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Interview with Hekter , Secretary General of Luna, 1st Lieutenant in the USAF, Commander of Pacmen/Minister of Defense of PACMAN, President of the Philippines for 4.5-Terms[non-consecutive], chairman of Sol, and 7-term Filipino Congressman.

1 - After a longer time of inactivity what happened to make you come back to life ?

Even while I was eDead, I stopped into IRC from time to time, and when I did so last Thursday I learned of the ROC occupation, which compelled me to revive, even though I never intended to come back after my last death.

2 - After a wake up you jumped into the politic the first day , don't you think you could use some time to adjust to new changes ?

To put it frankly, not much has really changed in the 3 months I was gone, other than less activity all around. Every branch and department is significantly less active than when I left, and mechanics haven’t really evolved any further. Other than getting a crash course in recent geopolitical events, with the existence of only 3 departments of government (Presidential, Legislative and Foreign Affairs, since Defense and Home Affairs are for the most part dissolved) there’s not that much to catch up on.

3 - Your opponent for the president election bases his policy on a military junta while you keep the standard diplomatic and peaceful way, what are the disadvantages on Jon873 military campaign ?

Let me state firstly that I have no issue with Military Juntas within eRepublik. They are an interesting spin on our usual democratic governments, that in the right contexts, can accomplish things that wouldn’t normally be possible. However, they only work in certain contexts and situations. I myself would gratefully embrace the policy if it was the right one for this time, but it is not the proper choice for this time. It works when we are occupied by an aggressive nation that has no plans whatsoever of ever releasing us, and we have strong international backing to hold us on our feet if we were to win a Resistance War. In my mind, the perfect example of a successful Military Junta is in eIsrael under Rheinlander von Phalz and Perfect.Knight, which worked for a while, but had constant conflict with their neighbors. You can see now the results of that longstanding policy--eIsrael is now entirely occupied by eTurkey, like us, but because they have burned their bridges, military action is all that is left to them.

We, however, have an opportunity to end this conflict peacefully. From the contact I have had with the ROC government, they are very amenable to a peaceable agreement, with a respectful end to the war, with an official apology for the invasion--because it was our fault--and move on before our relations concrete themselves onto self-destructive hate. it would be a shame to see both of our nations reduced to that.

4 - You published an apology to ROC in the name of non existing congress and without a approval from current government, why you did that, what affected on you to made that decision and do you think that apology letter will help Philippines next month?

Just because Congress does not exist in-game does not mean it no longer exists at all. Congress not be extinguished by a mere occupation. As long as we put trust in a body of people to help make decision and policy, Congress exists. For the most part, Congress exists on the national forums anyway, and their actions affect things well outside game mechanics. I continually have held that Congress has the power to intervene on affairs not traditionally under their authority when national security is concerned, as it is now. Congress is the last vestige of power if the executive fails to solve the problem, as has happened.

I made the decision to open a dialogue with the ROC with an apology because I felt it was appropriate to show that not everyone continues to hold a defiant stant against admitting the country’s defeat and apologizing for being a part in the instigation of conflict. The 31st Congress affirmed the Natural Enemy declarations, so Congress played a pivotal role in the war, and an apology from them is entirely appropriate.

Going forward, the apology has gotten positive responses within the ROC, and as far as I can tell, people do want the occupation to end. Granted, they want it to end on their terms, but any return of the homeland is infinitely better than nothing. This apology was a healthy step in the correct direction towards resuming friendly relations.

5 - You were the creator and leader of several alliances and organization in which Philippines were involved in past, where will you bring in the country next, new alliance, neutrality or joining one of the existing alliance?

I have no plans for the moment to involve the Philippines in any of the alliances. Despite my best efforts over the past 2 years, neutral, 3rd-party alliances do not have enough enthusiasm and energy behind them to work, and it is impossible for our geopolitical area for us to join either side of the superalliance wall. With ONE-affiliated Indonesia below us, EDEN-China and Terra-US to the north and east, joining either of the two sides could precipitate a degradation in relations. Additionally, with our relatively low military strength, we are not a valuable nation to recruit into either side, so there is no point.

I do, however, plan to expand our relations with Malaysia, which would hopefully involve more cooperation there, since communication seems to have ended.

6 - By your opinion where did the previous governments made mistakes and what you think about their work in the last two months?

Obviously, the war with the ROC was a massive mistake, and I would have heavily advocated against it. The breakdown in negotiations after I defeat was something that should have never happened, and patience would have made that entire process much smoother. The second NE is still mind-boggling to me, and overall, speaking entirely honestly, I was massively disappointed in the past 2 government’s conduct.

7 - So far you were five times president, since we know what that position brings with don't you think younger citizens should get that experience?

Being President is not something that you get to do because you waited long enough to do it, or because you have not had a chance at it yet. Being President is about being the best person for the job, and making the country, as a whole, the most successful. I certainly advocate for newer players taking the position, after being active in the governments previous to it--if you look back at history, I helped Keegan Knoll (Mr. Knoll), CruelBear, Jootli, and Myung Kei ascend to the Presidency, however, all were active within previous administrations before taking up the Presidency, which I believe to be key. People outside government have no understanding of how the government actually runs, which leads to significantly decreased effectiveness.

8 - Beside your political experience why should PH citizens vote now for you, what differences we can expect from you next month?

I will regain at least one of our territories, enact more effective military, re-establish government programs, publish news articles regularly, enact congressional reform, re-establish relations with the nations around us to provide us long-term security, and always be there when the country needs me. I did not come back from retirement to sit on my hands, I came back to revitalize this eNation that I love that has gone astray, and bring it back on the path to success.