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South Pacific Independent News Network · 07-14-2020, 10:29 PM

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Good, Insightful and Timely | Year 18 | 14 July 2020

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ELECTIONS
"YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO TELL A STORY AND GOOD GRAPHICS ARE AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT IN THIS PROCESS" - INTERVIEW WITH AMERION

Amerion is currently in the lead to succeed Somyrion as Delegate of the South Pacific. They are a former Chair of the Assembly who currently sits on the Council on Regional Security. Amerion agreed to sit down with the SPINN to discuss their candidacy, their fondness for graphics and the policies that they would implement as Delegate.

You have been in the region for a while, but some might still not be familiar with you. Who exactly is Amerion?

Supreme Leader. Admiral General of the South Pacific Special Forces. Auphelia-lite.
Take your pick. <3

You have already had a prominent career in Lazarus. What drew you to the South Pacific and get involved so much that you are now in the lead to become Delegate?

Aumeltopia! When I returned to NationStates in 2018, I was deciding which region to make my new home and what drew me to the South Pacific was my partnership with Aumey when we were both in Lazarus.

Your campaign stands out for its use of graphics. Why do you think they are worth the effort not only in a campaign, but also in informative posts?

I believe that as with every mode of communication, you want to be able to tell a story and good graphics are an essential component in this process. Visually guiding the reader through the various elements of your narrative makes for a more enjoyable read and can, in my experience, be more compelling.

There tends to be contention about the role of the Delegate and how involved they should be in policy and politics. How do you see the role of the Delegate vis à vis the Cabinet and the Local Council?

I'm not sure if there is indeed much contention on the role of the Delegate. I think it's widely accepted by most if not all that this is a ceremonial role occupied by seasoned citizens who maintain the trust of the community not to go a tad itchy-finger and 'accidentally' banject a certain fluffy back and white animal from our region.

On a serious note, owing to the largely impartial role of the Delegacy, individuals who wish to effect change or actively lead the region in any given direction should instead seek office in the executive branch or in the Local Council as these are areas where actual decisions are made. The Delegate is more so a complementary role to these established institutions. They should, when appropriate, support the government in implementing various policies. For example, using the considerable influence and reach of the Delegacy to promote intra-regional integration or lending weight to a diplomatic effort. Anything which could be possible construed as active policymaking is best left to the dedicated officeholders who are elected for that very purpose.

You have promised to support existing projects and implement some new ones. How would you work with the Office of World Assembly Legislation (OWL) to support its goals?

I believe OWL is a fantastic program led by exceedingly qualified individuals and although in its infancy, the Office has a great deal of potential to become a core pillar in our region. The role of the Delegate is to represent the will expressed in the democratic vote of South Pacificans who made their views known in the OWL discussions (or the Cabinet, when the matter pertains to a foreign policy issue). This devolution of power to OWL began under our sitting Delegate, Aumeltopia, and I intend on continuing the practice.

Between Somyrion's Endorsement Days and the recent creation of the Coral Guard by the Council on Regional Security (CRS), the promotion of an endorsement culture appears to be a focus of our security institutions. What specific steps would you take to further those goals?

I would like to first distinguish something, if I may. While the efforts of the Council in recent months have publicly been centred on the endorsement culture of the region, it should be noted that the body is first and foremost a security institution and its priorities are set accordingly. The Delegacy, therefore, has an important duty to help the Council improve the security of the Coalition and Endorsement Days have been a critically successful element in this equation. We have had the good fortune to observe significant improvements in the endorsement numbers across the board and the successive rise in the static endorsement cap is evidence of this process. I expect that the implementation of the South Pacific Coral Guard will substantially help improve our security situation with more nations holding greater numbers of endorsements and influence. As for any future steps, I expect that these will be discussed in the future with the Council on Regional Security and any other relevant institutions.

Every now and then there are suggestions for the incorporation of a gameside representative to the Cabinet, while others suggest that the Local Council is not exercising its powers fairly. Do you think there is place for compromise and unity between the gameside and offsite communities? Or are these disagreements natural and beneficial?

I have said in the past and I believe it is worth repeating that we should as a region-at-large acknowledge that we have all made a conscious decision as to where we wish to spend our time in NationStates. Whether it be the RMB, Discord/forum, or perhaps both in equal measure, we should appreciate that each has value to all. While we most certainly can and should work towards the greater integration of our communities, such efforts should be voluntary rather than forceful; in that the government should create opportunities and clear avenues for individuals to get involved further in areas where they had previously not been present. At the end of the day, however, there will always be those members who have never stepped foot in the RMB and have no desire to, vice versa for Discord.

As to the two issues you have mentioned, I'd like to address them one by one:

(1) I do not think there is anything fundamentally wrong with having a gameside representative in Cabinet. It certainly couldn't hurt. However, if it is to be so then we first stipulate that the representative have passed all the necessary security checks, i.e. vetted and cleared by the Legislator Committee. The Cabinet often discusses sensitive security matters so any member privy to its discussions should be properly accredited.

(2) With regards to the claim that the Local Council is not exercising its powers fairly, I would say that this is the benefit of holding regular elections. If members are not satisfied with the direction the Local Council is heading in or how the Council has acted then I encourage them to put either themselves or others who share their concerns forward. Elections offer a wonderful opportunity for a wide range of alternative viewpoints and visions to be represented. The community will decide which of these to give its support and I look forward to seeing this process unfold once again.

You have proposed to create a publication called the Delegate's Digest. What would its goal be and how would it look compared to other publications such as this one or the Southern Journal?

I think, as with future security plans, this is a question which I am unable to give any clear answer at the moment. If elected, I will no doubt be speaking to the Minister of Regional Affairs as to which areas of communication I can possibly be of use. It has been noted in the past that the Southern Journal is a serious news orhanisation rather than a mouthpiece of the government. Perhaps one direction the Delegate's Digest could go in is a state media publication. All of this is yet to be determined and I look forward to the possibility of future discussions on the matter.

What are you looking forward to in these final days of the campaign?

Resolving the cake vs. pie debate.

Do you have any final words for whoever might be reading this interview?

Vote Amerion for Supreme Leader! ^_^
Or else.

Thank you for your time. Best of luck in what remains of the gameside round.

Thank you!

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.