[Discussion] Appointments (May 2019)

[McChimp]

The Delegate has nominated Ryccia to serve as Minister of Interregional Relations. Please discuss said nomination in this thread.

Per prior precedent, the minimum discussion period began at the time the Delegate posted the nominations (17:14 EDT on May 7th.)

[Constie]

My only question would be about how he would balance his loyalty to TSP and his loyalty to Lazarus

[whatermelons]

He has already performed as Deputy, sure just a step up he can't suddenly be disloyal?

[Legalist Zombal]

He is part of both TSP and Laz, as well as in HRF. I have also rarely seen them really speak or interact, unless its mostly behind closed doors?

[McChimp]

I've definitely seen Ryccia engaging in discussion both in the Assembly and on the discord server.

[joWhatup]

I fully support. Ryccia is well mannered, loyal and active, although some of you may not see him talk too much. I believe he'll be a great pick!

[Ryccia]

My only question would be about how he would balance his loyalty to TSP and his loyalty to Lazarus

My loyalty in my role as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lazarus shall be to, well, Lazarus. I would not dare compromise the security and sovereignty of my home regions, especially when I serve them in an official capacity. It would be extremely nefarious to favour one at the damaging expense of the other, something which would not only make me a traitor to one of my homelands, but I am not in the business of participating in any evil plots to subvert any region or to tarnish the position I have been nominated to by twisting its loyalties. It is distasteful, and I do not wish it, for it is not my desire to hurt any of my two homes with no reason whatsoever. I am merely in the business of serving honourably to a region I love.

In short, if I am confirmed, I shall promote to the best of my ability the interests of Lazarus in my position of Foreign Minister. This is as expected, and as it should be, for, as far as I know, it is possible to separate my loyalties to my homelands and make them coexist with one another.

[Imaginary]

Yo Ryccia I'm super glad Tubbius nominated you. :D It's been great working with you and I feel like you have a lot of potential.

I do have some questions though!

Where do you want to take the PR team? What things about how it functions do you like and are there parts you'd like to change? Tell me about some ideas you have for it, if you have any. :)

Do you generally want to focus on social or official interactions between regions and what would that mean on a day-to-day basis?

Do you think you're prepared for this position?

What's your favorite color?

[Ryccia]

Yo Ryccia I'm super glad Tubbius nominated you. It's been great working with you and I feel like you have a lot of potential.

I do have some questions though!

Where do you want to take the PR team? What things about how it functions do you like and are there parts you'd like to change? Tell me about some ideas you have for it, if you have any.

Do you generally want to focus on social or official interactions between regions and what would that mean on a day-to-day basis?

Do you think you're prepared for this position?

What's your favorite color?

Thank you for these questions. By debate and inquiry, we know our leaders better, and I am grateful for them.

Internally, I would like to follow in your footsteps by interacting with the ambassadors more. In other regions, being an ambassador can be quite boring. In certain cases abroad, the position has even been abolished for a time because the position was considered useless by some. I would like to encourage the ambassadorship to engage in discussion regarding our foreign affairs. To that end, I shall attempt to implement new ideas to grow debate and further professionalize this career. I am, for example, looking towards introducing a "report" system for our ambassadors to file so the Ministry can be updated with and efficiently record all possible happenings across the interregional world, big and small, but how shall I implement it is still a work in progress.

We should renew the foreign updates. It is time that we release one, and I shall work towards that goal. If all goes well, an update should be released next week or less, and I shall endeavour to make these releases a regular occurence.

I will look into the idea of creating a dedicated FA server as well. Again, this is an idea in construction, so I am unable to guarantee anything for now, or if it shall even exist.

Overall, the structure of command seems sufficient to me. However, I may introduce Advisors (or another position), whose purpose shall be to cultivate FA talent for future generations and have different perspectives to listen to. There is no guarantee for this, as it is just an idea at this point, nothing more. It may not even happen if it turns out to have little use and if the current Deputy system serves the same or similar role, but better.

Now to the second question. I would certainly like to see cultural cooperation, as this is a crucial piece on how regions interact and connect. Sometimes, regions can feel as if they are isolated islands, with its average daily routine being largely unaffected by events abroad. Natives who have not seen another region may not even know what is transpiring elsewhere, or what other places are even about. I know this due to personal experience (heck, in my early years on NS, I only knew my now-beloved Lazarus as "that green region", and was shocked to find that what I now am aware was the Emerald Kingdom was overthrown by the PRL...in the NLO coup. Yeah, I was stupid back then), and even if it is not the tale of every single Lazarene, I would prefer for the populations of Lazarus and abroad to have at least basic understanding of the other. Cultural activities like festivals and other events where people from different regions converse and partake in various activities are a great way for regions to interact. Otherwise, we stay in disparate enclaves, with the foreign being unimportant for the daily procedure of a region, and unknown for members who were like me.

In addition (and as it should be obvious), festivals are events we have to our disposal in order to strengthen our bonds with the outside world, especially our allies. I shall make an effort to collaborate with the Internal Management Department in order to plan festivals and other events if they are a possibility.

Regarding the diplomatic sphere, there is one core aspect of our foreign policy must remain: our opposition to the NPO. To that end, it is my opinion that the war is to continue, and our strategy must be to keep Lazarus safe from reliving the tragic past, and to counter the NPO if need be. No ally of ours must be also an ally of the NPO, and to the token allies that the NPO still has, our relations must not progress beyond respectful formalities. We must never forget, for even if it seems that our beloved region is safe from peril, we must recall that Lazarus has been a battleground in the past for foreign interests, and we musn't fall into the navïeté of the stable reality we live by believing for a second that history shall not repeat itself. We must never think that this era is truly special and invulnerable, and we can let our guard down. No. We must remain alert, for an inquisition (pun intended) against our present peace may come when you least expect it.

If we are to continue doing treaties, they must be mutually beneficial for both participants, and, most importantly, they must not harm Lazarene security and interests. Rather, we are to enhance our safety and standing if possible. One does not make allies for the sake of it. Such a status must bring advantages to the signatories.

Regarding R/D, it is my belief that Lazarus should remain out of that realm of politics. Neutral in R/D, looking out for ourselves. We should not adopt any ideology whatsoever, for that would only court a possible chaos from our past. The military should, in the end, serve only Lazarene interests and have fun in its limited capibilities. I do not mind collaboration with the "defender subversives" or the "evil raiders". If our allies are all fendas, I shall not care as long as Lazarus is safe from subversion. If our allies are all raiders, it is our allies whom we get along with. We should not be looking at what belief they follow, but to the interests of our region. We should keep the ideological status quo of our armed forces, which is no ideology at all. Finally, to fashbash or not to fashbash? You'd bet we should.

What lies ahead shall determine our destiny. I hope that, if confirmed, I am able to steer the ship of our policy to warm, tranquil waters, not to a typhoon of misery and madness that we have suffered so much before. If I fail you in my role, fellow Lazarenes, I beg of you to condemn my errors for all eternity. I can only hope then for your forgiveness, not a redemption of my legacy.

(TLDR; Cultural activities should be a tool for FA, not the aim; official interactions should benefit Lazarus and strengthen our relations, obviously. Both diplomacy and culture are beneficial to map our course in the interregional world)

Onto the third question. Do I feel prepared? I feel capable to perform adequately in this position, and I shall try my best to serve Lazarus with honour and dignity. However, one may end up wrong. All I can say is that Fate shall determine if I am ready, and if I am incorrect, I apologize to the future for shaming Lazarus with such incompetence.

Fourth inquiry...well, I am unsure on that. Ever since childhood, my favourite colours have been red, blue and green (in that order), but I have found myself appreciating white, black, lavender and violet hues more. If I had to say, it is a fierce contest between the deeper shades of red (bright red does not humour me anymore), white, black, blue, and violet. I know it is a big crowd, but every single one of these colours are absolutely beautiful.

Whilst I cannot tell you my singular, favourite colour for certain, I can tell you the colour that I hate the most: yellow. Ever since my childhood, I have absolutely hated yellow, perhaps due to its unpleasant ugliness for my eyes (no offense to all those who like yellow, though).

If you found my answer insufficient, do point it out, and I shall do my best to address your concerns. If I am wrong on something, correct me as well, for all of us are flawed, myself included. Also, if I went on an unnecessary tangent or two, I apologize for that in advance.

[Imaginary]

Thanks for the detailed response!