Join the new world

Hello again readers,

In this issue, Necros Xiaoban gives me the privilege to an insight in our Ministry of Finance. As a new country, it is important that we watch how our administrators handle our national funds with care and it is equally important to get to know the administrators themselves and show them the respect that corresponds their responsibilities. Here is Necros Xiaoban!



Chetan: How long have you been in eRepublik?
Necros Xiaoban: I've been playing eRepublik for almost eleven months now. I'd seen advertisements for eRepublik on various websites, but never gave it any interest until a friend in real life invited me to play. I was almost immediately hooked, and by the second or third day had already transcended the levels of two-clicker, becoming active in a political party.

Chetan: What's your greaterst accomplishment?
Necros Xiaoban: It is incredibly difficult to choose something like this. I've certainly mentored a number of players who have gone on to do great things, so perhaps that enduring legacy is my greatest accomplishment. Or maybe its the contributions I've made technologically, empowering people, parties and governments to operate at a much higher level of efficiency, coordinating communication and cooperation. Perhaps its the friends I've made, building relationships that have lasted nearly as long as I've been playing eRepublik.
I don't feel like I've hit my peak yet, there are still a number of things I intend to do, and maybe one of them will be my 'best' accomplishment. For now, I'm glad to have done the things that I've done, and hope to carry on for a long, long time.

Chetan: How do you like eNZ?
Necros Xiaoban: I love it. Its great. Incredible. Awesome. Spectacular.
In seriousness, I really have enjoyed New Zealand. Its been refreshing to see so many people from such a wide range of countries, and how they all have their own notions of how things should operate. They really challenge my own ideas on how to govern, how to play. And the community is awesome, very active, very friendly, generally lacking in the sort of churlishness which turned me off before.

Chetan: What are your main duties?
Necros Xiaoban: I'm the Prime Minister's #1 economics guy, if it involves dollars and cents, I'm involved in it. Initially I did a lot of work with the Ministry of Trade, pushing for new eNZ businesses and imports, while at the same time crafting a tax code which would create the environment for those same businesses to flourish. I also control monetary policy, determining where to peg the New Zealand Dollar against Gold. We're inflating the NZD in order to improve our import/export balance sheet, but knowing when the market has absorbed enough currency for a stable devaluation takes some doing.
Prime Minister Calbe has also entrusted me with crafting the national budget, so I've been working with the other ministers of the Cabinet to determine what our needs are, what we can afford, and planning for our future needs. We will likely be submitting that budget to Congress very soon, at which point I will then continue tracking our revenues and expenditures, and helping to ensure that we follow a well balanced budget.



Chetan: As a new country setting up, how does eNZ's financial budget look? Are we rich? Are we poor?
Necros Xiaoban: Of the six nations that were recently created, I'd say that New Zealand is far and above the most prosperous. We certainly have the highest wages, and our revenues have consistently outperformed expectations. Obviously compared to a nation like the United States we are quite small, and the size of our budget is smaller then theirs, but our population is also much smaller, so the quality of life is generally comparable. We do lack a significant two-clicker population to prey upon, taxing them to provide for the active players, so in that sense, we're poorer. Nonetheless, I am extremely pleased with how the economy has taken off, and every indicator we have points to it continuing to grow.

Chetan: Are any departments currently being funded and if so does any one of them have a priority?
Necros Xiaoban: As mentioned above, we're still preparing our budget. Until then, no one is being funded. To answer the question of priorities, though, the Ministry of Defence will in all likelihood be the biggest consumer of our revenues. Most significant consumption of goods in eRepublik is related to war, so there is definitely an imbalance in their favor. Frankly, many of our ministries don't have any specific need for funding, just strong, motivated leaders. As our revenues grow we may be able to fund incentives for more programs, but I cannot imagine Defence not taking the lion's share under any circumstances.



Chetan: Are there any serious concerns about theft? Do we have a checks and balance system; how are we protecting our money/gold?
Necros Xiaoban:Currently our money has been entrusted to Prime Minister Calbe. He has communicated to me that he's interested in appointing someone to the task of managing it, but hasn't set any specific deadline, or named who he envisions taking on that role. Calbe is well trusted, and a natural born Kiwi, so there is little concern that he would perhaps give our gold to another country. Obviously with enough wealth there is always incentive for a person to compromise ethics and steal for their own personal benefit, but I frankly feel that as long as we continue to elect reasonable, responsible individuals the risk will be mitigated as much as it can.

Chetan: Any message for eNZ?
Necros Xiaoban: Kia ora, Kiwis. One Eye Sees All

Well, its encouraging to see that we are well off financially compared to the other new countries as well as having a well trusted Prime Minister who is unlikely to steal from his native country. As a member of the military, i am glad to see that the military will have funding soon to support our troops. Join us next time for another interview with a member of the government, till then, signing off.

Update: next interview will be with Wahoobob, our Minister of Fun!