I didn't view it from the lens of "are there better and more qualified nominees" or "more deserving" nominees, because I agree the Senate should make their decision based on the nominee in front of them and not the nominee they wish they had in front of them. However, I did think about the message and potential impact confirming such a nominee could have on the dedicated staffers and new players who have worked hard but despite that hard work and dedication haven't been offer the opportunity to become a Minister. I think confirming a nominee who regained citizenship 8 days ago after losing their citizenship due to inactivity, sends a bad and discouraging message to those staffers and new players and suggests we don't value them or their hard work. And aside from the fact that we should always be sending encouraging messages to those players and showing we value them, I also worry that if we aren't offering opportunities for upwards mobility and instead constantly rewarding old players who suddenly come back and don't do anything before being rewarded with a new position, those new players are going to wonder what's the point in working hard and putting the effort in if it doesn't lead to anything. So when balancing Hez's qualifications as a nominee (which do exist to be clear) and in my opinion the negative messaging a confirmation would send out, I believed that negative messaging would still do greater harm even if Hez had an acceptable term so I voted no.
And I would also suggest, there's a fair argument to be made that someone who hasn't been active in the region for several months and hasn't been involved in the Ministry they hope to lead for even longer, that they may not be the best qualified to lead that Ministry. If you haven't been involved in the region or Ministry for a long time, how can you accurately and fully know and understand the challenges and problems the region and Ministry faces today and what the solutions may be? The region and Ministry of Culture two years ago, is not the region and Ministry of Culture today. I think there's more to someone's qualifications and experience than what roles they held 2 years ago. Recent experience which shows you understand the current situation and its problems, as well as having recently worked on them is a far better and more relevant qualification than what you did several years ago. Indeed, I would argue a Deputy Minister who has been working hard in a Ministry for several terms is better qualified and experienced to lead that Ministry than a former Minister who hasn't worked in that Ministry for several terms.
Essentially I am arguing that a more holistic approach would have been a better approach here in my opinion. Now that Hez is confirmed I wish him the best of luck in that role, but I do think lessons should be learned from this and I hope that future Presidents and Senators think more widely and take a holistic view when they nominate and confirm future nominees.