[Passed] Appointment of the Heir Apparent

[Cormac]

Pursuant to Article III, Section 2(1) of the Scroll of Ma'at, I offer the appointment of Neo Kervoskia to the office of Heir Apparent, for approval by the Council of Scribes. I will be submitting this appointment for approval by the Council of Priests following approval by the Council of Scribes.

Before I address the past, I would first like to talk about the present. Since the Transitional Government of the Osiris Fraternal Order was established on April 18, Neo Kervoskia has been working alongside the government every step of the way to make positive contributions to Osiris. He made significant contributions to drafting of the Scroll of Ma'at. He served as Vizier of Media Affairs under the Transitional Government, then as a Guardian in preparation for appointment to the Council of Priests following enactment of the Scroll of Ma'at. As a Priest, he has been regularly tarting and already has a healthy endorsement count, which will continue to rise as he continues tarting. He is now serving as Vizier of Government Structure to continue contributing to drafting and revising legislation and providing advice on the form and function of government. He has been involved in every important discussion the Council of Viziers has had, his advice has been helpful in regard to a range of issues, and there can be no question that he is invested in this community and the system of government we've all chosen together. His advice and assistance have been invaluable to me and to the Council of Viziers over the past few weeks.

It is true that in the past Neo Kervoskia has been involved in some conflicts in Osiris. He was the lead for the 24 hour coup in December 2012, though it should be noted that the Delegacy was voluntarily surrendered to the Pharaoh at the time, Mad Jack, and could have been kept for far longer. He was also involved, in a minor capacity, in the conflict that preceded establishment of the Osiris Fraternal Order in December 2013, for which he was exiled from Osiris. It should be noted that despite maintaining a high influence and high endorsement nation at that time, he voluntarily resigned from the World Assembly and left Osiris. It must also be noted the positive contributions he has made in the past. He was a key figure in drafting the Book of the Dead, the constitution of the Kemetic Republic of Osiris, which served this region well in its early days. As a Priest of Ma'at, he oversaw the state of emergency after the Pharaoh fell inactive in 2011, which prevented an attempted coup by Durkadurkiranistan and The Black Riders. He participated in the government-in-exile that resisted the July 2013 coup by Gatesville Inc. He has made many contributions to Osiris over the years, particularly during times Osiris was most in need, which must also be included in any assessment of his past in Osiris alongside any conflicts in which he participated. The world, and especially our world here in Osiris, is not black and white.

We are fortunate to have many talented people here in Osiris, many of whom would make a good Heir Apparent and, eventually, Pharaoh. Some are not able to be as active as they would like due to real life constraints. Others would prefer to remain WA mobile to keep their commitments to military gameplay. Neo Kervoskia has demonstrated the activity and commitment we need to see from an Heir Apparent, and he shares my vision for the strong leading and uniting role that the office of Pharaoh should maintain for the well being of Osiris. He has my total confidence to serve as Heir Apparent and, upon my eventual abdication from office, as Pharaoh. I ask the Council of Scribes, and in due course the Council of Priests, to share in my confidence in his abilities and dedication, and to confirm Neo Kervoskia as Heir Apparent of the Osiris Fraternal Order.

Neo Kervoskia and I will be happy to take any questions from the Council of Scribes during the deliberation period.

[Transdavisia]

Neo Kervoskia has my full unwavering support. I have no questions.

[Neo Kervoskia]

There is no greater privilege than serving your region and I thank the Pharaoh for this extraordinary honor.

[Gradea]

I support this appointment. NK seems to be a competent and capable official and will serve well as Heir Apparent.

[Ridersyl]

Neo Kervoskia has my definite, full support for being Heir Apparent.

[Applebania]

Well, I will be frank.

I am somewhat skeptical of the idea of appointing a member of Empire to the position of Heir Apparent.

[Cormac]

Well, I will be frank.

I am somewhat skeptical of the idea of appointing a member of Empire to the position of Heir Apparent.

If this had been a few months ago, or certainly a year ago, I probably would have agreed with you. I can understand why you feel this way; I'm the person, indisputably more than any other, who hammered it into Osirans for approximately two years that they shouldn't trust the dreaded Empire.

I believe we have to start moving past the way of thinking that is us vs. them or thinking about this person being in that group or that person being in this group. It's not something that will happen overnight, but it's something that we need to make honest efforts in working toward. There has been far too much factionalism throughout the history of Osiris, and probably more than any other factor, that factionalism has prevented the development of a truly united community. Factionalism is what leads to big explosions every year or couple of years, or sometimes more often. It's what lead to problems in late 2012, all through 2013 culminating in establishment of the OFO, again in 2014, in 2015, and then finally in 2016 culminating in the dissolution of the State Code and establishment of this government. In every one of those situations, it was because we devolved into an us vs. them mentality and there was no solution but for one side or the other to prevail. We can't go on that way.

It's up to the Council of Scribes whether or not to approve my appointee for Heir Apparent. I hope you will, but I'm not going to try to strong arm you into doing that; it's your call and I respect the independent decision making of this legislature. What I would ask is that you look at Neo Kervoskia as an individual participating in Osiris now, and not as a member of a faction that was involved in conflicts in Osiris in the past. And I don't just ask that you do that in regard to Neo Kervoskia. I ask that you do that in regard to Biyah, Dali, and Neenee, who were also lumped into Empire and deprived of their individual identities and contributions, in regard to NES and others who have been derided for being imperialists looking out for foreign interests, in regard to defenders who have at various times had their loyalty to Osiris questioned because of their defender affiliations, and in regard to anyone else in Osiris, including me, who has ever been lumped into a group and othered. We can't do that anymore. This government exists so that we'll have the stability we need not to feel compelled to do that anymore. Let's agree not to do it anymore. That's my appeal to every citizen.

Looking at Neo Kervoskia as an individual participating here in 2016, I believe he is the strongest appointee for Heir Apparent I could make. He has my full confidence because I am looking at him as an individual, here in Osiris now, and not looking at him as part of a group in 2012-13. The Kemetic Republic of Osiris is dead, the State Code and the First Era of the Osiris Fraternal Order are behind us, but there is no constitution, no government, no Delegate that can make us put factionalism behind us. That's a choice we all have to make. Having seen this community working together over these past weeks, I have faith that it's a choice we will make. I believe in this community of veterans and newcomers, old allies and past enemies, raiders and defenders and others in between, politicians and roleplayers and chatters and spammers. I believe in this community because I've seen what it can do over these past weeks, and I believe this is the community that will finally grow and thrive and provide the foundation for a stable community for years to come -- not another temporary community that will gradually wither and die until the next war erupts. That's not who we are anymore. Not this community. Not this time.

Thank you, Apple, for being frank and addressing the elephant in the room head on. It's something we should talk about.

[Fedele]

I'm also glad he addressed that particular elephant as I'd apparently walked right past it without taking notice.

All the same, Cormac's confidence in him is enough for me.

[Chingis]

Sounds Good.

[Amerion]

As I have had somewhat regular contact with Cormac over the year and a bit we have known each other, I am aware of his stances on various issues and his vision for this region.

The same cannot be said for Neo Kervoskia. That is not to mean any disrespect. I am simply curious as to your own vision for this region, an agenda (if you have one), your style of governance, and your public presence/persona (i.e. Koth has a humorous personality and that was reflected in his most recent term as Pharaoh). Could you please expound on your personal and/or political philosophies?

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Unrelated to this particular nomination, the following comment is more in relation to the appointment of the Heir Apparent.

I would like to see the deliberation of this Council to last as long as is possible. The Heir Apparent will one day ascend to the highest office in the region. Neither this Council nor any other governing body will have the authority to remove either the Heir Apparent^[1] or the Pharaoh. As such, this discussion is the only opportunity available to the populace to ensure that we are entrusting the region's most sacred position to the right nation.

It may very well be that the nominated nation is the most suitable candidate and thus, approval of this Council would be understandably appropriate. However, if members are simply 'bandwagoning', then I would most strenuously advise against doing so. It is the civic prerogative of every nation to exercise their judgements and state their opinions, whether it be in favour or against a matter before this Council.

As cliché as this may seem, there are no right or wrong opinions. If you have one, voice it.

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[1]Edit: The Scroll of Ma'at does not state specifically that the Heir Apparent cannot be removed. However, it assumed that he/she cannot be, considering the Pharaoh and Heir Apparent are 'royalty'. If Cormac could provide clarification on this, it would be appreciated.