Tales from Belgium - Prime Ministers Question's

Day 1,848, 10:02 • Published in United Kingdom Switzerland • by Dan/naD Wilshire


Yannis – Prime Ministers Questions



The Introduction

Today I got the luxury of interviewing the Prime Minister of eBelgium. This is what she had to say!

Question Time

Dan: So how did you come to find eRepublik?

Yannis: I found a mention of it in one of my brother science magazines and I was bored, so I decided to try. It was 2 years ago and at that time I didn't understand anything of how you had to start, so I forgot about it.

2 years later, exactly 2 months ago, I fell on an advert that reminded me of it. I gave it a second try, and here I am 😃

Dan: How come the second time round you decided to stay playing the game?

Yannis: This time I figured out how to work and fight, which were the basics. Also this time, someone (Gyantse) took the initiative to contact me in order to integrate myself in the community. He suggested me to register in the forum, and I immediately saw that the atmosphere wasn't the right one between different 'clans' and that I was the girl that could bring change to the situation. 🙂

Dan: What is your current role in the government?

Yannis: Currently I am Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs. I'm also the one responsible of Education as its department merged with the Home Affairs and I became the head teacher of the Belgian Education Academy, a new service that will track new players and give them all the help they need to start enjoying the game. 🙂

Dan: Over the past two months which players have influenced you the most?

Yannis: Ow, that's a long list! 😛

Firstly Lily, because she was the first one to judge me able to fit in a governmental role, it is always risky to do so with someone that played only for two weeks because I could have made it a mess or just leave, but she trusted me and I'm thankful for this 🙂

There's also NLSP, because it was one of the first big players of eBelgium I had contact with, and his dubitative reputation taught me to not always rely on first impression 🙂

There are a lot of people I would like to thank, MCKitkat, MaryamQ, Nohjis, or even newer players like Beaver Juice (my dear pupil 😛 ) and Kiyonori Dragnier. There are so many people who helped me into this game (and often more than they think), I'm not able to list them all, I'm afraid to forget one of them...

Dan: BrunoCND said in his interview that he would like to see you become CP of eBelgium sometime soon. Do you have any plans to run in the near future?

Yannis: That's a difficult one 😛

I'm heavily hesitating about presidency, to be honest. I think I'm perfectly able to handle it, but I'm very sensitive to the feedback others give me. While CP's like BrunoCND and Lily are perfectly able to deal with the aggressive opposition of eBe, I think it would really hurt me as I always try to please everyone and feel bad when I fail on this. :/

While the opposition sometimes has some good critics to mention, the way they are communicating is always very harsh and without any form of pity for the person who tries to make the best out of her term for all the citizens, opposition included.

Dan: Is this "opposition" the silent PTO that BrunoCND mentioned in his interview?

Yannis: I know you desperately want that info 😛 , but sorry, I will not divulge information my CP refused to reveal. 😃

Dan: Since you are hesitant to run for CP, what position to you aspire to have within the eWorld?

Yannis: I am quite happy with what I am doing now. My real motivators has always been to help people, make them happy and make that the community where I'm in is going well and provides positive experiences to every member of it. I also wanted to start a newspaper, but never really dared. I recently found out that Kiyonori had the same problem and I'm very happy he finally made the step. He has a lot to offer to his country and eBelgium really needs someone like Kiyonori at the moment, as long as they let him feel secure enough to talk without being bashed.

Dan: You are part of a rather large and complicated efamily. Would you like to tell us about a few of your favourite family members?

Yannis: So many people again! The most annoying but most adorable eDad in the world, MCKitkat, my caring mom Aniisha, my gay grandparents Critically and Konrad (They switch the roles of nanny and granddad every time, very confusing), Granduncle Gyantse, who will always remain a big child in his heart, his very serious brother BrunoCND, and last but not least our Matriarch LotusBlack, always caring and always beloved 😉

Dan: Many of the people on your list and others you have not mentioned are highly involved in the Belgian government. Do you feel that your family has sovereignty over Belgium?

Yannis: Well, as you are actually choosing if you want to join an eFamily and which one, it is more my implication in the government that brought my into this family than vice versa 😉

And for sure my eFamily is very active in Belgian politics and will help their younger members in that area. They have a very big influence, but they are not ruling it either. Many of our ministers aren't part of the family and still do a great job! No, ministers are chosen for their effectiveness, there is no nepotism in eBelgium 😉

Dan: I keep hearing about the Financial Crisis that is occurring in eBelgium. Can you provide any information about what is happening with the country’s finances?

Yannis: I don't think it is only occurring in eBelgium, but rather in the whole eWorld. The Monetary Market completely went crazy! 🙂

But in what concerns eBe, yes our reserves are decreasing because the economic side of the country is quite ill at the moment. We haven't got the 100% bonus to compete with ePoland and its prices, and the fact that the community is very small doesn't help either. We are doing as much as we can to reduce the deficit, while sponsoring military by joining CoT.

And supplying citizens, it does cost a lot, but it is currently the only reason we can give to our citizens to stay in the country. We all hope Plato will do something about the current economic situation because it really strangulates little countries at the moment...

Dan: What is your favourite aspect of erepublik?

Yannis: IRC 😃 Having contact with your fellow patriots, knowing them more than as a simple profile on Erep. I think that people not active on IRC really miss something, because it is the community that makes the fun. The game is quite straightforward and rather repetitive, I think would have grown bored a long ("long") time ago without IRC. 😁

Dan: What do you think is the most important thing a country needs to do to keep its newer players engaged and interested in the game?

Yannis: I think that there are several types of players. I don't like to put players in boxes, but I will make an exception on this one 🙂. There are players who only play for development and don't care about politics. On the other side we have two other sorts of players, those who play because they love politics and completely commit to that part of the game and those who play to have a good time with the community. I think we have to meet the desires of all those citizens, but I would rather focus on the third sort because caring for a healthy community will make politics fun and attractive, which will mean a more functional country that provides more support to all the citizens.

Dan: What are your plans for this month as MoHA?

Yannis: I have little time to spend right now because of Christmas, travelling and some work, but I will try to reinforce the BEA and to support media as I think it is one of the most important part of the game (and always underestimated). I also thought about searching external games to play with people from the IRC to have some fun (Like Curve Fever).

Also, if you have any other suggestion, please send me a PM, I'm always glad to get inspiration and new ideas, and you will get the whole credit for it.

Dan: What is your view on the current eUK government and the eUK in general?

Yannis: To be completely honest I don't have that much information about the eUK to judge (I'm from Home Affairs, remember? 😛 ) But they always accepted TW's and I heard that the previous CP , Talon, did a great job. That is really all I know :/

Dan: Do you think the training war with the UK will be beneficial for eBelgium?

Yannis: I think it will, because a huge part of the country is made of young players who are wanting to fight and get medals. With a recessing economy it is now the easiest way to grow 🙂

Dan: For your closing statement would you like to provide us with some more information about you, or the people you have met?

Yannis: Ehm, I would like to add that, even if there is some trash talk and fights within eBelgium, there are also some hidden pearls of personalities to find if you search a little, the young generation, apart from me, is very promising. And also: Go Go Brunooooooooo! 😃

And as a closing statement: eRep's purpose is to have fun altogether. If you need any help, whoever you are, contact me. I will always be there to help every person who asks for it, as all of them are positive assets to the game who will make of the eWorld a better place. (Amen Aldous)

Dan: Thank you for your time Yannis!

Final Note

Tomorrow’s article will be with an old member of the eBelgian community. We will delve deeper into eBelgiums past!

Till then! o7