OKayOK - President for the People

Day 4,793, 05:13 • Published in Belgium South Africa • by OKayOK

First off, I would like to let every single one of you know that I could not be prouder of the country that I have chosen to make my home. The last 3 months of hard work with all of you has shown me that you all deserve the greatest respect, friend or foe, for making this country active again. I believe that activity is like a snowball, and the more articles we have, the more vocal we are, this activity will eventually take on a life of its own and there can only be great things in the future for us all.

If I win or if I do not win the upcoming election, I dedicate myself, and so does my party, to continue to grow this nation.

Economy
In terms of the economy, it has been said before, concessions are our major form of government income as of now. These concessions are vital and need to be continued and protected.
A concession is an act of giving up resource bonuses, such as clay, to another country for a fee. You can read more about concessions here: https://wiki.erepublik.com/index.php/Resource_concession

So, while protecting these concessions, we also need to create a culture of business entrepreneurship in this country. I would like to encourage, and help all people that want to create a business empire, be this in foreign lands or locally (if feasible). I would like to work with each and every one of you to make sure that there are goods on the Belgian Market that are affordable, and if they are not, I want to ensure that there is a proper social welfare system in place so that the new or struggling player can ask for assistance and receive it. If we are to grow this nation, we need to make sure that the economy serves each and every one of you, that you are helped to become self-reliant and not be totally reliant on Social Welfare Programs.

Concessions, although a great way to up our GDP, also runs the risk of making the citizens of this nation reliant on government, and less reliant on themselves. This type of Socialism is fine for now, but unlike my opponent, I believe that we need to use the concession tool and funds received to further develop and make our nation more productive in business and battles. Hopefully one day, we will not be reliant on concessions anymore.

In terms of concessions, I think that people need to have a full understanding of what is actually going on. As a nation, we have the following resource bonuses that help local businesses create the goods that we all need. Fruits, Iron, Magnesium, Titanium, Wolfram, Aluminum, Fish, Cattle, Clay and Oil. We have entered into concession agreements with Argentina, Russia, Norway, United Kingdom and Hungary. We conceded the following resources: Aluminum, Fish, Cattle, Clay and Oil leaving us with only Fruits, Iron, Magnesium, Titanium, Wolfram.

So, how can we move forward from here and ensure that we have all the resource bonuses we require to have an active business sector, offering affordable goods on the Belgian market? We could, when activity and growth allow, stop conceding vital resources and start buying concessions from other countries ensuring that we have a fertile resource compliment to allow for business to strive locally. To do this, however, we need to grow and make it worth our while. I would much rather have a great environment for player self-empowerment than player reliance on government.

So, in terms of the economy going forward, we will continue with all current programs, as well as implement a new program that can help new players with food. We will start a business forum, that will allow players to make proposals for business ideas, ask for government investment, and if we choose to invest, we will require a return on the investment in the form of profit share.

Foreign Affairs
We are not a strong country. We cannot compete with many of our neighbours in terms of war. Since becoming Prime Minister, I have been acutely aware of this. What has shocked me however is the manner in which we are treated by some of our neighbours and so-called friends. I am shocked to see that many of them follow our party lines, and are die-hard supporters of ATO and to me, anybody who does not belong to this “Old Guard” is to be treated with disdain, contempt and aggression. I cannot prove this, but I am of the belief that this attitude is being encouraged by a certain party within our own country. Such encouragement is nothing more than sabotage of their own country. It is shocking and in my opinion unacceptable. It must be remembered that HOPE did not take power in this country through an election, through a PTO or through war. We were handed the government by ATO when they decided (and still have not bothered to explain) to impeach their own government.

I will endeavour to build relationships and make sure that the toxicity that exists currently stops. I will make it clear that the way they talk and treat us as allies is totally unacceptable and insist on better treatment. We need to, as a nation, make sure that we are not disrespected in a way that serves a single party's political agenda. International Relations are not the battleground for our political battles, and any encouragement of this by any party should be seen as what it is, sabotage of Belgian.



Society
This is our biggest asset as a nation. Every one of you is what makes Belgium a nation, and you should be our biggest investment. We will, as mentioned above, make sure that there are sufficient programs to make you grow as a player, but beyond that, we need to make sure that there are tools in place to make sure that you can get to know you, fellow players, that congress has the tools to communicate with each other. With this in mind, I plan to open a new country forum. Its first priority will be to ensure that Congress has a place to discuss laws in both public and private setting. These public discussions will be open to all Belgian players. You will be able to be a part of what is being talked about, but the final vote will be for Congressman only.
Once we have got congress communicating, we need to make a place for all of you to communicate.



Structure of Government
In terms of congress, the way it is being run in this country is problematic. All parties are responsible for talking to their congressman but never to the congressman from each party talk to each other. This is where the forum comes in. It is a record of the work that they are doing. It is an easy medium for them to communicate and get their point across. It allows for polls, and it allows for the multi-party formulation of policies that matter, such as immigration requirements. I would encourage Congress, using this new tool to make sure that they enact a basic constitution, elect a speaker from their peers and start working for the country as leaders and not just pawns of the executive branch and Party Presidents.

In terms of the Executive Branch, I would like to present you with my proposed Cabinet
Prime Minister: Vincent Pain
Deputy Prime Minister: Post available

Minister of Education: hallo10
Deputy Minister of Education: Post Available

Minister of Finance: Genesis X
Deputy Minister of Finance: Post Available

Minister of Foreign Affairs: caribo
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: NatrixBy2

Minister of Defence: Babis Tsig
Deputy Minister of Defence: Post Available

As you can see there are some open posts for deputies, I would encourage everyone who wants to be involved to contact the players above and see if you can help. It does not matter who you are or which party you belong to. I have offered some posts to members of ATO, and they have refused to be part of this government. I would encourage any ATO member who is unaware of this to make yourself known.



In Closing
We need to be a nation that wants to have the drive and audacity to be better. Better than all the other countries in the eWorld. This is a lofty goal, but if we do not aim for excellence, we are bound to stay in obscurity. Let us be known as a country that is moving forward. Let it be known that we are a country that is willing to do what it takes to be better every single day that we play this game. Let us not be distracted by trolls and saboteurs who hold on to power, and hate any change in the dynamics of the game. Let us rise above party politics and worry more about Belgium Politics as a country. What is best for us, our people and our future. This needs to be the undeniable drive and goal of our existence. Vote for me and I will dedicate myself to helping us grow and achieve our goals.