The Lesser of Three Evils

Day 652, 01:31 • Published in Japan Japan • by Faeyas

With our presidential elections around the corner I have come to a rather bleak conclusion. Japan is likely to vote in someone who is far from an ideal candidate. This may come as a shock to many of you, but allow me to explain my concern.

First allow me to go over our candidate list: Minamoto (incumbent), Akki, and Oraizan. Kyonkyon posted a formal farewell to eRepublik and all of his involvements thereof. I interpret this to include his candidacy for president.

My viewpoint as a voter is that I want a new and active voice leading our country; someone who knows what they are doing, and who is well and open to new ideas and changes that could advance Japan from its current state.

I like activity, I want my leaders active. I like fun new things, being adventurous and having fun in ways that won’t kill us all. Likewise I want my leader to hold similar thoughts. Further I like it when people in power know what they are doing, so I want a candidate that is well informed and who has been around the block at least once. This is a normal thought process for a citizen with voting rights to consider.

But my viewpoint is not, and should not be my own. I’m not that picky. There are opinions on who should be president that include aspects such as how one would act in a situation that I personally feel as too specialized. Considering your candidates by how they would act in one instance is blinding yourself.

A candidate can say one thing, and even act in that one way, however until that situation is occurring any form of “what if” cannot fully comprehend the complexities of the actual situation. Nor can a candidate properly discern what they need to do without being in the situation itself. For one thing, if the situation changed where as the promised act would harm eJapan, and if that president changed their position they would be read as a liar, and if they kept to it they would hurt the country.

Thus I think it is silly to consider our poor candidates on the grounds of their individual political viewpoints (such as individual situations), and I would rather judge them on their character, their acts, and their overall opinions.


An Ideal

So why do I feel you all should care about what I think makes a good president? Because it isn’t far from the ideal that many of you are actually thinking of.

An active president is one that is one that is around enough that s/he can actually react to situations. Someone you can contact freely to answer questions, and someone who is open enough to the public that we all know they are there.

A president that remains hidden from sight, who isn’t on daily, and who has a difficult time communicating freely with their citizens is a hazard to our government. Such a president cannot react in time to situations both minor and major. Instead the remainder of government must attempt to react and hope that it was the correct reaction. The president in such a case would not know of the act until well after the fact. What kind of leader is that? Furthermore, if one cannot see a president let alone talk to him, the country can and will doubt the existence of a stable government. It becomes harder to rally the troops and gain popular support without our leader there to guide. In the end if such a message or presence is needed, another member of the government must step up to bat to do so. This leaves us with a president who has done little to nothing in his/er position.

We would be just as well off with no president as we would with an inactive one.

As for a president who likes fun and new things, every country should have such a leader. A president, who sticks to the status quo, who doesn’t try anything new, which isn’t willing to roll up their sleeves and work on something different, is a president that might as well be a mannequin. If nothing happens beyond what would happen anyway, then why vote on a president at all?

One president will be just like the rest if they do nothing other than business as usual.

An inexperienced leader is the worst. How can you expect someone to lead others in doing things when they are unable to do the job themselves? A president doesn’t need to have been here forever, but they should at least have a working knowledge in how all aspects of government are run.

A president who doesn’t have a well rounded set of experiences in this game cannot truly lead us. At best they can give suggestions and we can hope that their actions end well. Otherwise we will have underlings attempting to yell and shout at the president. This leaves the president’s authority in question, which will only lead to further questioning of the governments power, and further weakening of the state.

I don’t ask for much. My demands are simple and common.

Yet none of the current candidates fit my ideal.

Minamoto
Our current President, Minamoto lacks in at least two of the three areas.

I have talked with Minamoto, in fact I have talked with him a bunch. Great guy. However since the Election Day the number of times I have conversed with him compared to the times in the short few days prior to the election are like night and day. Minamoto has all but vanished from sight. I have no idea what is going on in his head or what he is planning except for a few messages here and there that are so vague that I even wonder if they were worth reading.

As a citizen, and recently a congresswoman, this concerns me. Minamoto’s lack of activity is unbecoming a leader fit for our great country.

Furthermore I have not seen any acts from Minamoto that I can consider significantly beyond the norm. The single exception was the liberation of eSK. Even this crumbled with the PTOing via the theocrats. Even if we consider this situation as an act that makes Minamoto stand out, beyond stepping forth, I saw little of him during the middle and end of the effort.

What kind of leader abandons his own project?

Oraizan
When it comes to Oraizan I find myself with fewer concerns but concerns none the less.
Unlike many people I am actually not concerned with her level of activity.

I am concerned about the situation last election, not because of anything she did but rather the reaction from the citizens. There are a few I have spoken with who found Orai popping in and out of candidacy as an issue. Why she did it, ect. does not concern me. Rather I am concerned about the public questioning her motives at all. With her running again so soon after, that little voice in their heads will still be questioning her actions. This is not something the public should be doing for a leader. If they can easily question why she acted how she did during the last election, it becomes easier to question her on other things she may do as president.

A questioned president is likely to conform to a status quo, or risk their position and country unity. This leads into where Orai falls in my categories. She has been president before, she is part of the old crowd, and while I do not question her experience, I am concerned that she may just let the job wash over her.

More so, I’m afraid that if she doesn’t let the job wash over her, that she will unintentionally cause an internal division in the country. My dilemma with her is that what I want in a candidate, she can’t be or there is a chance that problems could arise for the country.
It is a concern that is sadly out of her hands. Personally I feel that if Orai waited a few cycles, she would not have this issue. However that is then and this is now.

Akki
Akki is what I would refer to as the “lesser of three evils”.

Akki is well informed, and has been around long enough that I do not question his experience nor capability to lead the country. Furthermore Akki is fairly active. There isn’t a time where Akki’s activity has lessened or changed significantly since I have joined.

In fact Akki and I hold many similar opinions, and thus Akki would appear to be my ideal candidate no?

But I am concerned that Akki will not try to do more than the basics. The fun and exciting new I want to see in this country’s leadership is not likely to be there with Akki. Akki is a responsible player who knows how things work and is likely to stick with what works than try something new.
This again is an issue, because no one finds a same’ol government exciting or fun. This will lead to issues concerning activity unless akki really pushed.


Supporting our Candidates

While normally I would try to turn cheek on supporting the lesser of the three evils I have found that eJapan’s Political Parties are not in fact supporting the lesser of the three evils, but rather the worse of the three evils.

Minamoto has five [5] parties backing him. Two of which are the largest of the top 5 parties (Imperial Sun and Godzilla). Meanwhile Akki only has his home party the National Alliance party (ranked 3rd) supporting him along with the KMT. Oraizan is only being supported by her home party the Orange Party.

United Lollies have yet to support any candidate.

At this rate I foresee Japan re-electing Minamoto.

I can see the logic behind the decision of Godzilla and the ISP. Minamoto is the current “popular” president and he is likely to start new and exciting things that the other candidates may not, however with his track record so far I caution both parties to re-consider.

While Minamoto may start new projects that you favor, what will his success rate be? Will he leave them in the middle and let the rest of the government attempt to finish it? Will he be active enough to make a difference?

Sure he has only had a month, and that is not a very long time to do much. However others have had a month to likewise achieve other tasks. I have seen Lejina get her own party and proceed to become a congresswoman in Japan. Ikki has done amazing things with the military. The congress has been keeping itself busy with various proposals and debates.

The government itself in the last month has been fairly active. Our president has not. I do not see the logic in attempting to cover up such a blatant failing by claiming that the month time limit was not long enough to adequately act, since many others have managed just fine.

Minamoto may be popular and new, but to what extent can he do his job?

I would rather trust in my own power to accomplish the new (since it is likely I will have to regardless) and leave a competent president in charge, then expect the president to do the new… while he may not be around at all to do it anyway!

It’s the lesser of three evils.

While I would rather just ask for the best candidate to please step up to plate, it isn’t likely that in two days such a candidate will appear. So for now I must ask my fellow citizens, and in extension their parties to take what I have posted into consideration.

I know it’s a wall of text, and that some of you may not agree, but if I can reach some of you I will feel all the happier for our countries future.

Thank you

Fae