[Mappstat News]

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE YACHTFEW
September 28, 2002

As is, the Congressional Parliament just doesn’t work.

Ever since the unofficial dissolution of the World Bank, the Great Republic of the Marcusburg Empire has worried about the unlimited power of the Secretary-General. Even though he has erred on the side of caution on more than one occasion, recently the Secretary-General’s actions have gravely conflicted with our belief in self-determination. We believe that all nations have the right to effect change on the Mapp, and that constructive dialogue through Congressional Parliament is the means to do so, as opposed to war and bloodshed.

The recent draconian measure of replacing an entire Congress with a vote by the Great Powers Forum appears to be an abuse of power incompatible with Congressional founding principles. Although we support ending the Denisian embargo, we feel that the Forum was not the appropriate means of accomplishing this goal. We would have gladly voted for the termination of the embargo in a free Congress where all members of the Parliament have the ability to speak out on an important issue.

However, we feel that the appeal itself does not go far enough. For this abuse of power, we demand that the current Secretary-General resign and be replaced with the deputy Secretary-General. We don’t believe in token gestures though. In addition to this measure, we insist that this new Secretary-General relinquish most of his power to a new position in the Parliament, that of the ‘President’. The President shall be responsible for formulating Congressional foreign policy and steering the overall course of the Parliament while the Secretary-General controls the mundane and routine functions of the Parliament. The President shall be elected in the upcoming Congressional elections.

Only in emergency situations may the Secretary-General exercise a veto over the actions of the President. In this way, there is a check and balance against the latter. However, the Secretary-General needs a check as well. A general consultation of most Congressional members shall guide the rare use of the Secretary-General’s veto power. We do not wish to see this consultation institutionalized for we feel that it would restrict his ability to act as the “sober second thought of last resort”, and would leave the new system vulnerable to abuse much like the current system. Therefore it is up to all of us to hold the Secretary-General accountable by speaking out on important issues and keeping vigilant against potential abuses by the President.

By separating the current Secretary-General position into a dichotomy – a new Secretary-General and a President – Congressional Parliament will be accountable to the public through the former, and become a strong wilful institution through the latter. By checking and balancing each other, the Parliament will be prevented from becoming an ineffective bureaucracy, or an overwhelming force that threatens all nations.

We feel that through these reforms the Congressional Parliament will be able to function properly again. We extend an open invitation to all nations on the Mapp to endorse or modify our vision for the Parliament as they see fit for the betterment of the world.

Prime Chancellor of Marcusburg

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