7.+A+question+of+government




 * Government Model:**

We have decided that the best form of government for the Island needs to be democratic and involve elections to choose leaders over the population. Due to the nature of the island being one where the population will have many needs, especially in the beginning, we have opted for a Representative Democracy.

A Representative Democracy would involve the population electing one person from each settlement to form the settlement representatives which are the second tier in this system (see illustration above). It would also involve an election for one person on the Island, from any settlement, to become the President.

The reason we have chosen a Representative Democracy is because in this model, the elected personnel must keep the peoples interests at the forefront of decision making, however, as deemed necessary to sustain the Island, they do have the power to make decisions which go against what the population of the Island want.

The President’s sole role on the island is to look after the island as a whole. When elected, the President will take an oath not to be bias towards any one settlement, but to look at the upkeep and sustainment of the whole Island.
 * President:**

There are elections held every four years for the role of the President with a majority vote needed to secure the position. They can hold this position for a maximum of two terms (eight years).

Some of the necessities for the Island that require governance and overseeing by the President are as follows:


 * Taxes (see explanation below)
 * Education Systems
 * Emergency Systems
 * Transportation
 * Trade
 * Communications (within the Island and with other countries)
 * Economy
 * Energy
 * Law
 * Immigration Policy

While the president takes on the responsibility for governing these fundamental areas, he/she does not have absolute authority to make decisions and meets on a regular basis with the settlement representatives to discuss options and make decisions which impact the island in regards to the above list.

Just as with the president, elections are held every four years to elect a representative from each settlement. These leaders also need a majority vote to become part of the committee.
 * Settlement Representatives:**

Settlement Representatives take on 2 roles. The first role is that of regularly meeting with the President on a regular basis to discuss matters of the Island as a whole. Together with the President, they make decisions in these meetings regarding the long term sustainability of theIsland.

Their second role is to look after their own settlements. The roles that the President looks after in terms of the whole island such as tax and transportation is looked after by these representatives on a local level. They also have regular meetings with a local government to discuss matters of importance to their own community. If in these meetings a matter is brought up that cannot be resolved by their own settlement, the representative can bring this issue up at the next meeting with the President to be resolved.

The local government is formed by members of the settlement. These members discuss issues of concern to the community including transport, food and taxes.
 * Local Government:**

Members of the local government are elected yearly and can be re-elected as many times as they want.


 * Sub-Committee**

These are members of the community who form groups to implement planning and strategies such as building structures. These groups are formed on the basis of need (eg, a tradesman for building). They will be required to liaise with their local government for funding and management issues.

We would advocate a tax system that encourages people to work hard as our settlement will require a lot of manpower to become established. We would suggest a goods and services tax or VAT type system where tax is paid on all goods. This is easy to manipulate should government require more or less funds and means there can be no avoidance of personal income tax. Also visitors to the island could pay an arrival tax to supplement government income. We need to keep it simple and avoid creating a massive bureaucracy for the island.
 * Taxes:**

In addition to the laws governing persons and property that one would expect in any civilised country. The Island will implement and develop law as required to protect its sustainability and way of life. The Island will strictly prohibit the importation of any flora or fauna without the explicit written authority of the President. Quarantine of all flora and fauna that is imported to the Island will be mandatory as we do not wish foreign pathogens to wipe out any of our native species. Similarly, stict planning laws will be enacted to preserve the natural habitats that exist on the Island. Buildings will be limited to the six settlement zones already established. All buildings must meet a minimum 7 star energy rating prior to building approval being issued to ensure ongoing sustainability.
 * Laws:**

The Island has established an immigration policy based on the needs of the Island. When the Island establishes a need for a particular occupation for example a midwife or geothermal energy specialist the positions will be advertised externally. Applications will be sought from suitable professionals and must be in writing. The President, together with the settlement representatives, will meet to shortlist applicants and conduct interviews by Skype. All appointments will be provisional subject to meeting our rigourous health checks. Should the applicant be married or have children all parties will need to undertake these health checks in order to become residents of the island.
 * Immigration Policy:**

We will establish medivac helicopter service and a helipad on the Island. This will allow for extreme circumstances where people need access to specialist medical services not provided on the Island. What will be provided on the island is one small hospital for the whole island, as well as a doctors office at each settlement. There will also be a small police force to enforce laws and policies.
 * Emergency Services:**

For a military presence on the island, we believe that perhaps we need a navy instead of a Army because as a island we have limited materials and resource to have a Army. An Army requires space to train and have barracks along with requiring expensive equipment. As our government is a democracy, we believed that we will not necessary to have Army for fighting on land in the island. However, we want to have an Navy with ships to protect the fishing vessels out at sea and ensure free movement on the oceans. The presence of a Navy, as opposed to a coast guard, will also ensure that people who wish to come to our island do so legally and follow the appropriate immigration requirements. Finally, a Navy provides a unique opportunity for employment of people from The Island, it would not be a mandatory indenturing of service but would remain a vocational choice.
 * Law/Protection and enforcement:**

In addition, we have made the decision that an Army is not a necessity on the Island itself. Rather, we would have a small police force at each settlement to make sure that all laws are adhered to. These police will also ensure that those immigrating to the Island will also adhere to all policies. We believe that the natural isolation that we have being in the middle of the pacific ocean gives us some defence against attacks and, where needed (for emergency situations or declarations of war) we could call on the UN for help.