| October 2020 Cabinet Election #4 - Prime Minister Debate |
![[Image: wwRwWo8.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wwRwWo8.png) Year 18 | 09 October 2020 OCTOBER 2020 CABINET ELECTION
PRIME MINISTER DEBATE Moderator: James D. Halpert | Participants: Penguin, Prarie, Sandaoguo (Glen Rhodes) WELCOME TO THE OCTOBER 2020 PRIME MINISTER DEBATE I am James Halpert and I will be the moderator for this debate between Penguin, Prarie and Sandaoguo (Glen Rhodes), candidates for Prime Minister. This debate is sponsored by the South Pacific Independent News Network. The format of this debate will consist of three sections: • The first section will feature questions for both candidates on their qualifications, intended policies and their vision for the coming term. • The second section will feature specific questions for each candidate. • The third section will allow each candidate to ask one question to their opponent, after which a few minutes for discussion will be allowed. Candidates are asked to clearly mark the end of their answers so that I may know when to invite the other candidate to answer or to move on to the next question and to answer no later than 3 minutes after a question has been asked. If any candidate wishes to respond to their opponent at any time, they should first ask for the floor; the goal of this is to allow me to keep an orderly flow of discussion and avoid excessive interruptions. Opening Statements [Penguin] Hello Everyone! I want to thank all of you for reading this in whatever format you are. And I would also like to thank SPINN and both of my opponents for this opportunity. I can't wait to see what this debate brings! [Sandaoguo] Good evening TSP  I'm excited to participate in my first ever Prime Minister debate! I'm hoping this will be more informative than the presidential and vice presidential debates we've recently watched in the US  [Prarie] Hiya everyone! I'm Prarie, and I'm your Prime Minister. I'm excited to be here and hear thoughts and ideas from my opponents, you will be able to hear how I plan to continue the work we've been doing and help enact a bold defender future for the region. Thanks to SPINN for hosting and to all of you for being here! Section 1 - Q&A Prime Ministers have often played the role of behind the scenes supporters rather than actual leaders of the Cabinet. What role would you play if elected and how would you handle conflicting agendas within the Cabinet? [Penguin] Of course - I think that one can be a Supportive Leader. My understanding of PM as I outlined in my platform, is to make sure that the Ministers hit their goals and be there if they need assistance or advice. I would hope that in the event of a conflict all parties would be able to handle themselves with decorum and respect. I personally like to try to do weekly check ins- sometimes daily if the need is there- to make sure that things are progressing smoothly. I know that this is an "online game" but I really do feel like it can prepare people for RL in some ways that they may not have the confidence or ability to do so otherwise. [Prarie] As Prime Minister, I helped pioneer a bolder view of the position. Previously, Prime Ministers would take a backseat approach to leading. Really only being there to help if something went wrong. While I don't think we should overrule the agendas of elected ministers, the Prime Minister is the leader of the region. So they should lead. Under my administration, I would carry over the precedent I set of a coherent Cabinet Agenda at the start of the term, as well as badgering ministers to follow through on their promises and suggesting ideas that will better the region. I honestly don't think we'll have to worry about conflicting agendas; we are clearly incredibly united as a region, and reading the Cabinet campaigns you can confirm this, for a bold vision to leading. However, if issues do arise, I will mediate the situation as a neutral party, consult advisors, and ultimately make a decision myself to whose vision we should use if we can't reach a compromise. [Sandaoguo] I do think that the Prime Minister should be a role of direct leadership, rather than a mere coordinator for the Cabinet or the single point of contact for other regions. The fact is, we do elect each minister separately and they run on their own ideas. The Prime Minister's job is to work with all the ministers on coming up with a unified agenda, and holding the whole Cabinet to it. The "ultimate deputy" style is, to me, not adequate for the ambitious agenda our next Cabinet will have. I work in leadership roles on teams in real life, and of course I've been involved in executive government in TSP many times over the years. I will be able to work with my Cabinet ministers on crafting a smart unified agenda, one that is achievable and not a bunch of empty promises. At times, the Prime Minister will have to set priorities and make decisions that are not the product of a Cabinet consensus meeting. If the Cabinet, for example, is divided on something, the Prime Minister should be the decider. We elect the Prime Minister as the leader of the Cabinet, and ultimately we hold the Prime Minister accountable for the success of the whole Cabinet. It takes a real leader to be able to step up and say, "OK, this is how things are going to go. I would rather we reach this decision mutually, but absent that, as leader I must chart the path forward." It's not just a matter of being able to corral ministers into providing updates to the region. It takes the right kind of personality and confidence to be viewed as a leader, not just a deputy. If elected, you would lead a Cabinet with three new ministries: Culture, Engagement and Media. What kind of results would you like to see in each of those ministries by the end of your term? [Prarie] Each candidate to lead these three new ministries has a chance to do something that we haven't done in a while, which is to craft the framework of a brand new ministry. Ultimately, I would like to see each ministry with a solid structure that is ready to do the actual stuff that each Ministry is assigned to do. I think the bulk of the term will be spent setting up that structure - if we go in too fast, then each ministry is doomed to the same fate as the MoRA. I would like to see some concrete production out of each Ministry by the end of the term, however, which would set a precedent for future Ministers to accomplish many, many things. [Sandaoguo] I think the candidates for these ministries have, by and large, proposed great ideas. I don't want to pre-dictate what our new ministries must do. The ultimate agenda will come once we know who is elected and the new Cabinet has the opportunity to discuss what to prioritize. In my campaign, I give an idea I would like to see for each ministry. For the Ministry of Culture, one very achievable thing I would like to see is the establishment of a memorial library of sorts. It would host the old Naivetry Reference Library, which is a collection of great NS-related writing. I think a prominent library like that could inspire others to write more great works. For the Ministry of Engagement, the goal is a smoother RMB-to-forum transition. We need a better user experience when registering, applying to be a legislator, and joining ministries or the military. Vietnam is likely to be the next minister, so I'm very excited for the opportunity to meet together and figure out what we can prioritize and achieve the next term. There are so many opportunities here. And for the Ministry of Media, I do like where Farengeto is going with introducing more than just a newspaper. But I would personally like to see a high-quality publication that can compete with the Rejected Times or NSToday. Back in the day, TRT was the paper of record for NS. Anything consequential in NS was being written about there. To some extent, NSToday has filled that role. But there's room for a TSP-driven publication to make big moves. Again, it's all a collaboration and about setting priorities. We can't do every idea everyone has in 4 months. That's a recipe for disaster. As Prime Minister, I wouldn't arrive with my own agenda on Day 1 and tell the ministers this is what they're doing, their own ideas be damned. But the aforementioned ideas are certainly something I hope the next Cabinet considers when setting our agenda. [Penguin] To be completely honest I would love to see how each new Minister will make their respected Ministry their own. We are at a unique time in TSP history and with so many newer players running, and I am hoping to get the ground work started so that these Ministries can be successful long term parts of the Region. Each Candidate has different ideas so it is hard to say what direction the Ministry will go. I am hoping that the programs and ideas they have can be integrated and adjusted as needed to be the Best possible options for TSP. While most of the Ministers will be independent of each other, they will have to work together and figure out systems for that. We need to make sure that there are clear cut lines of Communication open between all parties. I do have ideas for these Ministries but ultimately they will be a the discretion of the Legislator that the People of TSP chose to lead it. Some believe that offsite institutions should cooperate more with the Local Council or, at the very least, be present in the RMB. What role do you believe the Cabinet should play towards the gameside community in general and the Local Council in particular? [Penguin] As I stated in my campaign, Gameside and the LC are tricky to handle. Some want to know things, some don't care, and some just want to watch the world burn. (Same can be side for Forum side people) I would love to do more with Gameside without encroaching on their needs and wants. I know that it can be seen as "controversial" but doing more RMB aimed events would be stellar. One thing that could bridge the gap is if we have an event with a server, make an RMB exclusive event. The LC has their own rules and own culture. They are elected to handle the issues there and if they have anything that they feel needs to be handled or brought to the attention of Forumside, I will be all over to help in anyway I can. [Sandaoguo] Thank you for this question, because I think it's incredibly important. A populist answer would be that the Cabinet should be very involved in helping the Local Council do this or that. But I strongly believe we shouldn't, and let me tell you why. The Local Council is the greatest experiment in governance every run in NationStates. It's something we did first and do best. But it wasn't easy getting to where we are now. Along the way, there were very real challenges in preventing the forum from running roughshod over the RMB. So often, the debate was how we should involve the RMB in our politics, when in reality they wanted anything but that. I wrote the Charter amendment that protects the Local Council from being meddled with by the Assembly and the Cabinet, and in return defines the jurisdiction of the Local Council to be the RMB and issues local to the RMB. Attempts to bring the Local Council "into the fold" of the Cabinet, or otherwise increase the amount of influence the Cabinet has over the Local Council, are a threat to its independence. It may not seem that way when what's being suggested is helping out with an RMB event. But the more work the Cabinet does in the RMB, the more it will feel entitled to shape and direct what the RMB should be doing, what its governance should look like, and we aren't far off from the Assembly and the Cabinet effectively erasing the Local Council's independence. What we must do is allow the Local Council to continue to define itself and to evolve and flourish the way it decides to, free of Cabinet influence in any form. To the extent the Cabinet is ever involved in RMB affairs, it should be minimal and as a supporting role. We should not be granting non-ministerial Cabinet offices to the Local Council, nor should we be creating an expectation that it's the Cabinet ministries, rather than the Local Council itself, that is responsible for doing things like RMB events. The Local Council really needs the room to be able to learn how to do those things itself. [Prarie] We're very unique as a region regarding our approach to gameside policy. We're the only GCR who lets the RMB community govern themselves to an extent. We know that they are, largely, a separate community to the forumside, so we know to let them lead their own path. This issue has been largely contentious for a while, especially recently - do we make changes to the LC, a body that is certainly one that can, and maybe should, be changed? Or do we let the gameside community forge their own path? I don't think these answers should be mutually exclusive. We created the LC so gameside can determine and craft their own future. Because of this, the Cabinet and the Assembly should not infringe on the Local Council, whether that be expanding, changing, or removing it altogether. However, the Gameside community is actually quite receptive to these changes - when I asked Local Council candidates how they felt about expanding the LC, most said it wouldn't be out of the question for them. That's why every Prime Minister, as I am in the process of doing right now, should reach out to the Local Council and discuss the state of the gameside community, and their potential options for expansion and restructuring under the Charter. The Cabinet represents the entire region. I want to make that absolutely clear. Which is why gameside outreach is necessary - we want to make the entire community feel welcomed and accepted by their leaders. I would encourage Cabinet officials to post on the RMB, and encourage the Minister of Culture to bring the RMB into the fold for all events. Additionally, I feel that the Local Council should be able to appoint a Gameside Representative to the Cabinet. This would give gameside a voice in the Cabinet, which would be hugely beneficial - the RMB is the biggest integration pool in the region, among other things. A Gameside Representative would help the Cabinet reach out to all corners of the region, to get as many people involved in our political process and community as possible. So, in conclusion, while I believe gameside should have independence, I do not believe in either radical: interfering in all of the RMB's affairs and removing the LC altogether, or paying to attention at all to the gameside community. I believe in working with, not against, the LC, to help forge a better path for gameside's future, one where they can decide what they want to do without interference from the Cabinet and the Assembly. It has been said that the move to a unified Discord server will occur in conjunction with the introduction of these new ministries; and either way, the new ministries will need to establish new working spaces. How involved do you see yourself in hashing out the details of the new working spaces for the ministries, and what do you envision these to look like? [Sandaoguo] There is already a good plan being worked on in the Ops Center on the forums: https://tspforums.xyz/thread-8427.html I think we'll be ready to go by day one, if the logistics are ironed out during the transition period. As the owner of the Discord server, I obviously have a role to play regardless in the actual merging of all these servers. But as Prime Minister, I would encourage each ministry to be thoughtful about the number of channels they use. Channel bloat will definitely be a worry. Overall, it will be up to the ministers themselves in conjunction with Discord administration. But in my opinion, the fewer channels we're spreading information through, the better. It's easier to navigate and just a better user experience. [Penguin] I think that ALL Ministers should have a say in how the new server will be set up. While I must admit I am not keen on the idea, I can see why people would be. I know that there are plans for it somewhere but I think it will really take time to see how things are going to work as some Ministries like FA will need many, while MA may not. I think it will ultimately be up to the Minister of each to decide what they deem necessary for their terms. All Ministers need to keep in mind that unlike having their own server, this "new" one will have different rules and permissions and that is a conversation that will need to be had. Ministers are used to being able to make the calls in their respected servers but now will have to all get along in terms of need. [Prarie] I think that this is largely an issue for the Ministers and the mod team to work together on. The Ministers know their Ministries best, which is why they should be able to hash out their working spaces without my interference. And, should everything work smoothly (which I am confident it will), we should be ready to go by the first day of the term. But during the transition period, I will certainly advise each Minister should they have issues with creating an environment for their Ministry in the unified Discord server. Desserts are a contentious issue in the region. Do you prefer cake or pie? [Penguin] PIE. The answer is ALWAYS PIE. [Prarie] Ice cream is clearly the best dessert. Plus, it's flexible, and is great with either! [Sandaoguo] Pie. Section 2 - Candidate-Specific Questions Penguin, aside from two interim appointments as Minister of Regional Affairs, you have not been elected to the Cabinet in several years. Do you expect to face any challenges, such as a knowledge gap in areas such as Foreign Affairs and Defence? If so, what steps would you take to assure voters that you qualified and prepared to lead the Cabinet? [Penguin] I always expect challenges. It is just a part of life both IRL and in TSP. I am confident that both Ministers who will be elected to each position will be a wealth of information and not mind the 1901 questions I will probably ask them as I like to know things but Not always the needed things. I think that I am both qualified AND prepared for this as sometimes a Fresh set of eyes on a situation makes people take a step back and reevaluate how things are being done. Explaining things to someone makes a person sure they know what they know and are capable of showing it. I am that person who can bring a new perspective and am not jaded by the politics of NS. Prarie, you have admitted that the Cabinet was not particularly visible during your tenure despite a promise to deliver "a new level of transparency, delivering regular reports". What went wrong, and why should voters be confident in your ability to deliver in the coming full term? [Prarie] I came into the Cabinet at a rather unfortunate time - the summer lull was still ongoing, and school was starting. Because of this, a lot of Ministers simply didn't have enough time on their hands to report on the goings on in their ministry, especially since, due to the lull, there really wasn't much going on. I did much of what I could do - as any Minister will tell you, I badgered them as to what was going on in their Ministry, what they could report to the Assembly, and to post Cabinet Twitter updates, something we did well during the start of the term but dropped the ball on near the end. We were rather visible - Cabinet Agenda, anyone? But we just weren't as visible as I would like. You can be confident in me because, well, I learned my lesson. I now know what works and what doesn't, which I will be able to incorporate into the Cabinet in the next term. And we'll have the benefit of working during the most active part of the NationStates year - October to February. Glen, you have sometimes been criticized for being combative or at least blunt in your approach to both legislators and outside parties. How would address this criticism and assure voters that this would not negatively affect the region? [Sandaoguo] I think I'm honest and that's my greatest strength in not only TSP, but the rest of the game. When you're fighting for your region, you need to show the strength of your convictions. I'm skilled at doing that in words, often verbosely and, when necessary, with frankness. I could do the office-speak. I do that 8 hours a day in a much more frustrating environment, haha. But why? If we are having a debate in the Assembly or the Legislator's Lounge channel, I'm going to give you my opinion straight up and honestly. I'm not mean, but sugar-coating serious points isn't my style.When it comes to NS Gameplay (those "outside parties"), there is a massive amount of bad faith in how my words are both taken and interpreted. I was a major anti-imperialist figure, so of course it was beneficial to Independents and imperialists to take anything I said out of context and, if they could, be offended by it. That's just what NS Gameplay does. If they aren't, it's because you pose no threat to them. And if we aren't posing a threat to the anti-defender forces in Gameplay, what are we doing here, exactly? Section 3 - Cross-Questioning [Sandaoguo] Penguin, what inspired you to run for Prime Minister and not one of the new ministries? Prarie, how can the Local Council remain independent from undue Cabinet influence, when you are proposing that they ought to be involved in all MoC-run events and that they must involve themselves in Cabinet forum politics? [Penguin] Honestly? I think I can be more helpful in the PM Position. While I consider myself a pretty nifty doodle RA Minister, I think, given the new Ministries we are creating I can be more than capable of calmly helping new Ministers navigate the ways of Cabinet. While they may need a guiding hand, they will also need someone who will listen to them and advice them and just all around be THERE without being IN YOUR FACE about it. Glen, you have recently returned from time away from NS in general - why have you now chosen to step back in to the Cabinet this election and how do you think your time away has affected your understanding of things? (In the PM spot instead of the FA one) Prarie, you've been around the block of NS. Why are you choosing to dedicate your time to TSP instead of some other region? How does being involved in other regions HELP you here? [Prarie] With all due respect, caring about the gameside is not "undue Cabinet influence." They are a section of our community, that while self-governed, we need to represent. Our names are on the WFE. We are leaders for the entire region. So we should act like it. That Gameside should be "involved in all MoC-run events and must involve themselves in Cabinet forum politics" is a rather misconstrued interpretation of what I have actually said. The gameside does not need to be involved in leading these events if they don't want to - the MoC should reach out to the LC and seek the go-ahead to have community activities, so we can bring in all corners of the region to our celebrations (which are an incredibly valuable tool for integration). As for the Gameside Representative, we are certainly not going to do this before asking the gameside community. I want to conduct discussions with the community (kind of like focus groups) and the LC before going ahead with this. And if they don't agree, we won't do it. It's that simple. And having a Gameside Representative isn't involving themselves in forum politics. It's not an elected position. It's merely giving a large section of our community a voice in how the region is run in regards to Cabinet-RMB policy. [Sandaoguo] Penguin: Well, I want to point out first that I didn't immediately run in the first elections I could. :stuck_out_tongue: I've been back in full swing since late May. I decided to run for Prime Minister because I think it's the most effective way to promote and implement my ideas for a successful TSP. I have long served a supporting role in government, providing many ideas for others to execute, and not always the way I would like to see them executed. For me, defenderism is a big impetus for running. I've put a lot of energy into creating a base framework for TSP defenderism, but without stepping up myself, all that labor could be for naught if future Cabinets don't execute it well or even really try. [Prarie] Glen, you haven’t been involved in FA since 2018. A lot has changed since then - there are new leaders and new developments. Why should we elect you, especially during this time in FA when we are this close to enacting the defender bloc, when you have no relationships with the leaders of our allies, our friends, and our adversaries, especially given your self-described “go fast and break things” style of FA? Penguin - you have described, in your campaign, a style of leadership that is much like the backseat styles of leadership that has mired our region in years previous. Why should we elect you to lead the Cabinet if you want this to be your style of leadership, when we are in an exciting new era of bold policy? Prarie, you've been around the block of NS. Why are you choosing to dedicate your time to TSP instead of some other region? How does being involved in other regions HELP you here? Penguin: TSP is my start. TSP is my home. I have gone around to other regions, seeking the same sense of community, and nothing is the same. No other region has the same amazing vibe that we do here. Which is why I always come back here. Our amazing community, government, and overall family barbecue vibe. I think my (overall limited, besides NST) involvement in other regions is beneficial to me because it helps me gain new perspectives and gain rapport with foreign leaders. Which is nothing but beneficial to FA and my style of leadership. [Sandaoguo] Prarie: You're right that it's not an elected position, as the Assembly (the body that elects the Cabinet) doesn't vote in the Local Council and would have no say in what is all but a ministerial office in the Cabinet. The "Gameside Representative" you are advocating for would have the same level of access, and presumably the same role in discussions, as advisors and deputies-- and 95% of Cabinet discussions would have nothing to do with the RMB, even in a Cabinet that has an RMB agenda. The Cabinet simply isn't elected to focus on local RMB issues. So what exactly is the purpose of intertwining the Local Council and the Cabinet at such a high and important level? There isn't one, beyond a populist notion that "the Cabinet must represent all of TSP," which is a nice platitude but is contrary to how our Charter has organized our government, particularly when it comes to the Local Council and local RMB issues. What I fear will happen with endeavors like this is that the Cabinet starts to see its role in the RMB as ever-increasing. We must run events there. The Gameside Rep must be involved in Cabinet discussions, and also relay Cabinet desires back to the LC. There is a really serious threat to the LC's independence in your idea, in the long-term, that I don't think you have taken the time to analyze. This debate has already run long, so I will end it there. But I imagine this is something the Assembly is going to spend a lot of time debating, now. Of course, this idea would not be possible without completely rewriting the Local Council section of the Charter and removing the constitutional jurisdictional firewall between the LC and the forum government. So either way, lots of debate coming in the future. [Penguin] Prarie: Haven't you heard that everything old becomes new again? You young people! I firmly believe, and always have, that the People of TSP elect the Legislators of their choice to their chosen Ministries based on Their ideas. PM has always in my mind been a "Backseat Leader" as if they wanted to work in a specific Ministry I feel like they should have ran for it. It is NOT the PM's place to dictate the works of the Ministries. We are here to make sure that things go smoothly for them and that if an issue arises we are there to help. NOT RUN THE ENTIRE government. Even world leaders have people who handle the departments for them. [Sandaoguo] The notion that I haven't "been involved in FA since 2018" rests on the premise that you have to a Minister or a Secretary of State to have knowledge about the state and dynamics of NSGP. I do not believe I actually need to defend my knowledge in this area, particularly when it comes to defenderism. In any case, I am running for Prime Minister, not Minister of Foreign Affairs. Our Charter places the authority and responsibility of negotiating treaties with the MoFA, not the Prime Minister. I will certainly be assisting in realizing the defender alliance I have written about for so long. But we should be clear in how our Charter and Cabinet works organizationally there. I believe I am the best choice for Prime Minister because I really have the strength of my convictions. With me, you know you get an unabashed defender, and someone who has given so much and so many years to TSP. Someone who wants to keep going, and has the big picture ideas coupled with the proven experience of implementing them. Closing Statements [Penguin] Glen and Prarie, thank you for a wonderful and civil debate. I am honored to run against the both of you. SPINN, thank you for hosting. TSP - PIE IS BEST ! Thank you! [Prarie] We are in a bold new chance to make change in this region. I’ve shown that I can get things done, which is you can trust me, a bold new leader, to guide us into this new era. Thank you! [Sandaoguo] I thank everybody for paying attention through the whole extended debate. We're 45 minutes longer than anticipated. And I hope my answers here have inspired at least some new votes. :slight_smile: At the of the day, TSP government is collaboration and all of us have a role to play. Your contributions are not tied to your titles, nor do your titles prove your contributions. Thank you and good night.  This concludes the October 2020 Prime Minister Debate. Thank you Penguin, Prarie and Glen for participating and thank you to our audience for attending. See you at the polls! The South Pacific Independent News Network (SPINN) is an independent news organisation established in 2003 with the goal of providing good, insightful and timely commentary on regional events for the citizens of the South Pacific. Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board. Content is published via pseudonyms. The SPINN is not associated with the Government of the South Pacific. |
| Users browsing this thread: |
| 1 Guest(s) |