[DEFEATED] Commend Mahaj

[Sedgistan]

Commend Mahaj
A resolution to recognise outstanding contribution by a nation or region.

Category: Commendation | Nominee: Mahaj | Proposed by: Great Brigantia

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Description: The Security Council:

Recognising that Mahaj has for years been committed to the defence of regional communities against unjust invasion, as a Lieutenant of the United Defenders League (UDL), then as Chief Lieutenant, and finally as Chief of the Band, the highest office in that organisation, and has been involved in many defence and liberation efforts, including more than twenty significant liberations;

Acknowledging that Mahaj was elected to the chieftaincy of the UDL at a time of great turmoil for the organisation, weathered this turmoil with grace and patience, and implemented important reforms in the way the UDL engaged with the most prominent regional communities in the world;

Recalling that despite great uncertainty regarding the future of the UDL within the interregional community, during Mahaj's service as Chief of the Band the UDL ratified a treaty with The East Pacific and a defence agreement with The Rejected Realms, the first enduring formal alliances in the organisation's history, as well as improving the UDL's relations with other defender regions and organisations;

Recollecting that Mahaj was dedicated to Osiris from the region's earliest days and served with distinction in its first constitutional government, the Kemetic Republic of Osiris: first in the Sepatarchy, at the time the region's representative legislature; then as Kai Repat, at the time the region's Vice Delegate and chief legislative office; later on the Council of Ma'at, at the time the region's security council; as well as serving in the Medjai Guard, at the time the regional military, and in various executive positions;

Applauding the persistence of Mahaj in efforts to liberate Osiris during a coup d'etat perpetrated by The Dourian Embassy, and Mahaj's assistance in organising the final operation to eject The Dourian Embassy from the region;

Observing that Mahaj, sometimes through the administration of Mahaj WA Seat, has been prolific in authoring and co-authoring legislation enacted by this Security Council, particularly liberation resolutions to remove destructive barriers imposed by invader Delegates, including primary authorship of the following:

• SC#63: Commend Ballotonia;
• SC#76: Repeal "Condemn Thatcherton";
• SC#78: Commend Unibot II;
• SC#80: Liberate Catholic;
• SC#95: Liberate Christmas;
• SC#98: Commend Topid;
• SC#103: Repeal "Condemn Sedgistan";
• SC#123: Commend Luna Amore;

Noting that Mahaj, again through occasional administration of Mahaj WA Seat, has also demonstrated a commitment to authoring and co-authoring General Assembly resolutions, and to improving draft resolutions proposed by other nations, including primary authorship of the following:

• GA#131: Missing Minors Act;
• GA#142: In Regards to Cloning;
• GA#158: On Genetically Modified Foods;
• GA#165: A Model World Assembly;

Respecting Mahaj's advancement of interregional and international interest in the World Assembly during residency in Eastern Islands of Dharma, as well as through prior participation in and leadership of the WA Affairs departments of regions such as The North Pacific and Osiris;

Declaring that Mahaj has made a lasting, positive contribution to interregional peace and goodwill, as well as to international efforts to improve quality of life throughout the world, and that this contribution should be swiftly recognised and commended by the nations and regions of the world, here assembled:

Hereby Commends Mahaj.

[Solorni]

Certainly not worth it.

[Cormac Stark]

Certainly not worth it.

Your opinion is completely disregarded noted.

[Evil Wolf]

Heh, Cormac has really been on a roll with the Defender-leaning proposals as of late, huh?

Well, Mahaj probably is somewhat worthy of a Commend at this point, so at least this proposal actually has some merit to it. However, might I suggest a few changes so the proposal doesn't seem like it was written by someone with a giant chip on their shoulder?

Applauding the role of Mahaj in efforts to liberate Osiris during a coup d'etat perpetrated by The Dourian Embassy, despite receiving unwarranted ridicule and condemnation from the legitimate regional government that Mahaj was attempting to restore to power;

I don't think you could have made that sound more bitter if you tried. Ask yourself, is this proposal about Commending Mahaj or being pissed at Osiris?

Observing that Mahaj, sometimes through the administration of Mahaj WA Seat, has been prolific in authoring and co-authoring legislation submitted to this Security Council, particularly liberation resolutions to remove destructive barriers imposed by invader Delegates;

I don't think I've ever heard of passwords being called "destructive barriers". In any case, we all know what Liberation proposals do, the dramatic flair is unneeded.

Acknowledging that Mahaj was elected to the chieftaincy of the UDL at a time of great internal and external turmoil for the organization, weathered this turmoil with quiet grace and patience, and implemented important reforms in the way the UDL engaged with the most prominent regional communities in the world;

See, this is a start. This point states a challenge, leading UDL during a time where everything was falling apart, and an accomplishment, keeping the group together and instituting reforms. Could stand to be much more detailed, but at least we have some sort of measurable achievement, as oppose to this:

Asserting that had it not been for the courageous and persistent leadership of Mahaj in the face of extraordinary adversity, the UDL may not have survived the upheaval that preceded Mahaj's tenure as Chief of the Band;

This is frivolous fluff; it's a bunch of descriptive adjectives strung together to form a sentence. Where is the measurable achievement? I can say that my bravery, self-determination, and confidence lead to my car starting this morning instead of stalling, but all the adjectives in the world don't make my claim true unless I can prove it.

You should probably add more in about what operations he's lead and detailed accomplishments such as what specific SC resolutions he has authored, but hey, it's a draft.

[Mallorea and Riva]

He singlehandedly killed the UDL through the inadequacy of his leadership. As such I support a commendation.

[Jakker]

He singlehandedly killed the UDL through the inadequacy of his leadership. As such I support a commendation.

My thoughts exactly.

Not the mention the minimal impact Mahaj has had while in every leadership position he has possessed in GCRs. Ask any GCR and you'll see that Mahaj is consistent in his poor leadership and consistency is a commendable thing.

[Cormac Stark]

Heh, Cormac has really been on a roll with the Defender-leaning proposals as of late, huh?

Well, Mahaj probably is somewhat worthy of a Commend at this point, so at least this proposal actually has some merit to it. However, might I suggest a few changes so the proposal doesn't seem like it was written by someone with a giant chip on their shoulder?

Applauding the role of Mahaj in efforts to liberate Osiris during a coup d'etat perpetrated by The Dourian Embassy, despite receiving unwarranted ridicule and condemnation from the legitimate regional government that Mahaj was attempting to restore to power;

I don't think you could have made that sound more bitter if you tried. Ask yourself, is this proposal about Commending Mahaj or being pissed at Osiris?

That government doesn't exist anymore, and I'm not actually angry at Osiris. It was actually more of an apology; I was Pharaoh of Osiris at the time, I was the one who directed the unwarranted ridicule and condemnation toward Mahaj or who authorized the ridicule and condemnation that came from others. I know better than anyone that it was unwarranted, and I know better than anyone why we did it: to pursue Biyah's personal vendetta against the UDL, and to satisfy Gatesville and UIAF that we were serious about being willing to cut ties with defenders to have the legitimate government restored to power.

It was cowardly, and Mahaj deserves to be applauded for continuing to assist us despite our crappy treatment of him for petty personal or political ends.

I don't think I've ever heard of passwords being called "destructive barriers". In any case, we all know what Liberation proposals do, the dramatic flair is unneeded.

They're referred to as "Delegate-imposed barriers to free entry" in the sub-heading of liberation resolutions. Admittedly, the word "destructive" is my own addition, but an accurate one in that passwords are imposed by invaders in an attempt to re-found and conquer regions.

You and I may know what a liberation resolution does, but those less involved with gameplay may not understand it, so I think the "dramatic flair" is helpful in understanding what it does.

This is frivolous fluff; it's a bunch of descriptive adjectives strung together to form a sentence. Where is the measurable achievement? I can say that my bravery, self-determination, and confidence lead to my car starting this morning instead of stalling, but all the adjectives in the world don't make my claim true unless I can prove it.

I don't think it's a leap to say that after several regions cut all relations with the UDL due to an espionage scandal, its founder and only leader abruptly retired, and several of the most active Lieutenants retired with him or dramatically reduced their activity, that the UDL could easily have been completely annihilated following Unibot's retirement. That it wasn't is a credit to Mahaj, and had Mahaj's opponents for Chief -- which included Douria and myself, among a few others -- been elected instead of him, it's quite likely the UDL would not exist today.

Edit: Upon further thought, I did decide to remove that clause since it was conjecture. We don't know for sure what would have happened if Mahaj hadn't led the UDL, or that his leadership was the only thing that saved it. Fair point.

You should probably add more in about what operations he's lead and detailed accomplishments such as what specific SC resolutions he has authored, but hey, it's a draft.

That's a decent point. I'll look into the operations he's led. I'm not sure it's necessary to detail the resolutions he's authored since they're easily accessible for anyone to find, but I'll give that some consideration.

He singlehandedly killed the UDL through the inadequacy of his leadership. As such I support a commendation.

My thoughts exactly.

Not the mention the minimal impact Mahaj has had while in every leadership position he has possessed in GCRs. Ask any GCR and you'll see that Mahaj is consistent in his poor leadership and consistency is a commendable thing.

The UDL is not dead. The UDL is far less active now than it was throughout 2012 and early 2013, but its reduced activity began during a time that saw all of defenderdom stricken with reduced activity -- indicating that the problem was not restricted to the UDL or Mahaj's leadership. That the UDL exists at all today is a credit to Mahaj's leadership because, let's face it, had Douria or I been elected to lead it, it would not exist at all and would likely have gone out in a blaze of ridiculousness.

I'm not sure Mahaj has had a "minimal impact" just because he hasn't been the center of attention. While not getting a lot of attention -- unlike more charismatic figures, like Lemon Love, who really did very little but were relatively popular because they knew how to play people -- Mahaj was a constant in Osiris from the time it was created, and always contributed to some degree. In a region largely comprised of people who were only interested in what Osiris could do for them, or what they could do with its Delegacy, and obsessed with achieving more power for themselves for all kinds of unsavory reasons -- you will remember something about that, Jakker -- it's commendable that Mahaj was one of the few exceptions.

[Jakker]

I like you, Cormac. Keep being ballsy

As far as I remember, Mahaj has had other leadership positions in GCRs and many would admit they were far from successful. I will of course retract that if others come forward who have more information to say otherwise.

Also, Mahaj's presence in NS has diminished greatly, which is something that could affect this proposal.

OOC: There is no question that the player behind Mahaj is a lovely individual and has the best intentions, but that has not translated often to success worthy of commendation. I'm sure part of that is due to people harping on him often, sometimes unfairly.

[KaelThas Quilor]

I think referencing any and all GA and SC resolutions he's passed specifically would be a good idea - you want people to vote for this, and most people aren't going to go digging through the list of proposals past to find his.

Either way, I'm not going to personally support it (for reasons that should be obvious ) but I do think mentioning the resolutions would help (IIRC, Commend Unibot did the same thing in terms of mentioning resolutions, as have other commends)

[Cormac Stark]

I like you, Cormac. Keep being ballsy

Excuse me while I fanboy for a moment.

I mean, icky invader ew.

As far as I remember, Mahaj has had other leadership positions in GCRs and many would admit they were far from successful. I will of course retract that if others come forward who have more information to say otherwise.

I mean, everyone has inactive periods or positions that don't go very well. Eluvatar, for example, commended by the Security Council, once had to be recalled for inactivity as Delegate of The North Pacific, which could have put TNP seriously in jeopardy. He is still deserving of his commendation for the totality of what he's done in NationStates, and I think Mahaj is as well. He has had more successful roles than others, but who hasn't?

Also, Mahaj's presence in NS has diminished greatly, which is something that could affect this proposal.

That doesn't negate what he has done in the past, and in fact players are often commended (or condemned) after they have reduced their activity or essentially gone into retirement. It's often after a player's activity has slowed that others are able to look back and reflect on what they've achieved. I wouldn't have written this when Mahaj was active because we were often adversaries, even when we were both on the same side -- it's only in his absence that I was able to see the contributions he's made and that they warranted commendation.

I think referencing any and all GA and SC resolutions he's passed specifically would be a good idea - you want people to vote for this, and most people aren't going to go digging through the list of proposals past to find his.

Either way, I'm not going to personally support it (for reasons that should be obvious ) but I do think mentioning the resolutions would help (IIRC, Commend Unibot did the same thing in terms of mentioning resolutions, as have other commends)

Valid point. I may have problems with the length limit for resolutions, but I guess I could cut out some of the lofty rhetoric I so love to use.

[Redsward]

Against, considering what happened with that SC abuse to advertise defender operations. If you hadn't submitted that stunt of a proposal, I would've given full support.

[Shizensky]

Against, considering what happened with that SC abuse to advertise defender operations. If you hadn't submitted that stunt of a proposal, I would've given full support.

Are you attacking the proposer without giving any consideration to the content of the actual proposal?

[Cormac Stark]

Against, considering what happened with that SC abuse to advertise defender operations. If you hadn't submitted that stunt of a proposal, I would've given full support.

That was, at the time, a desperate attempt to gather enough support to liberate a region called Anne Frank from Nazis. I'm not sorry for it and never will be, so feel free to continue opposing my proposals because of it.

[Mallorea and Riva]

viewtopic.php?f=24&t=203908
A list of reasons not to commend him seriously.

[Cormac Stark]

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=203908
A list of reasons not to commend him seriously.

All of that happened years ago. I'm sure plenty of commended people started out questionably in NationStates.

[KaelThas Quilor]

Hasn't stopped old stuff from being used by both sides when it suits them. Unibot loves to bring up old stuff when it suits him (and I and others do the same when it suits us )

I think your current draft hasn't hit the character limit though, so you definitely have room to list at least some of the more noticeable and noteworthy resolutions while keeping most of the flowerly fluff.

[Mousebumples]

Re: referencing GA/SC resolutions, a common practice is to say "[NATION] passed X number of resolutions in the General Assembly and Security Council; the most notable of which included: [list of 2-3 with a reason why they are important]."

I don't remember off-hand how many resolutions Mahaj has passed (and they may be scattered across a few different nations - Mahaj, Mahaj WA Seat, etc.), but I also know that he's had a few repealed. Still, such authorship is generally considered a worth inclusion of the text of a commendation.

[Mallorea and Riva]

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=203908
A list of reasons not to commend him seriously.

All of that happened years ago. I'm sure plenty of commended people started out questionably in NationStates.

So when it's a raider like Wolf anything that happened in the past disqualifies them from Commendation, but if it's a defender like Mahaj then we can shrug it off? For someone who has been preaching consistency for the SC I'm not seeing it here.

[Solorni]

The only thing I am seeing consistency for is defender whitewashing. Mahaj as the former Chief of an organization that threatened to coup Balder, will not be getting our support.

[Consular]

What I'm seeing here is Mahaj should be commended basically just for his contributions to the UDL. Some time in Osiris and a few resolutions on the side maybe.

[Cormac Stark]

Re: referencing GA/SC resolutions, a common practice is to say "[NATION] passed X number of resolutions in the General Assembly and Security Council; the most notable of which included: [list of 2-3 with a reason why they are important]."

I don't remember off-hand how many resolutions Mahaj has passed (and they may be scattered across a few different nations - Mahaj, Mahaj WA Seat, etc.), but I also know that he's had a few repealed. Still, such authorship is generally considered a worth inclusion of the text of a commendation.

Thanks Mousebumples, that's helpful. I'll have a new draft up with specific resolutions cited in the next couple of days.

So when it's a raider like Wolf anything that happened in the past disqualifies them from Commendation, but if it's a defender like Mahaj then we can shrug it off? For someone who has been preaching consistency for the SC I'm not seeing it here.

I don't think Mahaj's past incidents are serious enough to hold against him. If you do, and want to oppose the proposal for that reason, feel free.

The only thing I am seeing consistency for is defender whitewashing. Mahaj as the former Chief of an organization that threatened to coup Balder, will not be getting our support.

Mahaj did not threaten a coup against Balder, that was Solm. Am I wrong or did Mahaj not serve in the government of Balder at some point?

Regardless, I'm not surprised. Your unreasonable, personal vendetta against the UDL is well known and predates Solm's threat, and I'm not going to pay any attention to you, your opinion, or Balder's vote. #dismissed

What I'm seeing here is Mahaj should be commended basically just for his contributions to the UDL. Some time in Osiris and a few resolutions on the side maybe.

Most commendations are granted for similar achievements.

[Consular]

Most commendations are granted for similar achievements.

You don't think "most" might be overstating your case a bit there?

[Cormac Stark]

Most commendations are granted for similar achievements.

You don't think "most" might be overstating your case a bit there?

No, I don't.

[RiderSyl]

despite receiving unwarranted ridicule and condemnation from the legitimate regional government that Mahaj had fought to restore to power

The part about him liberating Osiris sounded great until you threw in the fact the legitimate government of Osiris didn't support his actions. I'd suggest removing that last sentence I quoted, so you don't leave voters scratching their heads about that whole part.

[KaelThas Quilor]

Most commendations are granted for similar achievements.

You don't think "most" might be overstating your case a bit there?

Most is overstating, but its not as if Commend Unibot was the exact same thing (and there were others too, because defending is just so great.