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Region: The Free Nations Region

Heaveria-

Ulymein wrote:

The united provinces of north america
Asean maharlika
Heaveria-

Presidential Debate Question 2: Who do you think is your true adversary, or biggest obstacle to your campaign?

Thank you for your question! When you say ''your true adversary'' I think you're trying to say which candidate is our largest ''obstacle'' per se. Every candidate has their own strengths and weaknesses more or less, as do I. To answer your question very directly, to me it personally seems like the largest adversary is Maharlika. Nonetheless, I respect all candidates. Simply the act of declaring presidency shows initiative and self-motivation--our approaches to the presidency and goals just vary greatly.

Thanks,
Heaveria-
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Stay up-to-date on my campaign here (I will be adding this statement as well):

Vote Heaveria for FNR President!

by Heaveria-

.
......
......
Federal Republic of Heaveria

A Catalyst for Progress!

Bonjour citizens!

I would like to hereby declare my candidacy and give a chance to present what I have to offer as your prospective president!

While my return to NationStates and FNR was only a few months ago, that is certainly no detriment to what I have to offer for this region. Since my return, my contributions have been visible. After becoming a justice in the Supreme Court, I introduced the Attorney Proclamation Act, a program that brings more justice and fairness to all cases and investigations. The program has been, by me, expanded to its fullest with four exam-approved FNR attorneys at the disposal of all citizens. I have also aided in reinvigorating the Constitutional Convention! I am apathetic to any disinterest and believe we need to finish this convention. The final draft is over 50% complete, and I have faith that we will make it to 100% and within a reasonable time! Additionally, in the background, I have been part of a team of people busy archiving the history and laws of our region ensuring they are safe. Before my return to the region, I have been part of politics here for years. Introducing multiple pieces of legislation, overseeing court cases, and much more. That history created by me and the other fellow citizens is still visible to this day.

Despite some of the work I have been able to accomplish in the last two months as Justice, we must look to the future. It is vital to let my voters know why they should vote for me. That is why I have assembled what I will achieve in my term:

- The Criminal Law Codification: This will be vital to add after the new Constitution is passed. It is in no way acceptable to not have consequences. We simply cannot leave decisions solely up to Moderators and the Supreme Court. With codified punishments, we will ensure the same treatment to all nations. This is a major piece of legislation with a strong judicial and moderation reform.

- A Transparency Act: Currently, the extent of our government’s transparency is solely up to the serving President and Ministers. It is irresponsible to not mandate transparency to a certain extent. This transparency act would also entail the following:
Mandated monthly reports to the citizens that would include achievements and current works in progress. This is a democracy, and thus we need to know if our civil servants are able to meet the demands.
Introduction of directives set by the President or a Minister. Directives would set guidance and establish roles. This increases efficiency and ensures proper delegation of tasks.

- I will not be afraid of pursuing a Vote of No Confidence. If someone cannot fulfill their tasks properly, as President, I see it as my moral responsibility to ensure that the nation is removed and replaced as fast as possible. I remain empathetic to extenuating circumstances but must consider the effect on the region.

- A Habeas Corpus Act: During my experienced judicial career, I have passed this bill on three separate occasions in various regions. The concept of habeas corpus is applied in real law and there is no justification for its absence in NationStates. This bill will be introduced in the FNR as well, and adds another layer of fairness and protection.

- Complete Archive of our Laws/History: I am currently working on this laborious task with a set of other very helpful citizens. I find it thoughtless that proper archival hasn’t occurred in the past. Not having our laws easily accessible, public, and secured is the complete opposite of a government's responsibility. It should be a right. I plan to expand delegating archival to additional people in government during the first phases. After a complete archival is achieved, we must ensure this happens seamlessly moving forward.

- The former president has not taken the changes to enforce RL-004, the FNR Workers Act. This act was important to value the work of others. Under my presidency, RL-004 will be better enforced and thus finally able to meet its intended aim.

- I will introduce monthly feedback forms/sessions! Citizens, YOUR voice always has a place with me. Some people want anonymity though or require some motivation to provide feedback. As your president, we can even arrange meeting over voice chat in Discord.

- There is much more that I plan to achieve, in collaboration with my cabinet under my presidency.

As for my running mate, I have chosen Thaelle, better known as Dyl. I personally know and have experienced the many political accomplishments he has achieved - and not just within FNR. He has held multiple high political offices and has shown to be extremely capable of running not just a part of the government, but the entire region. He has helped greatly in progressing the constitutional convention, which demonstrates his responsibility and motivation.

If you have any questions for the term, please please shoot me a message. We only want the best for FNR’s citizens, and my door will always be open to hear your thoughts.

Thank you,

With Thaelle (a.k.a Dyl)

P.S. I find it hard to leave my judicial career behind me for now, but believe I can make better use of my skills to this region as a president.


Question from Ulymein:
17th of June, 2020
Ulymein wrote:

The United Provinces of North America
ASEAN Maharlika
Heaveria-

(Don't know if I can but)
Debate Question for Presidential Candidates: It has been apparent that with TGBN's presidency, many citizens felt that he didn't take their concerns seriously. We aren't debating that right now, though but, if many FNR Citizens have a concern, or criticism of your Presidency and/or policies, what would you do? Steps you would take, etc.


Response:
page=rmb/postid=39284132
Heaveria wrote:I'd be happy to answer that! No matter the presidential candidate, I would inherently expect each president to listen to the concerns of citizens and take action! It's a moral responsibility and duty. We serve the people and not ourselves. How we go about solving the concerns differs.

Here is how I will do it:
1. As in my campaign speech, I will be working hard to introduce a Transparency Act. This relates to your question, because I want concerns to be known. Often, concerns are addressed to the president for them to stay in private chats only with a hope for progress. I will make the voiced concerns public. Citizens should know what is going on and what is planned. These things cannot be hidden. Doing this, 1) shows the public progress 2) doesn't hide anything and 3) provides a fantastic check and balance. The people will accurately be able to judge this and in a worst-case scenario, initiate a VoNC. Obviously, at the beginning of my term the Transparency Act won't be immediately passed. So, what I can do is promise you such a kind of system throughout the entire term. This is just a part of the Transparency Act, but putting these processes in law will only aide in letting the important we have done to setup these processes continue for generations.

2. Aside from simply voiced concerns, I would also setup a Google Form. Some people want anonymity or are afraid to voice their concerns if their names are connected. This will allow that.

If my two points are couples together, I think we have the perfect foundation for taking concerns seriously.

Question from Ulymein:
17th of June, 2020

Ulymein wrote:

The United Provinces of North America
ASEAN Maharlika
Heaveria-

Presidential Debate Question 2: Who do you think is your true adversary, or biggest obstacle to your campaign?

Response:
page=rmb/postid=39291116

Heaveria- wrote:Thank you for your question! When you say ''your true adversary'' I think you're trying to say which candidate is our largest ''obstacle'' per se. Every candidate has their own strengths and weaknesses more or less, as do I. To answer your question very directly, to me it personally seems like the largest adversary is Maharlika. Nonetheless, I respect all candidates. Simply the act of declaring presidency shows initiative and self-motivation--our approaches to the presidency and goals just vary greatly.

Thanks,
Heaveria-

Question from Castenor/Avintis:
18th of June, 2020 | #election-office in Regional Discord.
''@Justice Heaveria

Your campaign seems to be very legislation oriented. Habeas corpus, Criminal law codification, Transparency act, archives, and using your power to ensure the law remains followed. This is ofc a product of your judicial history. Apart from those laws, what do you have to offer the region as President and what kind of plans do you have? Why can't you get these things done without being President? What kind of experience do you have in Executive government?

- There is much more that I plan to achieve, in collaboration with my cabinet under my presidency.

Care to explain what exactly? Currently I'm leaning towards voting for you but I would like to know as much about what I'm voting for as possible.

What are your thoughts on the other candidates and their policies? Why are they good or bad in your view? If you win are you willing to incorporate good ideas from other candidates and will you be willing to work with the winner (if you lose) to implement your own policies?''

Response:
#election-office in Regional Discord
Your campaign seems to be very legislation oriented. Habeas corpus, Criminal law codification, Transparency act, archives, and using your power to ensure the law remains followed. This is ofc a product of your judicial history. Apart from those laws, what do you have to offer the region as President and what kind of plans do you have? Why can't you get these things done without being President? What kind of experience do you have in Executive government?

You're absolutely right, it's in my blood to set things in the legislature. It voids loopholes, prevents accidental abuse of power, and importantly it sets things for generations of presidents to come. It would be a shame for the hard work of the introduction of new processes to better the region to go lost after 3 months. In my statements, I have made the same promises as some other candidates (for example with listening to citizens.) Though, I have laid out clear plans how to achieve them. On the feedback/listening front this is what I am doing:

1. As per what will be mandated via the Transparency Act, feedback and concerns should be made public. Often these conversation go lost in private DM's. By setting them on a public and accessible agenda, the citizens will be able to accurately judge if the President and his cabinet is acting on the feedback. It also consistently sets them on a radar.

2. Some people prefer strong anonymity when suggesting feedback and providing comments on government. For this case there will be an always-open and accessible Google Form. For one, a Google Form remains central, without loosing track of feedback and gives the option for anonymity.

I am also plan on a cultural/roleplay reform. I have separate speech written up all about this which is more detailed. For a quick overview:

1. These parts are vital to regional success and serve the purpose to be fun and a distraction from real life. We need to remove the formality from the cultural process.

2. The cultural department should be renamed. It shouldn't be led by one person but a collective set of minds. A group in a sort. People of all sorts who are in roleplaying and cultural events need to come together to decide what they want and how they want it. After reform and a necessary setup, my governments role is to push this ''department'' and not loose focus of it. Introduction of themes and embracing creativity/expressionism.(edited)

3. Regional debates/Debate Club: I have talked to multiple citizens and this appears to be in high demand. Personally, I would love this as well. I would like one weekly debate. That seems very reasonable. To do this specifically:
- Implement a poll each week before the debate with a list of topics to vote on.
- Do the debates on different days of the week as to not exclude any nations from participating.(edited)

4. There is more I have on this front. But as I have written up a speech, I will release that instead with more detail instead, I hope that is understandable.

Why can't you get these things done without being President?

As a Justice you are limited to a certain degree to stay impartial and without bias. I have been getting legislation ready and am on an archival team in the background since my steady return. Even without an executive role, I still see my moral responsibility to contribute to the region. After the new constitution in 2019 all former laws were stripped and quite frankly, I find us to be very bareboned on that front. Missing highly important needed laws to unify our standards (such as with the crime law.) As a president, I have a cabinet and the people that will listen, that will stand by my side much more than now. A lot of running a presidential term, is the proper delegation of tasks, something that just doesn't occur as a justice. I am working hard in the background as it is, but I lack the ability as a justice to unify people in common goals long-term being seen as just a ''Justice.''

What kind of experience do you have in Executive government?
My forté lays in the judicial aspect but that is not to say I lack executive experience. I have served in judicial departments across multiple regions and have overseen multiple law cases with consistent enforcing of proper laws. Even as a justice, I continue to do tasks out of my realm that would be considered quite executive. I attempt to bring together people for common goals such as for legislative purposes and work on tasks that normally are within the realm of other positions. Often it seems, who else will do it? Other than the typical set of people who are found respectively doing most things. Summarized, I have not just sat back as a justice and done nothing else but focusing on enforcing law and presiding in cases. I have taken initiative. As for my executive government experience, I have led two interregional organizations. Despite their lack of existence today, this is just simply the flaw in them. During my reign in both, AIR (co-founded) and ITDA (Secretary-General), I have brought them to their heights during my leadership. At one point, AIR was the largest interregional org. Though soon after is when I was forced to retire from NS. I would consider these positions executive. Nonetheless, most of my 'executive work' has come from working on the sidelines as justice, or often Chief Justice in other regions.

There is much more that I plan to achieve, in collaboration with my cabinet under my presidency. Care to explain what exactly? Currently I'm leaning towards voting for you but I would like to know as much about what I'm voting for as possible.

I have already made many concrete plans and statements. I need to ensure to stay realistic regarding time frames. Due to this being a special election, my term will be served for 4 months instead of 3. In addition to my new speech I will be releasing today, I believe I have a very good set of things on my personal agenda to work on with other citizens and my cabinet. Some are also very time intensive such as complete archival and finishing the constitutional convention. Citizens will also most likely suggest more ideas and plans for implementation that will go on the public agenda, as mentioned before, adding on to the calendar and list. You can always check my campaign dispatch for everything. I will be including all of these answers in there as well!

What are your thoughts on the other candidates and their policies? Why are they good or bad in your view?

I respect the candidates and enjoy their showing of initiative for declaring candidacy. Though, both candidates appear to make very broad and general claims. Or even simply suggesting a lack of changes except to 'promise' pushing harder for the current things in place. I also see from UPNA a very strong belief in pushing and reforming R/D in our region. Though, from his messages I think I see a lack of knowledg into how R/D works. He is pushing it to ''protect!'' and such. Though, being a defender and having a R/D career (page=dispatch/id=1368646), I see this very differently. I believe R/D is in actuallity another aspect of the game, just like government or roleplay. People join it because they find it a fun, a fun distraction from everyday life. From my experience, a successful regional military that actively defends requires a large amount of separation from regional government and a highly invested commander. Finding the highly invested commander is the largest struggle. It also needs its own NSGE forum and strong presence in Libcord. Without an invested commander, activity in R/D is always in strong decline. I believe the system of broad/vague claims makes the voter apathetic to their cause. In broad, the promises are in a sense ''good'' and 'what the people want to hear'. But what can we expect from a president who campaigns in this manner?

If you win are you willing to incorporate good ideas from other candidates and will you be willing to work with the winner (if you lose) to implement your own policies?

The candidates are citizens just like the rest of us! Being adversaries to my campaign should in no way hinder us working together. That would be irresponsible of me. Their feedback/goals/plans are to valued on the same level as everyone else. I have always worked hard to implement policies in my personal agenda (often via legislation) and will continue to do so if not voted on. Though, as a justice, progress is slower as I am often alone or just with a few people willing to help a justice in a commonly shared goal. If the other candidates win, I do certainly hope we can continue to collaborate together on both agendas :D!


Question from Castenor/Avintis:
18th of June, 2020 | #election-office in Regional Discord.
Are you affiliated with any FNR Political Party? What do you think about Political Parties and subsequent Factionalism?

Response:
#election-office in Regional Discord
I’m not affiliated with a political party. Even more so, as a justice I have been strictly prohibited from doing so. I’m not inherently opposed to political parties. Approximately 2-3 years ago, before my retirement I had founded the DUP party. Though, my stance for now is that there are many important things ahead and I cannot focus on joining a party. Factionalism can provide another foundation for a governmental/political activity. Though, while it also has a lot of upsides, it can, if powerful enough, provide a basis for corruption and a transition to an oligarchy. From my experience, political parties have never lasted. They often start off strong, and slowly diminish overtime. If properly run, it doesn’t have to be that way. Though, if it’s a concern, a anti-corruption legislation could be drafted to prevent a single-party state.


Question from Castenor/Avintis:
page=rmb/postid=39306934
Castenor wrote:Heaveria-
The united provinces of north america
Asean maharlika
Siokania
The trident union

What does your foreign policy look like? Do you support stronger ties with current relations or do you lean more towards establishing new consulates and embassies? Foreign Policy is an essential part of government, and it can make or break a leader. I'd like to know if the candidates I am putting my faith in have strong policies or weak ones.

What kind of cultural events will you look for? Will you support cultural events with multiple regions to increase relations? What sort of events, contests, polls, etc. would you like to see engaging the region?

The current Defender military appears to be inactive. How will you recruit for the FNDA and work towards making FNR a military power? What kind of command would you like to see? What kind of operations? What kind of training do you think we should see? Do you support military cooperation between regions to ensure closer relations?

According to the constitution, "When voting on proposals, the World Assembly Delegate shall vote in line with the majority of the region." How will you go about this? Will you host a poll before the resolution gets to vote to try and "WA Stomp" it? Or will you wait until it's about to pass and look at the WA statistics for your vote?

How do you plan to leave office? Aka, ideally, what would the region be like once your term ends? And will you run for another term?

Response:

Heaveria- wrote:My responses were constructed with contributions from Thaelle, my running mate and acting president!

QUESTION: What does your foreign policy look like? Do you support stronger ties with current relations or do you lean more towards establishing new consulates and embassies? Foreign Policy is an essential part of government, and it can make or break a leader. I'd like to know if the candidates I am putting my faith in have strong policies or weak ones.

Most active players are located amongst various GCR’s and UCR’s. While we have conversion rates via standard recruitment, the numbers are even lower when it comes to quality long-term players. This is just one of the reasons why I think foreign policy is important. If the manpower is there, I see no reason why we should hinder ourselves in establishing new consulates and embassies. Afterall, we are seeing new UCR’s being founded and growing to sizable amounts regarding population. These are my policies I need to implement in my term:
- We need a NSGE (NationStates Gameplay) forum. I’m very surprised this hasn’t been established yet. It provides the necessary publicity on a global NS scale. It is monitored by the most active nations. Forum posts are also often subject to replies from the community, a positive thing. This is commonplace and it disappoints that it hasn’t been achieved. I am aware the current cabinet is working on it, though, it needs to be finished.

- I cannot verify if this is actually in place already or truly enforced, but it should be a standard to provide updates to regions we have embassies with regularly.

- We need to participate in interregional events. Opportunities are there throughout the year, so there is no excuse. As with the NS Great Exhibit for example.

QUESTION: What kind of cultural events will you look for? Will you support cultural events with multiple regions to increase relations? What sort of events, contests, polls, etc. would you like to see engaging the region?

I differentiate roleplay from culture. Here are some specifics to my plan:
- I have been in contact with multiple citizens and I have heard a common demand for a cultural activity/group. A debate club! Personally, I’ve always wanted this as well and truly interests me. Additionally, it is more than feasible. At a first thought, it would be done in this manner: 1) Utilize the NS poll and offer a list of topics for the weekly debate. 2) Have a debate via a medium and we have the moderation capabilities if needed. 3) Each week the debate would occur on a different day of the week as to not exclude nations. Afterall, our schedules don’t all align perfectly.
- We need to remove the formality from the ministry and restructure it. Due to the nature of these ministries, I think it should go beyond being just led by a single person. This is a role that should be open to everyone wanting to contribute for the greater good of the region. With this, the word Minister should be removed and transformed. This is the fun aspect of our region and doesn’t need strong government intervention (which people are demanding for). There needs to be a group of citizens that have this common goal and not a direct government administration led by one person. This could work or roleplayers as well and is the strongest demand they have.

- Our events must be more rewarding. For example, if we host competitions, it should serve a higher purpose other than just ‘’doing it’’ because it is something to do. We do this by adding creativity to competitions (mixing things up by for example themes) and reward hard work by showing it off (see the other flag competitions that occur.) We could also expand showing off our region’s creativity and expression globally via the NationStates forum. There has been a large failure here to enforce RL-004. A legislation, I have with my judicial powers, worked to enforce--it is law. This law serves the purpose to demand rewarding people’s contributions (culture and otherwise). Don’t hide people’s work in the region, make it known to everyone and go above and beyond!

Sidenote: Our former Minister of Culture, Hetairaea, has shown significant understanding of roleplay and cultural events. Thus, I would like to include her as an advisor. Her advice is a key foundation to success. Unfortunately, she does not have the time to lead Roleplay or Cultural Events, but I will with no doubt do what I can to include her experience in the plans. I believe you citizens will agree.

QUESTION: The current Defender military appears to be inactive. How will you recruit for the FNDA and work towards making FNR a military power? What kind of command would you like to see? What kind of operations? What kind of training do you think we should see? Do you support military cooperation between regions to ensure closer relations?

- For the most part, recruitment for the FNDA would be through a coordinated recruitment drive, utilizing telegrams, WFE, discord, etc. to create a greater awareness of the FNDA and attract more members. These would likely show the work the organization does and make the process for joining clear and accessible.

- Other candidates have spoken of the FNDA primarily as a force for defense for the region. However, the FNDA, like other regional defense organizations, should (and does) take part in R/D gameplay. Thus, I would look for leaders who have past experience with defending on NationStates and can thus provide FNDA recruits with adequate training to improve the overall quality of the force, as well as being able to competently lead the FNDA in its operations.

- As an individual force, I would hope to primarily focus on detagging, as detags tend to be easier for less-experienced members, and thus would be best given the current state of the FNDA. However, I would also work to encourage members to take part in operations on Libcord, where they can take part in defending on a regular basis and gain more experience in other forms of defending as well.

- As mentioned above, I would look for leaders with experience in defending, which would allow for a heightened quality in the training new recruits would receive. In addition, while the FNDA would primarily focus on detagging, I believe that members should be trained in all forms of defending, in order to make the FNDA more effective in its own operations as well as a greater asset to the defender community as a whole.

- Last, I absolutely support military cooperation with allied regions. Much of this is already done through Libcord, and other regions tend to be open to hosting joint operations outside of Libcord as well. This is something that I would likely work with both our Defense and FA minister to coordinate.

QUESTION: According to the constitution, "When voting on proposals, the World Assembly Delegate shall vote in line with the majority of the region." How will you go about this? Will you host a poll before the resolution gets to vote to try and "WA Stomp" it? Or will you wait until it's about to pass and look at the WA statistics for your vote?

A lot of the voting established by the WA delegate is based on our morals and principles which are set in stone. We are defenders. We are foundationally democratic. This sets the precedence for the vote. Our utilizing of NS site tools are underused, along with that comes polls. Thus, I see absolutely no reason we couldn’t have regional votes on the WA. This task would obviously be delegated at the start of the term via a directive (as previously explained.)

QUESTION: How do you plan to leave office? Aka, ideally, what would the region be like once your term ends? And will you run for another term?

I think all of us candidates would like to leave office in a similar manner. Have finished out our terms fully with high approval rations. I hope my exit differentiates with large new pieces of legislation which set a precedent for future generations of FNR politicians. Criminal Law Act and a Transparency Act are huge pieces of legislation - they can change government significantly. Thus, I hope to leave with a legacy that builds the foundation for future terms to prove even more success. Very honestly, I don’t know if I will declare my candidacy for a second term. Only time will tell!
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STAY UP-TO-DATE ON MY CAMPAIGN DISPATCH:
nation=heaveria-/detail=factbook/id=1390433


Question from Ulymein
page=display_region_rmb/region=the_free_nations_region?postid=39306981#p39306981
Ulymein wrote:

Asean maharlika
Heaveria-
The united provinces of north america
Siokania
The trident union

Debate Question: What will you change about the Minister system, or government, if you do?

Response:
page=rmb/postid=39314847

Heaveria- wrote:I believe I have discussed government reform in the roleplay/cultural department quite extensively thus far - so I’d like to focus on the contrary. In its current form, our region has the essential departments. Though, I would like to within time, reintroduce a form of the Minister of Defence. Not a MoD per se as I foresee the transition to respecting FNDA as a very separate (but still connected to the FNR) organization. Often the president is known as the ‘’Commander-in-Chief’’. I have much planned and to stay very realistic and transparent, it’s best if this task is delegated to someone with the appropriate experience to devote more time than I ever could in conjunction with running a regional government. I plan on certainly keeping the Minister of Information, Immigration, Culture (to be highly reformed), Foriegn Affairs, and Minister of Internal Affairs. I have been considering the idea of a Minister of Labor for recruitment of personnel under the ministries and in other scenarios as well as providing another hand in the execution of delegated tasks. Under the FNR Workers Act 2019 (page=dispatch/id=1281391) I am also given the right to hire personnel to work for me if they’re purpose is to further my agenda. These are not ministerial positions. There are a plethora of duties to do. While the large things get the most attention, there are many small tasks that can prove just as crucial to long-term success. To ensure the most efficiency and keep all hands on deck, I will be creating the position of Secretary to the President. They are in law powerless, but certainly fulfill the requirements set by the FNR Workers Act 2019. Lastly, I understand the vice-president is not a ministry. Though, one of the reasons for choosing Thaelle is that he is located in the opposite time zone. When I am not available during the day, he has the ability to deal with situations. I have full trust in his capabilities.


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