to offer and even thought I may be quiet and unassuming, I mean business and want what's best for TSP. Do you have any final words for whoever might be reading this interview? Vote Penguin for Delegate! But in all seriousness either one of us would be a great choice. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your consideration of my candidacy. Thank you for your time. Best of luck in the gameside round. Thank you and have a wonderful whatever time it is where you are! The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is an independent news organisation established in 2003 whose goal is to provide good news, insightful commentary and timely information for the citizens of the South Pacific. The opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board. Content is published anonymously, unless is the author requests otherwise. The SPINN is in no way, shape or form associated with the Government of the South Pacific. |
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