World Assembly Reform
A Discussion on Options, Ideas and the State of Affairs
Written by Rach, Audio by Cpt. Carrot
Click to listen to Cpt. Carrot discuss WA Reform!
The recent loss of Vice Delegate Celtian due to inactivity has led to increased discussion on potential reforms to the role the World Assembly (WA) Delegate plays in the region and how we choose them. Increasingly there has been debates on how we can change how we choose the WA Delegate and how changing this could benefit our WA program. The three ideas regarding WA reform that have garnered the most significant attention have been:
1.Maintaining the Status Quo: Maintain the current challenge system where the WA Delegate is elected but whose term ends if they lose a challenge or resign.
2.Presidential Supremacy: The WA Delegate will be a cabinet member subservient to the President.
3.Regular Elections: The WA Delegate will be chosen via regular elections.
The support for the status quo has been led by people who think that the system has served Europeia well. As well, they believe that it gives extra room to the Delegate to experiment. Recent Senator Verteger supported it because: “I like the challenge system because the WAD is a leader, and a leader needs to have the initiative to challenge the status quo, and the ability to rally people to their cause and vote for them. And by having the challenge system and the little bit of apprehension involved, we get people who really want the job”.
There are also a group of Europeians who believe that the World Assembly should be firmly underneath the executive and foreign affairs. They do not like how the election of the delegate gives them an increased mandate that is separate from the Presidency. As well, they express criticism over the challenge system and believe it does not promote accountability. President Writinglegend described it as such: “The challenge system does not promote any challenging -- rather it enables the Delegate to sit on their heels without long term accountability and no competition. I believe a system where the Delegate is appointed by the Executive government should be explored".
Supporters of the third option believe in an increased mandate for the delegacy and increased accountability. As well they believe that regular elections would improve the position. Newcomer Festavo made this clear “I believe that the delegate of a region, the official regional World Assembly representative who is democratically elected with onsite endorsements to represent us, should be chosen by the only truly fair system there is--democracy. It is only right and just that the representative of the region in the World Assembly be chosen by a vote of the people on a regular basis to ensure that we have a Delegate that represents the interests of the region. Not only is there justification for it on that front, but we would be allowed to reap the benefits in the areas of activity and enjoyment that come along with election seasons. The challenge system has a time and a place, but now it's time for a change”.
Any attempt at reforming the WA delegate election process will be difficult. Not only is there a sizable amount of support for the status quo but the two main ideas for reform are fundamentally opposed to each other. The President appointing the delegate would greatly reduce the mandate and independence of that position. On the other hand, regular elections for the delegacy would increase the delegates mandate and independence of that position. As such, reform will be extremely difficult.
