The Open Cabinet
From the Desk of the Chief of Staff
Introduction
Swakistek
Greetings once again, citizens of Europeia!
We've got through the majority of the term now, and elections loom for two weeks time. In this issue, which will probably be the last of the term, I will be taking a review of Falconias' performance and the activities in Cabinet over the past six weeks.
We started the term with a Cabinet of the President and Vice President, as well as Rougiers, CSP, Eklypso, Demataria and myself. As of this issue of TOC, Rougiers and Demataria have left us due to personal circumstances, Eklypso has been moved to a new portfolio, and we've welcomed new Ministers karthikking and Fortana. These changes in the composition of Cabinet have been 'rocking the boat' a little, so to say, but Falconias has been working with his team to bring as many of our collective ideas to fruition as possible.
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this last issue of The Open Cabinet.
Ministry of Interior
Swakistek, with the assistance of Modern Sin
The past few weeks has lent us some interesting advances in this Ministry; the most major being the Immigration Research Project. This is now underway and looking for volunteers; it is an idea that was formed by President Falconias during the last election campaign, and we are pleased to have been able to implement this idea before the term expires. The project has received bipartisan support, and we hope that this will assist us to take a better look at how we can better model our recruitment messages. The Recruitment Contest between the Senate, Cabinet, and the City Council will be happening shortly, the second time a contest of this form has been held in Europeia, and I am sure we all look forward to pushing our branch of government to victory!
So far, none of the ministers in Falconias' Cabinet have been suspended for missing their recruitment quota, and I am pleased to say that only two (Eklypso and CSP) have ever missed recruitment; and even then, only one week, and in understandable circumstances. Many of us have been envisaging to go above and beyond our quota, and that is a pleasing attitude to what is part of the many responsibilities of a Cabinet Minister.
The National Registry Index was unfortunately blocked by the Senate in its current form, but the President and the Minister of the Interior are continuing to look at alternative implementation ideas. We hope to get the wheels in motion before the end of term on this project, which could potentially be greatly beneficial for the long-term maintenance and growth of population numbers.
The recruitment week idea was implemented early on in the term by then-MoI Eklypso, but this was found unfortunately to be ineffective as we made the unexpected switch to manual recruitment. This switch was in itself also one of the greatest hurdles for this department to coordinate, brought on by the sudden and unexpected withdrawal of Europeian access to a recruiting script, but I am pleased to say that the department handled this administrative shift well.
This term has also been regrettably characterised by some population declines, but these are largely out of the hands of the President and his Cabinet, although I am pleased to announce the our population is beginning to stabilise, thanks to the efforts of Minister karthikking.
The Minister was always one of the most active and dedicated Interior Ministry staff even before he was appointed Minister of the Interior, and it is worth noting that his committment has continued in his elevated position. Thank you for your service, Minister karthikking!
Europeian Republican Navy
Swakistek, with the assistance of Modern Sin
Recently in the Navy, two raids were attempted by the Grand Admiral, but both were unfortunately unsuccessful. The first raid was unable to take place due to an illegal script being used by defenders, which automatically ejects raiders. These scripts are not allowed, and the fault is not Europeia's for falling victim to such a ploy.
The second failed raid was regrettably due to a lack of cohesiveness and communication among our sailors. This raid was well planned and excellently organised by the Grand Admiral, but unfortunately, difficulties in communication with the other sailors resulted in a negative outcome. To combat this, reforms in the Navy are now being implemented by the Grand Admiral, to reduce the chances of such circumstances occurring again.
This department was particularly affected by the disruption early in the term when Rougiers unfortunately left the Cabinet due to personal circumstances, but I am pleased to say that Eklypso stepped up to take charge and lead the Navy with a firm hand. This switchover in responsibility was particularly difficult because the ERN was a major part of the President's regional masterplan, and the plans for the Navy were centered around having Rougiers as Grand Admiral.
But now, let us look at performance. As far as I am aware, four raids have been successfully deployed this term, which is an excellent result for a department undergoing such major leadership and strategy changes. Communications with other military leaders are going well, the Naval Academy is progressing solidly and the Grand Admirals have performed capably.
Eklypso has been managing this department well, especially given his sudden appointment as Grand Admiral earlier this term, and he has done well to coordinate the Europeian military to achieve what it has. Your effort is much appreciated, Grand Admiral Eklypso!
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Swakistek, with the assistance of Modern Sin
Optimisation of activities in this department has also been taking place recently in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the Foreign Update now to be released monthly, rather than sporadically, and citizen contributions to update also now being accepted. Ambassadors have been assigned the additional task of observing their assigned regions and compiling reports on activity there, for the information of our Foreign Department.
From earlier this term, the major success of this department has been the implementation of the plans to prioritise embassies and create an index of information for all of the regions that we have embassies with. Of all the Cabinet Ministries, this department has been perhaps the most stable, unaffected by Cabinet reshuffles and in the capable hands of Minister Common-Sense Politics. I am also pleased to say that many more changes have also taken place in this department, but these have taken place behind closed doors and so I am unable to elaborate further.
Our relationships with other regions have been going well, with the new KoI-Europeia treaty finally ratified by both parties. After the withdrawal of Europeian access to the Imperium recruiting system, we are attempting to renegotiate a treaty with modified terms to continue our relationship with this region.
Minister Common-Sense Politics has been doing an admirable job in maintaining stability in this department and implementing progressive reforms, and he has brought credit both to himself and to his department. Thank you for your work, Minister!
Ministry of Culture
Swakistek, with the assistance of Modern Sin
With regards to the Ministry of Culture, we have been very privileged to welcome both Todd McCloud and Kandarin to speak in the EuroUniversity earlier this term, and more recently, Minister of Fortana has planned a whole host of stimulating and engaging activities for the entertainment of Europeia.
The Talent Showcase, organised by Earth and the Minister, expects many participants with cultural submissions of very high quality such as poetry and prose, among various other offerings, and the positive response is pleasing to note.
The debating contest is soon to begin, and various caption contests were also held, with more to come.
In the realms of the Europeian Observer, Europeian Question Time 2 has just ended, and Europeian Question Time 3 is on the way. Jusduckria has been doing an excellent job in his management of this news agency over the term, and the Falconias administration would like to thank him for his service.
While this department was somewhat slow to start activity at the beginning of the term, Minister Fortana has brought a new vitality to the Ministry, especially given that he has more time to dedicate to the role than his predecessor did. It is a remarkable achievement for both Ministers Demataria and Fortana to rejuvenate this department from the state that it once was in, and they deserve the thanks and congratulations of all the Europeians who enjoy the range of activities offered by this department.
Conclusion
Swakistek
Well, there you have it, folks. This term has been a term of dedication and committment, from all of our Cabinet Ministers, the efforts of whom are summarised above. It has been an honour and a privilege to work with my Cabinet colleagues over the past term, and under the inspirational leadership of President Falconias and Vice President Carracalla, and I thank you all for the valuable experience I have gained through our consultation and cooperation. I look forward to working with you all in the future, however our paths may meet. B-)
I would also like to thank all of those who have worked with me in the Executive Staff over the course of this term, including Sopo, IndolentDan and karthikking, for your efforts and service to this great region. I have appreciated all of your help, and I hope that we too may have the opportunity to work together in the future.
You may be thinking that I omitted one person from the above list of my Executive Staff, but I was really just saving him for a special thank you (
). Modern Sin, you have performed your job in an outstanding manner this term. From filling in where we had vacant slots on the Executive Staff to helping with The Open Cabinet and being Swakistek 2.0 during my LoA, you have performed all tasks that I asked of you with dedication, reliability and committment. Thank you. :wub: Given that I may not be reappointed to serve as Chief of Staff next term, I would also like to thank the people of Europeia for reading my TOC publications, for your activity on the forums and for your cooperation with the Cabinet. Thank you, Europeia! euro.gif
Until next time,
Swakistek
Chief of Staff