New Member Commission

SPOT's Predictions Confirmed...

Kloister, Prime Minister of TSP, has today published the proposed framework for a New Member Commission (NMC)...Following debate in the Cabinet forum, the proposal was considered mature enough to place in the public domain for review and comment...

In a move to galvanise the membership of the region, the NMC is seeking to uphold the following 3 key principles:
1. Everyone has a friend
2. Everyone has the opportunity of a responsibility
3. Everyone gains an understanding of the culture, values and history of The South Pacific...

It is going to be interesting to see how the more established and new members approach this new initiative by the Cabinet...

The full terms of reference for the NMC can be found on TSP forum where comments are being invited...

In other news, SPOT is the subject of the 'Poll of the Week'...The editorial team commissioned the poll to gain valuable insight into just how many thousands of people read SPOT on a regular basis...Cast your vote here...

New Member Initiative

Cabinet At Work!..

Following on from our early reports on Wed 5th March, SPOT can exclusively reveal that The South Pacific Cabinet are engaged in discussions to launch a new ‘official group’ that will focus on specific issues relating to and in support of new members. It is believed that underpinning this scheme are several key principles associated with the retention and activity of new members.

We predict that any new group will most likely fall under the bailiwick of the MoR (Minister of the Region), currently Naperia.

At the time of going to press SPOT was still awaiting a formal response from the office of the Prime Minister. More updates as and when we have them…

Elections Long Overdue

Extended Terms for Cabinet!..

The democratic process in The South Pacific appears to have temporarily stalled. The last elections, in which the current members of the Cabinet were elected to office, were held back in August 2007.

With elections scheduled to take place every 4 months, SPOT have contacted the independent Election Commission (EC) to find out exactly what has been going on…

SPOT: Can you clarify for our readers the cause/s for the elections not taking place as is outlined in the Election Laws?..

EC - Tsrill: There are several reasons that are related to each other. The Election Commission has not been complete for a couple of months since the resignation of previous chief commissioner Minbaric Federal Zones, and the remaining commissioners did not have their terms extended in a timely fashion. Further, neither of the remaining commissioners was made chief commissioner, which could explain a lack of initiative from the side of the commission.
EC – Tsu: There have been some issues as to when the election was to have taken place, partially due to the fact of election commission members leaving the game.

SPOT: Are there measures that you will introduce to prevent this from happening again?..

EC – Tsu: I think people leaving is a fact of life. Therefore, we will just need to be more organized and on top of things when such a member becomes inactive.
EC - Tsrill: There is not really that much the commission can do, except putting more pressure on the Delegate to appoint a new EC member if one resigns, and a stronger lobbying for appointing a new chief if the chief resigns.

SPOT: When do you anticipate the next election to be called?..

EC - Tsrill: I have heard that the Delegate is on the lookout for a new commission member, so I hope as soon as possible.
EC – Tsu: Shortly after we have a full election commission.

SPOT: Are you planning to release an up to date election schedule and if so, when will this be?..

EC – Tsu: Hopefully, an election schedule can be put together. However, timing in regard to that is undetermined at this time.
EC - Tsrill: As soon as the next election can be planned, a schedule can be published.

SPOT: Have you been in contact with the Delegate regarding when the vacant Commissioner role will be filled and who is likely to be nominated as the Chair of the EC?..

EC - Tsrill: We have made sure that the Delegate is aware of the problem, and as far as I know she has approached candidates, so hopefully our democratic limbo will be resolved soon.
EC – Tsu: The delegate is aware of the vacancy; however I'm not at liberty to discuss possibly candidates for the position.

Many thanks to the Election Commission, Tsrill & Tsunamy for allowing us the time to conduct this interview.

Endorsement Seeker Ejected

Eucalypti Contravenes Law of Succession...

Earlier this morning Fudgetopia, Delegate of The South Pacific, took steps to eject the UN Nation of Eucalypti from the region for the period of one update. Thus ensuring that their endorsement count was reset to zero.

It is understood that following Eucalypti's breach of the permitted amount of endorsements (50%) and the fact that they were ineligible to run for the Delegacy, it was considered the best course of action in order to mitigate security risks to TSP.

For further information on the laws affecting the Delegate refer to the Martial Law / Law of Succession...

Spring Cleaning

TSP Forum Changes…

The South Pacific Forum has undergone a few cosmetic changes over the past week. Administrators have taken steps to make the board more intuitive and welcoming to new members and chop away some of the ‘dead-wood’.

The changes were sparked by the arrival of Todd McCloud, who ignited interesting discussion about how new members perceive the forum and the potential stumbling blocks for continued participation.

In their opening address, Todd stated: 'I do think one of our problems is many upon many boards. While they all serve a purpose, it's very hard to look active with all those boards quickly collecting dust. Perhaps we should merge some forums together?'

Tsrill, acting in their capacity as a forum Administrator, has been quick to implement changes to the structure of the boards. The SPTVN (South Pacific TV Network) forums have been chopped up. Some have been merged, whilst others divided over the roleplay and off-topic areas. The separate news forums have all been merged into one. Tsrill commented 'That cuts out some little-used forums in the middle, which are basically remains from an older forum structure anyway'.

Other changes include a trial ‘Poll of the Week’ that is sited on the forum index page. The poll is a light-hearted indication of member opinion to various topics. Rumours abound that next weeks poll will be to vote for the subject of the following weeks poll. However, this is to be verified by officials.

In related news, it is understood that the Cabinet have this week undertaken discussions relating to new members and how they are involved in the region. An official spokesperson has remained tight lipped on the matter but indicated that matters were progressing well, even at this early stage.

If you have any comments on the forum changes or have recommendations then you can post your comments here…

Charter Amendment Passes

Voting Changes...

The Assembly of The South Pacific has voted to amend the Charter. The change means that a minimum number of votes are no longer required for a bill to be passed and included on the statute.

The vote passed with 12 voting in favour (80%) and 3 against (20%)

Previously, 14 votes were required as a minimum (referred to in the Charter as a ‘quorum’); otherwise a bill was automatically defeated. This is seen as a positive move to streamline the law making process and react to the recent reduction in members turning out to express their democratic rights.

For a bill to be successful it will now only be required to capture a minimum of 60% of the vote.

The updated Charter of The South Pacific can be seen here…

Do you have a story to tell?..Then why not contact SPOT…

Delegacy Challenge Fades...

Contenders Withdraw...

The South Pacific has seen two challengers for the Delegacy come and go over the past few days. The DOOP and Thonex (aka Vrtbovska Zahrada) declared their intentions to formally challenge Fudgetopia, the long standing Delegate of the region, with neither seeing their campaigns through to a conclusion.

It is believed that The Ministry of Security became aware of both challengers large number of ‘tarts’, (the common term used for describing the act of eliciting endorsements from fellow UN Nations), and had been under close surveillance for some time.

The DOOP caused some consternation to members of TSP, through citing their wish to postpone their campaign until additional challengers had declared their intent. A failure by The DOOP to fully understand the workings of a Delegacy contest and resulting security implications of such a statement led to a swift end.

Thonex, a far more engaging candidate, certainly stimulated more questioning from the members. To which they responded with energetic riposte. However, the fate as befalls many challengers, Thonex could not adequately convince the members of any clear advantages in them replacing Fudge. Add into the mix concerns over the raider/invader past of Thonex and the fact that they were holding down a Cabinet position in The North Pacific, members were quick to jump on the clear conflict of interest issue.

Both challenger’s UN Nations are no longer in the TSP.

Fudge’s reign as Delegate (607 days) is of course a matter for the members and they ultimately decide on who holds that office, through the time honoured standards of honesty, trust and faithful service. Something that any newcomer harbouring wishes for will have to take on board.

It’s not that TSP are an ‘Old Boys Club’. That could not be further from the truth. Members truly value friendship and the bonds of trust that subsequently develop when time is taken to get to know one another.

Joining TSP and expecting to wield inordinate amounts of power immediately is just something that is not going to happen. The members see the sense in not allowing that to happen to a region they have worked long and hard to forge.

If you have any comments on this SPOT article then please leave your comments...