One man's thoughts...

Day 923, 18:16 • Published in Japan Japan • by Angrr

In the last few days, I have written 3 long articles which I didn’t publish.
The reasons for this are various, but I will try to explain why.

The last article I wrote – which I deleted without even saving – was a platform for President.
Why did I delete it? Why did I decide to run?

In my opinion, the country is in a mess. This is largely due to the war, but to me it seems that some underlying problems were highlighted by this war – I just hadn’t noticed them before.

With the country being in the state it is in, I wanted to rejoin congress and add my voice to the diet, try to influence some decisions and help stabilise our nation. This did not work out, as anti-PTO measures rendered my candidacy invalid. When I saw the candidates who stepped up for the next election – Yonsil, Shimiken and Nowe – I knew that any of these was a poor choice at the best of times, and dangerous at a time like this. I decided that the best course of action was to present my ideas, run myself and let the people decide.

For the record, I would like to say that I have nothing against any of the candidates mentioned above. I merely do not think that it would be wise to elect any of them into office. Inactivity, poor diplomacy and irresponsible would be some terms that could describe these candidates – not ideal given the current political climate.

My platform was based upon taking time to regroup. Rebuilding our foreign relations with proper diplomacy, and end of hostilities with Korea, looking into the issue of the constitution and Righteous Nation Policy – if it is dead, then something should be done – and rebuilding our treasury. I have not decided yet not to run, but I now question whether there is a point.

I came to a realisation – what I have always fought for, what I try hard to protect and what I have always been proud of – it no longer exists. Or it has evolved into something different. Things change, ideals change and the people change. Citizens or politicians who remain here for a long time have more of a difficult time dealing with some of these changes – giant steps in the wrong direction in the eyes of the players who nursed this poor, small nation through it’s early days. I am one of a dying breed – a breed who helped build eJapan into something great. Something different and unique. As eJapan moves forward, it becomes more and more like the other nations of the eWorld, losing along the way the parts of eJapan which made it a special place. The issue is that only people like myself, Sophia Forrester, Origineel.NL and other veteran players know what the nation was like before this, so we fight a losing battle against change, looking increasingly like the old hermit who cannot accept change. In truth, we embrace change – we brought more change about than many new players can imagine. It is when these changes that we fought so hard for are undone that we cannot idly sit by.

And so, realising this, I ask – does anyone in the nation really share my beliefs anymore? People may vote for me in the popularity contest that is the Presidential election, but would they truly support my policies? I do not seek to halt progress, or to go back to the “golden ages”, but to return a bit of balance and sense to the government.

Whether I run or not, an issue that has been bothering me – one that I would (if elected) investigate thoroughly – is the issue of cabinet ministers misusing their positions, or advising the President based upon selfish, greedy motives.

The war against eSouth Korea was meant to be for the good of eSK, but the government soon admitted that it was purely for fun. This is no way to deal with foreign affairs, and we can see the mess that our actions created. I was even more concerned, though, that when a peace proposal was brought to the government, another motivation for the war became apparent. It seems – according to the logs of the IRC conversation – that the reason for the war was to get all the way to eNorth Korea and get Oligagnon’s companies into eJapan. Our minister of finance seemed to be using the war as his own personal playground. He also stated that some Q5 eSouth Korean companies were wanted in eJapan. The cost of this war was massive – we could quite easily have created Q5 companies for less. To see high-ranking government officials betraying the people’s trust in such a way rankles, and I for one demand some answers.

And so, what should I do?

The decision is yours eJapan. As president, I am confident that I could repair some of the damage caused by this war, and set us on the way to recovery. My experience in Foreign Affairs would also help repair the damage done in our relationship with our Asian neighbours. But I need to know that eJapan still wants to be the kind of country I remember. If we have become a country where anything is OK so long as it is fun, then I propose that you elect Yonsil and I will retire from politics completely. If there are still people interested in using this game as it was intended – a social / political simulator, then speak up and show your support. Party Presidents, this is aimed at you also. This is a genuine statement of intent. I cannot continue to be involved in politics if we no longer care about “the good of the people” or “consequences” – two terms that may have been abandoned of late.

Feel free to debate the points I brought up here. Please don’t delete the article.
I will either step down tomorrow, or publish a proper presentation.

Angrr.