Problems with press Vivek, CNA After CNA held a press conference in the committee for business stakeholders, the delegate for the government was questioned on her changing stance. She responded with “No comment”, which suggests she still doesn’t know her true stance. When questioned about it, she responded with “We wish to comply with the needs of all stakeholders”. When probed further, she said that the customers were the most important stakeholder, which highlights the fact that her stance still may not be fixed, and with an hour of debate left, CNA doesn’t know what the end result will be. Buckle up, delegate! You have an hour left to redeem yourself!
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A new circus in Business Vivek, CNA The new unmod at Business stakeholders is even funnier than the last. With more shouting than actual debate, here are some of the best quotes CNA could find: “Government you’re gonna force them to take a loan” “If you fire [employees] they become the community” “No one heard you because no one likes you anyways” “If you don’t like me I’ll die” “We care about getting mass” “We’ll fire em all I don’t care” “Are you deaf? Pay attention!” It seems like the delegates at Business Stakeholders care more about personal relationships rather than focusing on the topic at hand. Delegates keep shouting over one another, with all 6 delegates talking at once for most of the unmod. Delegates don’t seem to listen to their fellow delegates. The chairs have finally had to intervene to steer the committee on the right path. Are the delegates really interested in the welfare of the committee?
Still much to be clarified in the business debate By: Ivannah Jacob The unmoderated caucus in the business debate was nothing short of a shouting match! All delegates seemed to be talking over each other with some delegates having to resort to asking other delegates to “shut up” to get their points across! The delegate representing the Government was often overpowered by other more vocal delegates, so at the press conference, Xinhua gave her a chance to clarify her stance which was well articulated. Additionally, the press posed the question of which stakeholder the delegates believed was the most vital to a firm. The responses varied from delegate to delegate so it seems that they are still discussing this topic. The delegates were also questioned about their suggestions “to print more money” however, when asked about what impact this would have on inflation, delegates remained silent. Nevertheless, Xinhua hopes that as the debate draws to a close such stances will be clarified or re
Singapore chairs learned nothing Yajush NYT In an earlier article, NYT talked about some thick-headed chairs in the Singapore parliament. Clearly, these chairs have learnt nothing and have no respect for decorum in a conference. The deputy chair specifically was described as rude by an anonymous source. Moreover, he was extremely rude towards the workers’ party MP. The delegate had a point that didn’t make much sense but rather than explain calmly the chair scoffed at him and explained in a brash condescending tone. He stated that all media should be “burned at the stake. He confused the names of two delegates and rather than acknowledge his mistake he told the delegates to “change their names”. Clearly, the chairs have learnt nothing. Rather than spending time roasting the media or their own delegates, they should spend time focusing on their own committee. Perhaps then they wouldn’t make so many mistakes like forgetting members of a moderated caucus.
RUDE AND DISRESPECTFUL DELEGATE The offensive screenshot attached below shows the impolite and hostile nature of an anonymous delegate as they display their struggles towards being stumped in the press conference in their respective class group. The delegate used such horrible language that it had to be censored!! This behavior has shocked the press!! The delegate should have come prepared instead of blaming their ineptitude on the press conference for asking questions, which is what is meant to happen in a press conference!! The delegate whines and complains about having to, "THINK SO MUCH" which sounds like utter nonsense to this press-member because if this delegate signs up for a debate they should be prepared to think on their feet!! Hopefully, this experience teaches this delegate thinking skills and some manners!! Bhavna Gopalan (NYT)
MINIMUM WAGE DELEGATES HITTING SNOOZE BUTTON? Ishita NYT The New York times has received anonymous tips, and it is definitely worthwhile. A delegate in the minimum wage debate was caught sending a picture of them playing minecraft during the debate to their friend. Delegates were also seen looking at their phones openly and laughing. Messages sent to the press show delegates of the debate also sharing their opinion with the press, as they feel delegates are unprepared and doing the debate just for the sake of it. The press also had a delegate directly send them so called pick up lines, as they felt it would be more entertaining. Despite the alarms given by press, the debate is still making us sleep by acting in the same way(and their fellow delegates, as they were caught yawning). Delegates, be wary and please focus.
Wake up delegates! Time is running Ishita NYT The minimum wage debate delegates were showing no signs of enthusiasm to raise motions at first, but as promise started being shown, they let us down again. Some delegates have not clearly understood the study guides, and are reading the study guide word to word on the spot.Other delegates are baffled after being asked a simple economic question about what type of market are they mentioning. Chairs as well seem to have some confusion here and there, and there is no enforcement of using correct terms, as the press has noticed the usage of “I” and “my” quite a lot. Delegates are being forced to speak. With certain delegates leaving the discord call after having no points. After asking the delegate representing firms against the agenda a simple question about how they are denying the keynesian theory, the answer was quite unsatisfactory , as they replied with the fact that they use credible sources. The delegates are not understanding what i
Sleepy Singapore Summit Dhruv Mathur, Xinhua The debate in Singapore is going forward at a snail’s pace, the moderators seem to be speaking more than all stakeholders combined! Dear Singapore Parliament, please stop speaking in riddles or not at all and please, utilize your resources and mostly cohesive unity, because you really must buck up if you want a decisive result by the end of our sessions this summit. Health Minister, we would also remind you again that spending $2-3 billion is no mean feat, and if you’re trying to gain support, it may be a good idea not to declare yourself a hegemon of the region. In addition, rather than just throwing around economic terms, the opposition leader is advised to actually explain what they are trying to say, while the home affairs minister is asked to be slightly more formal in their presentation of otherwise somewhat sensible rebuttals
AI: Self-Drive and Surgery or Skynet? Dhruv Mathur - Xinhua Consumers against argue that AI could lead to a slippery slope that they believe would almost surely end in a deadly massacre of civilians by an emotionless, rogue AI. Businesses for say that the range of its uses and its high accuracy and efficacy would better the interests of humanity. Now this is an interesting issue! The businesses opposed criticizes their counterparts by speaking on the behalf of all displaced workers, while the government (for) in a rather poorly-framed but thought-provoking statement suggests this allows for humans to handle tasks they are better equipped for and not dangerous and repetitive ones.
Singapore Spending Support Skyrockets Dhruv Mathur - Xinhua On the commencement of the second committee session, Singapore’s Health Minister estimates a hefty sum of roughly $2-3 billion will be needed to support Singapore’s healthcare system. On a tangent, the Prime Minister suggests restarting medical tourism to promote the economy, likely through the endorsement of the Health Minister’s proposition. Rather than borrowing, most of the parties in play have chosen not to increase debt to foreign nations, but the eye grabbing number presented seems to outweigh all solutions to increase reserves without harming Singapore’s prospects and economy
BREXIT battery running low - press on delegates! By: Ivannah Jacob Brexit is down to 4 delegates, with the delegate representing the workers of UK and EU businesses absent this session. Though some delegates such as the delegate of Workers EU seem to be a bit confused and lost, most delegates seem to be well informed, however the shortage of delegates is making the debate “inactive.” The UK government seems to have come prepared with valuable points and has taken much initiative in raising moderated caucuses. When discussing how the UK’s role as an international power has changed due to Brexit, the delegate discussed how being free from the EU has allowed the UK to pursue 63 new trade deals with external powers. The EU government rebutted this by bringing up another pressing fact: is the amount of influence the UK has lost in Europe worth the trade it has gained? The delegate representing UK businesses also seemed to be quite active; asking POIs and not letting his fellow delegates g
Cool headed UK government Upon being questioned in the press conference, inquiring on the pro-brexit stance of the delegate of UK government, despite the economic benefits enjoyed by the UK by being part of the EU, the delegate of the UK government was able to keep her cool and answer the question professionally and was able to fully support her stance, unlike the other delegates who were stumped by the questions proposed by the NYT press members. Including the delegate of businesses of UK against who was befuddled and was unable to support his “double-stance” regarding Brexit, which made no sense to the press members!! Bhavna Gopalan (NYT)
They picked up the pace Abhisek, CNA Even though the start was slow, the second committee meeting of the minimum wage debate picked up pace towards the end. But, it was clearly some delegates that outshone over the others. While few delegates did hesitate to speak up, the delegates for workers and the delegate against consumer did not shy away from going head to head and calling it a debate! At the end of the first GSL, even though the consumer against made very clear statements, backed up with theory, he failed to provide practical evidence for the same. This was highlighted in a question asked by the workers for delegate which demanded that:” He gives research evidence to show that increase in minimum wage causes decrease in jobs”, which the delegate couldn’t respond to. Even in their second GSL, the worker for delegate clearly seemed to be trying to up the other and clearly addressed this in her starting statement:” The delegate for workers for disagrees with consumer against.”It
DELEGATES NOT DELEGATING? Ishita, NYT There seems to be many confusions amongst the delegates in the business stakeholders debate, as they are questioning each other's stances, and the choices of topics chosen by the summit heads. The delegates are unable to reach a conclusion and are surrounding themselves with chaos and screams, as some are suggesting the government to just print more money in response to the government’s unwillingness to provide subsidies. As discussions unfold, remember to stay productive and efficient delegates!
Thickheaded Chairs Yajush NYT An anonymous tip has been reported! A delegate has informed the New York Times that the head chair of the Singapore parliament ‘blinded his delegates by using discord light mode’. Furthermore, he attempted to take over the channels of the Brexit committee claiming that it was ‘colonization of Brexit’. Moreover, the deputy chair called all journalists ‘scums’. The New York Times finds this behaviour intolerable. Chairs should be upholding the decorum. New York Times hopes that the chairs will stop being so irresponsible in the coming sessions and will watch what they say.
Research, Please! One would expect that the most obvious requirement of taking part in a debate about artificial intelligence is knowing how algorithms work. As far as what we can tell with AI debate, even this is too much to expect. When confronted with the realities of gender imbalances perpetuated by the use of AI in hiring, the delegate representing Governments in Favour, had the unfortunately inarticulate response, “ machines have no feelings”. To enlighten him, this is not a baseless claim like many of his, it is a well documented phenomenon because of the basic fact that AI essentially contains codified human behavior, albeit on a significantly larger scale. This agency hopes that delegates will attempt to research in the future. -Anagha, Xinhua Press Agency
“MY POINTS HAVE BEEN TAKEN" The delegate of the leader of the opposition (Worker’s Party) has run out of opinions as they have all “been taken”. Furthermore, when posed a question by the delegate of health minister, the delegate of the leader of the opposition has ‘connection issues’, after which the delegate was unable to answer the question and said he would “get back”. Then, when posed a POI by the delegate of the minister of foreign affairs, this delegate was seen looking dumbfounded, after which he left the meeting completely. Must be proud to call yourself a leader delegate! Looks like this leader has been unable to accept the challenges he faces, trying to avoid questions from fellow delegates. As the council has expressed, this sort of behaviour “wastes the council’s time”, and is “very unproductive”. Listen to your chair delegate- and try to “BUCKLE UP!” Shreya Nishanth, CNA
DESPERATE DELEGATE IN BUSINESS STAKEHOLDER DEBATE Half the summit has not yet finished, yet an anonymous delegate is desperate for points for their GSL. This is the peak of unpreparedness, as the delegate struggles to gather up information to speak in the GSL and it is reported that the delegate “forgot what a GSL is”! The delegate is seen pleading to not only other delegates but members of the press as they are anguished by their situation. It was also reported that the delegate was so stressed that they “ran away from the gsl”. The attached screenshots show the pathetic plight of the delegate as they “suffer” in the gsl. One can hope that this situation of the delegate takes a turn as they effectively use the lunch break!! Bhavna Gopalan (NYT)
AI Dhruv Mathur - Xinhua The unemployment issue has, for the better part of the first committee session, taken the limelight of both the proposition and opposition arguments. While some, such as the manufacturers in support of the use of AI have presented their opinion in a more unique manner by presenting it as a solution to the current Covid-19 restrictions in-person, the same high level information has created echo chambers on either side of the debate. Though it is only the beginning of the debates, it is rather unfortunate to have such a powerful divide and yet such lacklustre presentation of the points beyond a mediocre understanding of the topics. While some valid opinions have been heard over the course of the debate and it is still very much anyone’s game as to who will emerge victorious, we can only hope the pace picks up from here. Word of advice? Choose a different point to settle on first before the all-ending issue of human employment, such as safety or efficiency
FOREHEAD LEAK Ishita- Some delegates have been verbal about their wishes for the press to write articles praising them in exchange for tips. A certain anonymous delegate has hoped for the press to use his tips about the AI debate. While the press certainly will not show any bias, claims are surfacing about the unwillingness to have an unmoderated caucus, and about the delegate for manufacturers against the agenda’s excessive zooming in to his forehead. Delegates, watch your backs!
DELEGATES GOING ALL OUT!!! Vivek Bhat, CNA The delegate of China has been cracking down on the USA's claim on denying trade with China, and claimed that the delegate of the USA wishes to plunge China into poverty. The delegate of the USA pushed back on these claims, saying that the USA provides hundreds of millions of dollars more in foreign aid, and that most of China’s “aid” results in debt traps for the nations. He mentioned the fact that the Belt-Road Initiative resulted in “billions in debt for lower and middle-income countries”. Allies of China, such as the Philippines, have come to its aid, claiming that China is very important to the USA’s trade, and that without it the USA’s economy will falter. India cracked down on the delegate of the Philippines' claim, saying that the Philippines is not in a position to talk about the trade relations between the USA and China. These delegates are not holding back, and are cracking down on points mentioned.
THE PATH AHEAD FOR SINGAPORE…COLONIZATION AND MONKEY BEHAVIOUR Shreya Nishanth, CNA Unable to speak? The delegate of the member of parliament of the worker’s party seems to be having some technical difficulties. The delegate was unable to talk about the need for borrowing from other countries in order to aid the thriving medical sector of Singapore during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is some confusion among delegate and chairs as this delegate wishes to “tap into Singapore’s reserves” as well as “borrow from other countries”. So far, the delegate of prime minister seems to believe the lack of medical tourism inflow into Singapore during the pandemic could be a window into introducing more technological advances, such as virtual consultations. Furthermore, the delegate of the trade minister believes Singapore has enough resources in its reserve to fund its medical sector during this time. This statement has been backed by the delegate of the workers party MP. The end of the m
THE SINGAPORE PARLIAMENT IS CRASHING AND BURNING BY: Ivannah Jacob The Singapore Parliament is currently debating on whether the nation should tap into its reserve funds to sustain itself during the pandemic or whether it should resort to borrowing from other countries. However, as of now, there is not much hope that a conclusion will be reached. Despite it being an advanced debate, the chaos arising does not attest to this designation. The chairs have openly criticised the delegates for not being able to distinguish between a GSL speech and a moderated caucus speech (which are the basic rudiments of any debate) and have pointed out how delegates are not using their time in the moderated caucus effectively because they are still clarifying their stance in their moderated caucus speeches! They have also condemned delegates for having no collaboration between themselves and being very vague overall. A delegate that would like to remain anonymous has revealed that the most interesting t
Unresponsive or Unprepared? Bhavna Gopalan (NYT) The second session starts off on the wrong foot in the Brexit debate. During the moderated caucus regarding how Brexit affects taxation policies, the delegate of the businesses in the EU was asked to speak however, the delegate remained unresponsive as their video was switched off and upon persistently questioned, there was no action taken by this delegate. The delegate was forgiven for not switching on their camera, however, they failed to even unmute. This leads us to question, was the delegate facing technical issues, or were they unprepared to face the consequences of not having sufficient information to talk about?
A wolf in sheep’s clothing Yajush NYT The workers of the EU questioned the workers of the UK over tax policies however the delegate seemed to be unable to respond. He simply glossed over and stated words like policy and tax without being specific. Furthermore, once the floor was opened to POI’s the businesses of the UK stated a point rather than asking a question. He later said that he wasn’t asking a question at all which defeats the purpose of a POI. The workers of the UK made the same mistake and tried to counter a point with a statement rather than a question. These rookie mistakes lead the New York Times to question is Brexit an ‘advanced’ committee filled with beginners?
NO NATION IS HOLDING BACK AT THE CHINA DEBATE! By: Ivannah Jacob, Xinhua The delegates debating on the effects of China's economic growth have certainly not let anything hold them back. From the get go, delegates were at each other's throats all while discussing relevant points and making their stances clear. While some countries have clearly recognised the importance of China’s economic growth and the benefits of allying with China, other countries, such as South Korea recognise the benefits but are still “wary”. Delegates such as the delegate of Taiwan and Hong Kong let loose a string of accusations against China and its policies. However, the delegate of China remained calm and composed and wasted no time in utilising his GSL as a strategic tool to address these pointless claims. There is no doubt that he will represent China to the best of his abilities. While China is busy fending off Hong Kong and Taiwan, tensions have also flared between North Korea and South K
Befuddled delegate in Brexit Yajush NYT The delegate representing the UK businesses in Brexit initially stated that he was for Brexit however later on there was a moderated caucus on the topic of trade initiated by the EU government. Two anonymous delegates have reported to the New York Times that during this caucus the delegate representing the businesses changed his stance and began talking about why Brexit was a mistake. He, later on, reverted to his previous stance. Delegates in Brexit should be wary as the businesses clearly cannot be trusted if they keep changing their stance.
Is Jealousy the New Statecraft? -Anagha, Xinhua Press Agency China has a long history of providing aid to countries, dating back to 1963, in Algeria. This has developed economies across the planet and advanced social progress exponentially, despite the cloud of suspicion casted over it by capitalist ‘superpowers’. A young asian nation is a threat to the imperialist west, especially when exponential economic progress is coupled with equality unheard of under capitalism. It seems that delegates involved in the China debate are eager to continue this legacy, as demonstrated by their obvious untruths and propaganda mongering. What cuts deep, however, is the uncalled for criticism by Asian states and China’s own allies! South Korea, an Asian Brother, claims to be neutral, perhaps because of how much it benefits from China’s economic progress, yet it’s delegate spreads hysteria in the committee through assertions that warn other nations to be wary of the aid so gracefully provided by Chi
Is this really “write”? The attached screenshot below shows the arrogant nature of an anonymous delegate as they display their disinterest towards the summit in their respective class group. This attitude is looked down upon and is shocking to witness at the very start of the debate, and is definitely not the way to create an impression during the initial stages of the summit. If this delegate wished to take part in the summit, they should have come prepared instead of blaming their incompetence on the summit itself. Instead of using the session break efficiently, the delegate desperately expresses more interest towards publicity in the press, compared to the debate itself. On top of this, the delegate manages to pull off a primary school spelling mistake, as we see in the second screenshot attached. Bhavna Gopalan (NYT)
BUCK UP DELEGATES Ishita, NYT The ai debate showed a promising start, but as the debate unfolded, the delegates limited knowledge of the study guide was shown. Tips have suggested that delegates are unprepared and unaware of their case study , as Chairs are forced to introduce and explain it to them, even though they already claimed to have been well versed with the study guide. During the “artificial intelligence against” call, it seemed that only the delegate representing consumers was aware of what they were saying , and had to take the lead. With one committee session already finished, the delegates really need to step up their game, and not depend on their chairs to progress forward.
SLEEPY START AT MINIMUM WAGE IVANNAH JACOB - XINHUA Minimum wage is certainly a very controversial topic that differs from nation to nation and requires ample discussion and research for a conclusion to arise. While countries like China have raised their minimum wage in order to combat economic recessions in light of COVID-19 and to improve its citizens’ well being, nations like the USA have not raised their minimum wage in decades, creating much chaos and dissatisfaction in the nation. However, the minimum wage debate did not seem to reflect the urgency and importance of this issue. There was a whole spectrum of delegates present at the debate. On one hand we had the delegate representing Consumers For raising the minimum wage, clad in a suit and tie and clearly prepared to take on whatever his opponents threw at him. However, one of his allies, The State For, seemed to prefer a more sleepy approach, and treated the entire GSL like an economics lesson, spewing out theories and outcome
Singapore Dhruv Mathur - Xinhua “A house divided against itself cannot stand”, in the words of Abraham Lincoln. Singapore must then be standing very tall indeed, as the first committee session has seemed very one sided, with all vocal participants except the Home Affairs Minister opting to draw from reserves rather than accept foreign aid, notably both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leaders, as well as the Health, Finance, and Foreign Affairs Ministers. While this surely simplifies the issue, the moderators are facing reluctance among speakers, though for what reason, we are still scratching our heads. In fact, this entire debate may as well be concluded with a single statement regardless of compromise, it would be wise to just get this ‘snoozefest’ over with.
Session insight: Is anyone even interested in speaking? Abhishek Raemesh ( CNA) While the introduction speeches sailed smoothly in the business debate after a long wait for almost half-hour and multiple technical issues, no one seemed interested in moving further into the GSL (General Speakers List). The delegates had to be persuaded and literally begged by the heads and chairs in order to move into the GSL. This was an unusual sight to see in a debate, since surprisingly, no one seemed to be interested in putting their point across, except for the delegate representing consumers, who was the first to show interest. The delegates representing the Government and Partner firms followed. The delegate representing investors had to be asked multiple times by the heads in order to join the GSL, while the head chair did not seem to bother and seemed as disinterested as the delegate representing business and employees, who on being asked also refused to join. All delegates were so motivate
Initial reflections: What do the stakeholders think? Abhishek Ramaesh- CNA The debate for establishing which stakeholder does a business need to cater to has started in full swing, unfazed by technical issues. Even though the opening speeches helped establish the stance of the stakeholders, some failed to pack a punch. The delegate representing the employees made their point heard: loud and clear- with a confident and authoritative opening speech. They established their stance highlighting the importance of employees to a business, arguing that: “Firms should treat their employees fairly in order to benefit, for profit and long term sustainable growth”. Next came the business delegate, who did argue for their own benefit, but could not substantiate their points very well. Their stance was clear but their explanation was a bit generic - “A business should try to please the stakeholder since they are the backbone of the firm”. The delegates for investors and partner firms were able to
Inexperienced chairs A slow start in the business stakeholders debate with technical issues plaguing the debate. By 930 the committee still had not gotten underway. Most delegates opted to go for while the only delegates going against were the investors and the partner firms. No rules of procedure were followed at all. Role call was not taken. A motion is required to open the general speakers’ list but the head of the summit began adding people without a motion. Furthermore, most delegates weren’t willing to speak in the gsl. Chairs had to force the delegates to speak. When the gsl finally began the delegate representing consumers was interrupted thrice. The head chair seemed confused by the timer. Moreover, he constantly had technical issues and was interrupting delegates because of this. Chairs did not realize that they need to take into account all motions before voting. Formalities were not used at all and delegates were called by their first name by the head of the summit. The
Eventful committee discussion in Minimum wage The committee on minimum wage has been very eventful so far, with several delegates stating their for and against stances on the agenda. The workers-against has repeatedly stated that the minimum wage does not increase employment as firms may be reluctant to hire new workers due to higher labour costs, and may give fewer working hours, or even lay-off workers to conserve the costs of higher wages. Consumers-Against has made the point that the minimum wage may not be as effective for consumers in developed countries, as the minimum wage is mostly applicable to only low skill jobs, of which there are few in developed countries. On the other hand, the State-For made the point that a minimum wage increases the purchasing power of the workers as they will now have more money to purchase goods and services. This, the delegate stated, results in more goods sold from companies, which can not only help increase returns for companies, but also i
The A.I debate breaks the ice with an interactive activity The chairs of the A.I committee have been encouraging more teamwork during the unmoderated caucus through an activity which brings out the delegates’ contributions. The delegates for the implementation of A.I have been sharing their thoughts while gaining insights from others by asking questions to the fellow delegates of their block. Through this way, the stakeholders have been more motivated to share their views in order to move into a more structured debate. Shreya Nishanth, CNA
The Reign of technical issues Technical issues in the minimum wage debate have already occurred as early as in the first session. With the delegate of firms (against) having mic issues, and being unable to speak when she was called upon. This is definitely not the way the delegate of firms (against) would wish to begin the day, nevertheless, the delegate was still able to deliver a captivating opening speech in the end. The opening speeches in the minimum wages were gripping despite the fact the delegates were beginners and they all participated enthusiastically. Bhavna Gopalan(NYT)
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER The opening speech in the China debate began with a bang, being one of the first debates to begin, the delegates spoke powerfully while expressing their stance regarding China’s economic super growth and the extent to which it has impacted the rest of the world. While all the delegates spoke influentially, the delegate of Russia not only arrived late, but struggled to finish his speech on time. This behaviour of the delegate of Russia is shocking because being punctual is highly important and it will not create a positive impression on the chairs. The start to this debate has been compelling and will continue to intrigue everyone as the debate proceeds. Bhavna Gopalan (NYT)