Cormac for Pharaoh

[Cormac]

Cormac for Pharaoh
April 2016

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When this election for Pharaoh started, I was really optimistic. Here we had several candidates for Pharaoh, all with solid experience in Osiris and elsewhere, all relatively active, all with good ideas. Fast forward to now and the contrast couldn't be more real. There have been smear campaigns and counter-smear campaigns. We have re-opened nominations in acknowledgment that most of the candidates messed up to varying degrees. There have been bickering and flaming in the Deshret, bickering and flaming in the Skype chat, and we've even crossed the line into out-of-character territory that is appalling and disturbing. We could ask how we got here, and we probably should and will, but we also need to ask where we're going from here. That needs to be what this campaign will largely be about now.

But before we get to that, I need to acknowledge my own part in all of this. It was never my intention to start or participate in a campaign of rumors against The Almighty Jesus Whale, or any candidate. A private conversation spun out of control, though, and some of that conversation ended up being spread relatively far and wide. While I didn't spread those rumors, and while I didn't consent to spreading them, I should have known better than to engage in careless speculation even if it was private. I should have been more cognizant of my role as co-founder of the OFO, that if I said something that inflammatory and it got out, it could do a lot of damage. It did get out and it did do a lot of damage, and I regret that, and I apologize to Jesus Whale and to the community for that. Many people messed up in ways great or small, and I am one of those who did, and I accept responsibility for that. I should have been more responsible.

I'm running for Pharaoh now because I believe someone with experience in what can happen when things go this wrong in the Osiran community, and how to avoid the worst happening, needs to step up and lead. I'm not running for Pharaoh because I think I'm perfect, because I think I messed up less than anyone else involved, or because I think other candidates are too flawed or that any of them would make a bad Pharaoh. I'm running because I think I know what needs to be done and I think I can get it done, plain and simple.

So, what do I think we need?

Unity

What we need, above anything else right now, is unity. We need to bring people together and deescalate this situation as quickly as possible.

If I'm elected Pharaoh, I will try to bring the community back together by appointing a unity government. I will be asking most of the other candidates for Pharaoh who stood in this election prior to re-opening nominations, and after nominations were re-opened, to join my Hedjet. I can't guarantee that all of them will agree to this, but I hope they will. I believe each of them has much potential and many great contributions still to make to Osiris. I believe each of them has the potential to be a great Pharaoh one day. Several of them have messed up, as I have, and some have lost trust and respect. I want to include them in my Hedjet to give them a second chance to regain that trust and respect by excelling in fields they enjoy, and making positive contributions to Osiris to make amends for the negativity that has taken place during the course of this campaign.

Reform

Over the course of my term, I will be proposing reforms to ensure that this stops happening, and working toward seeing those proposals become reality with civil and respectful discussion in the Deshret, and compromise on points over which we may disagree.

What will these reforms look like? I have only just today decided to run for Pharaoh, so I don't have a full agenda fleshed out in my mind yet. What I can say is that I would like to pursue reform of our executive, transitioning from the Pharaoh as head of state and government, to the Pharaoh as Delegate and head of state with limited powers and functions, elected more infrequently. We would elect a head of government who would not serve as Delegate, who would be elected more frequently, and to whom the Pharaoh's current governmental powers would be transitioned. This would make our elections less high stakes by taking the Delegacy out of the equation, so that there will be no more rumors and fears of coups d'etat. We have had too much of this when electing the Pharaoh. We should entrust the Delegacy to a trusted, veteran member of our community who will act as head of state, and open up our executive head of government to active members of our community with great, bold ideas, who do not need to serve as Delegate to implement them.

While reform of the executive will be the key reform I will be working toward implementing, I will also be looking at and proposing other reforms. I want us to seriously discuss North East Somerset's suggestion of restricting vote changing during elections. I want us to take another look at our election system, as Syl suggested, for ways to either tweak it to work better, or to adopt alternative models. I want us to consider shifting to private voting so that each person is responsible for their own vote without pressure from others. I want us to look at Jesus Whale's proposal for a bicameral legislature to further enhance our chief decision making institution. In short, I want us to look at any suggestions to reduce toxicity, to increase positive activity, and to make our institutions work better so that situations like this stop happening.

Activity

We need activity, and not just any activity. To paraphrase a comment from the Skype chat, it seems that Osiris goes from extremes of inactivity to divisive explosions with no middle ground. We need to focus on enhancing positive activity and community building.

The first item on my agenda to work toward this goal will be integration. We need to work on getting the in-game community more informed and involved, on getting more of them interested in joining the forum and participating, and making it easier for them to get involved quickly when they get here. Toward that end, I will be making much greater use of Regional Officers. Each Scribe will have Communications power to better communicate with the region regarding their departments, and some Scribes will have other powers appropriate to their departments (e.g., Embassies for Foreign Affairs). I will not be dispensing Border Control to any Scribe or Guardian. I will also be seeking for the Deshret to enact legislation regarding Regional Officers so that we will have some standards for which powers may be widely distributed and which should be fairly restricted.

Integration will also once again be its own department, separate from Culture, exclusively responsible for coordinating our integration efforts. These efforts will include many of the ideas proposed by other candidates, including streamlining and better coordinating our application process, developing a mentor system that actually works, and generally ensuring that new citizens are able to start participating quickly and efficiently.

Equally important as getting new citizens and making sure it's easier to get them involved is making sure they have something to be involved in doing. I don't know how many times I've seen Yuno ask on our Skype chat what she can do, and how many times I've come up empty with a real answer. That needs to change. We need to make sure each department has ways for citizens to be involved in them and that no department is just its Scribe. There will also be some changes in departments, with Culture once again being its own department, and with World Assembly Affairs once again becoming its own department. The more opportunities we have for participation the more robust participation we will have, and our activity can't be limited to the Deshret with occasional departmental activity mostly by Scribes. Osirans want stuff to do but we currently aren't making it easy. That will change if I'm elected Pharaoh.

Domestic Focus

Finally, I want to make a note about foreign affairs, because in prior terms as Pharaoh this is where I have gotten into some hot water. I want to emphasize that my focus during this term, if elected, will be domestic. I will not be actively seeking new treaties or agreements, any big new projects, and certainly, no wars. If foreign affairs opportunities do present themselves, or if complicated foreign affairs situations arise, I will have a competent and active Scribe of Foreign Affairs to spearhead those endeavors and to actively advise on all foreign affairs matters.

Additionally, any foreign affairs situations that arise, great or small, will be handled in close consultation with the Deshret. This has been working extremely well during Tim's terms, in which the Deshret has provided valuable input regarding at least two major foreign affairs situations. This greater role for the Deshret in foreign affairs has ensured that our diplomatic responses have been more deliberative and, as a result, more appropriate and responsible. There is nothing about that I would want to change.

Feedback

What Osiris also needs is feedback and frank discussion. Although the past few days have been unpleasant, to say the least, it is better for us to be airing grievances with each other in the open rather than behind closed doors, where problems fester and worsen. That has been a difficult lesson for Osiris, and for me personally, to learn. Any feedback you want to give is encouraged, and will be met with a thoughtful and civil response -- whether you are supportive of my candidacy, neutral, or even in opposition to it.

Thank you for considering my candidacy for Pharaoh and I hope we can move forward together toward a better Osiris. I still believe we can and I will always believe that.

[Festavo]

Osiris vs Lazarus 2016?

[Benjamin C Ravenclaw]

A very solid campaign from a skilled candidate.
In regards to having previous candidates in the Hedjet, would this be all candidates, or would there be those left out?

[Cormac]

Osiris vs Lazarus 2016?

Like I said, I'll answer any feedback with a thoughtful and civil response, so here goes.

Obviously, one of the things that is going to reflect badly on me is the Osiris-Lazarus war that was declared during my prior term as Pharaoh. I have taken responsibility for that many times in the past, while noting, however, that my entire Hedjet approved of the plan, and the Deshret approved the declaration of war. Nonetheless, it was my idea, it was my plan, I proposed it, and I used my political capital as Pharaoh to get it through the Deshret. The final responsibility for it rests with me.

What I will do differently, if elected Pharaoh this term, is what I've already said: I will be domestically focused, I will rely heavily on my Scribe of Foreign Affairs for any foreign affairs matters, and I will thoroughly consult the Deshret on all foreign affairs matters.

A very solid campaign from a skilled candidate.
In regards to having previous candidates in the Hedjet, would this be all candidates, or would there be those left out?

I intend to ask most, if not all, candidates, with two caveats:

1. There is a matter pending in the Deshret, which I cannot discuss here, that may impact whether one candidate is asked to join my Hedjet if I'm elected.

2. It is possible, given the number of candidates, that there will be more people than I have Scribe positions, even with expansion of some areas back into their own separate departments. If that is the case, I'm still committed to finding actively involved deputy positions for candidates. If it's to be a unity government, it has to include the lion's share of the people involved.

Thank you both for the feedback.

[Lord Ravenclaw]

Are you sure about this?

[Tomb]

Hello Cormac. I have a few questions for you. Before I start, I do want to apologize if my tone sounds a bit pungent, but I think we need to stop this whole mask show and be direct and serious, because this region deserve just that.

1.How long has it been since the Deshret allowed you back into the region? What have you accomplished in your time here since then? Why should you be trusted for a term as Pharaoh, given how your last term went?

2.You are clearly involved in this whole campaign smearing mess, whether you claim to it directly or indirectly. You started an RON motion in the election for the sake of working out this whole campaign smearing mess. And now you’re running for Pharaoh. What differentiates you from Syl, Jakker, and the others involved in this mess?

3.Cormac, you talk about Unity. Yet, you were always a polarizing individual, and I’m not just talking about here. I’ve seen you across multiple regions, and if anything, YOU create more drama and division within a community. You might deny this, but it’s a true story.

4.Every Ministry is currently inactive. What are you going to do as Delegate to fix that? Appointing great people and delegating responsibilities is not enough. There are regions where “great people” are appointed, yet, they’ve not done anything tangible.

Cormac, I honestly don’t see this as being your time for Pharaoh. To put it in words, you do not present the type of leadership Osiris needs right now.

[Cormac]

Are you sure about this?

I am as sure as anyone can be, given the present atmosphere. That is to say, I'm sure, but not looking forward to what is likely to be more storm before we arrive at calm. Thank you for your question.

Hello Cormac. I have a few questions for you. Before I start, I do want to apologize if my tone sounds a bit pungent, but I think we need to stop this whole mask show and be direct and serious, because this region deserve just that.

I appreciate directness, so no need to apologize.

1.How long has it been since the Deshret allowed you back into the region? What have you accomplished in your time here since then? Why should you be trusted for a term as Pharaoh, given how your last term went?

It has been six weeks to the day since the Deshret approved the Pharaoh's pardon of me for my prior crimes. In that time, I have accomplished fairly significant legislative efforts, helping to revive activity in the Deshret after a lull that lasted for several months. My WA nation is also committed to Osiris, and was before being appointed a Guardian.

In regard to my previous term, while some prefer to focus exclusively on what went wrong -- the Osiris-Lazarus war, among some other issues -- there is very little discussion of what went right. It was an extremely active term for Osiris and I did a lot to improve regional activity while serving as Pharaoh, which unfortunately fell by the wayside, to a degree, in subsequent terms. As for what went wrong, I accept responsibility for that, and accepted it long ago. Osiris can trust me to serve as Pharaoh again because I have already explained that my focus will be on domestic activity, and I will be ensuring that foreign affairs remains a secondary priority that will be primarily handled by my Scribe of Foreign Affairs with my oversight, in close consultation with the Deshret.

2.You are clearly involved in this whole campaign smearing mess, whether you claim to it directly or indirectly. You started an RON motion in the election for the sake of working out this whole campaign smearing mess. And now you’re running for Pharaoh. What differentiates you from Syl, Jakker, and the others involved in this mess?

Well, just to correct you a bit, I'm not involved in any smearing -- and that has been acknowledged both by the person who did the smearing, Syl, and the person who was smeared, Jesus Whale. So with all due respect, you have no place to accuse me of something, without evidence, that even the person who was the target of the smear campaign has explicitly acknowledged I didn't do.

That said, I've acknowledged making mistakes and behaving irresponsibly during a private conversation, and I regret that. I should have known better than to engage in such irresponsible speculation. But I was involved in a private conversation, not a smear campaign. Let's make sure we keep that straight because it's important to be accurate in discussing such contentious issues.

I'm not going to claim that anything differentiates me from Syl or Jakker. We've all made some mistakes during this election and we've all accepted responsibility for them, which differentiates us only from those who have accepted no responsibility for their mistakes.

3.Cormac, you talk about Unity. Yet, you were always a polarizing individual, and I’m not just talking about here. I’ve seen you across multiple regions, and if anything, YOU create more drama and division within a community. You might deny this, but it’s a true story.

I have not always been a polarizing individual. To be sure, I am an opinionated individual, and I am firm in my convictions and views. This sometimes, perhaps even often, leads to conflict, and I'll admit that I can sometimes be polarizing. It has happened here and it has happened elsewhere. To say that I am always a polarizing individual, and that I cannot bring a community together, is just completely false. I brought this community together as Pharaoh in 2013 against the Gatesville Inc coup. I helped bring it back together after months of what amounted to civil war when the OFO was established. I have helped bring Osiris together at other points of high tension, though yes, at times, I have also been involved in those tensions.

4.Every Ministry is currently inactive. What are you going to do as Delegate to fix that? Appointing great people and delegating responsibilities is not enough. There are regions where “great people” are appointed, yet, they’ve not done anything tangible.

Well, I can't fix it by myself, and you would be hard pressed to find anyone who can. Everyone will need to get involved; activity is a community effort. What I can do is get actively involved in every department, make sure the people I appoint are doing their jobs and help them out whenever and however needed, frequently encourage people to get more involved, approach people who I know have certain skills or certain areas they enjoy to get involved in those areas, etc. To be honest, activity isn't rocket science or magic. When the Pharaoh and Scribes are active, other people want to get active as well. When nobody is active, activity just looks like a burden, and people aren't sure what they should be doing.

Osiris has never suffered from inactivity during either of my terms as Pharaoh, and in fact my second term was one of our most active terms -- before any foreign affairs disputes. I am confident this term will also be quite active if I'm elected.

Cormac, I honestly don’t see this as being your time for Pharaoh. To put it in words, you do not present the type of leadership Osiris needs right now.

I'm sorry you feel that way, and I hope over the remainder of this campaign, I can persuade you otherwise. That said, I am aware that I have flaws as a candidate, and I'm running right now because I would like all of us to work on overcoming our flaws and taking the higher road together. But if voters see my flaws as too significant, I look forward to working with the next Pharaoh, whoever that may be, to improve Osiris by increasing activity and reducing toxicity.

To conclude, I understand your hesitation in electing me Pharaoh, and I also understand your frustration and anger with me given some of what has transpired in the past, here and elsewhere. I can't change what I've said and done in the past, but I can commit to making what I say and do in the future more positive -- and that's something we all can do, and something I hope we all will do.

I appreciate your feedback, Tomb. Thanks.

[Cormac]

Anyone have anymore questions?

[Chingis]

You have my full support Cormac.

In a skype message on the public chat (I hope we're allowed to talk about these kinds of things), you said that you wanted to cut down the Hedjet a bit. Will you be implementing that in your term/am I awful at reading OPs?

[Cormac]

You have my full support Cormac.

In a skype message on the public chat (I hope we're allowed to talk about these kinds of things), you said that you wanted to cut down the Hedjet a bit. Will you be implementing that in your term/am I awful at reading OPs?

Thanks for your support!

I don't recall saying this anymore so I'm not sure when I did or in what context, but regardless, I definitely don't want to cut down the Hedjet. If anything, I will be expanding it a bit, both to accommodate my proposal for a unity government, and because I believe we have enough talented individuals to run more departments and having more departments will decrease any one individual's workload. I prefer, whenever possible, to spread responsibilities around so no one becomes overwhelmed. This is, after all, supposed to be a game, so we wouldn't want anybody getting super stressed because they have too much they're supposed to be doing.

Thanks for the great question!