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by The New Order of Sporaltryus. . 123 reads.

20 Years of the Coalition

Greetings to the South Pacific.

From our Linkrenowned Lampshade Bar and Grill, to an Linkabsolutely beautiful roleplay map, and an Linkinterview with Max Barry, we’ve done a lot to make this region an good place to reside and a cool place to do some crazy things. Hundreds of individuals have had the pleasure of calling the South Pacific their home, and we take this day to remember them, their contributions, big and small, and the mark that they have collectively left behind that lives and breathes as the Coalition. Today, we celebrate 20 years of the very same.

In lieu of a full festival, I wanted to offer my own thoughts on what the Coalition has represented for the past two decades, some of the key parts in our history where those values were tested and prevailed, and where I hope we can be in 20 years, still holding on tight to those ideals of democratic governance that our fore-bearers laid out in 2003.

We are NationStates’ oldest democracy. The earliest election we have records for is LinkSeptember 2003, but one was held in July 2003, as evidenced by Tsunamy's Linkdeclaration of victory. There are members of the Coalition that have been elected that are younger than the government they joined. Our dedication to maintaining such a fickle and occasionally unruly beast of governance is incredible, and I give special credit to those who have held the reigns, fought to keep them in an election, lost, and peacefully transferred power to the victor. That is the best display of the power of our dedication.

Occasionally, our democracy has been tested, as well. From the benign, such as a lack of candidates for an election that does not leave the South Pacific with much choice for who shall lead them, to the extreme of attempted coups d’etat that would take us into authoritarianism and away from the democratic rule of law. Both of the most recent coups were preceded by good service in elected roles, but the moment that those involved attempted to subvert the institution that gave them the power to perform good service, for their own ends, is the moment they spat in the face of what defines the Coalition.

Another principle that defines us, and has heavily guided us in the realm of foreign affairs, is our commitment to regional sovereignty, here and abroad. We’ve maintained that for a long time, through the coming and going of alliances, a variously active military in the South Pacific Special Forces executing the will of the Cabinet, and finally culminating with the Resolution on Adopting Defending Military Principles, in LinkJuly 2019. Being a defender is a result of our firm beliefs in those principles, even when it has been law for just a fifth of the Coalition’s existence.

It’s worth giving special consideration to the more whimsical facets of our culture, too. A llama enjoying the beaches of our tropical paradise. Lampshades, in lieu of (supposedly) more appropriate headgear. Cake, or pie, along with a glass of ice cold South Pacific Iced Tea. Our celebrated Bar and Grill, serving as the headquarters for the party that we’ve been having ever since LadyRebels started it two decades ago. It has been a joy watching new players come in, and adopt these symbols as key components of our regional culture, which is a massive credit to the existing community that has welcomed these players and made a successful case to not only stay here, but integrate in, and contribute their thoughts and ideas. That is an eternal, incumbent requirement of us, and we owe it to the Coalition and those future players to keep that train rolling.

We likewise owe it to those players that have served and led long, illustrious careers in the South Pacific. There are far too many for this address to adequately cover, and the World Assembly Security Council has also recognized a certain few players for, at least in part, their service to our community, but we, the current members and leaders of the Coalition, can work to recognize those players within. I’d like to call upon citizens and legislators to do the research, learn some of the less-discussed history of our grand democratic institution, and strive to recognize them, if not across NationStates, then here at home.

We’ve had a great run so far, and I hope to come back in another 20 years to see the Coalition standing as proud as ever, as one of the longest continuously-running internet communities ever. Cheers.

Yours Truly,
Sporaltryus / ProfessorHenn
Prime Minister of the South Pacific


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