Lions at MUN

By J. Nemr

St. Paul’s Lion have always been extremely involved in MUN. They believe it is beneficial for a number of reasons including improving public speaking, critical thinking and insight into the world of diplomacy and international relations. 

The 21st edition of the AASB MUN took place at Chapel from August 30th to September 1st and welcomed over 200 delegates from 14 different schools. It counted on 2 days of fruitful debating where different committees speculated solutions to achieve national and international goals. Apart from the traditional committees which make up the conference, it included four special committees: UNICEF, League of Nations, 1985 Brazilian Crisis Cabinet and 1959 Cuban Council of Ministers. 

It was appreciable to see so many St Paul’s students chairing, debating and directing at the conference. They showed a huge amount of commitment and hard work. 

In addition, the Press Corps went through a series of modifications since the last edition of this conference. They are now expected to impersonate an assigned media agency and cover the conference according to the agency’s reputation, bias and perspective. This explores the way the Press interferes, distorts and delivers global issues and how their bias can change a whole country’s perspective on a certain issue. 
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Below is an example of the type of article you are expected to write during the conference. We were assigned a media agency and expected to represent it while reporting the events inside each committee.

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Aluízio Alves and Olavo Setubal caught red-handed during cabinet members attempt to decrease the inflation in Brazil
The effect of the military dictatorship in the Brazilian economy and how cabinet members arduously speculate solutions to overcome national inflation. 
 By Julia Nemr (O Globo correspondent) 

The fall of the dictatorship
After two long decades of military dictatorship, Tancredo Neves was elected to lead our nation towards a new era in Brazilian History. However, Brazilians found themselves consumed by desperation when the newly elected President was critically ill and were even more desperate since Neves passed away before assuming the office mid-march. 
Members of cabinet are thoroughly speculating and preparing a new constitution. Nevertheless, politicians are confronting enormous byproducts of the fall of the military dictatorship since this has costed the country inflation, debt, recession and unemployment—which, in a larger scale, also challenged the nascent democracy. 
   Newly-elected vice president José Sarney and other politicians are tossing and turning to restore Brazil’s economy and the country’s reintegration in the international community.


 The attempt to restore Brazil’s economy: an entanglement
The cabinet appears to be fully aware of the frenzied situation that Brazil is in. However, the ministers often disagree and share polarising opinions
The vice-president José Sarney strongly believes that the solution to the Brazilian inflation is to introduce a new currency called the Cruzado which would be worth 1000 cruzeiros. In addition, he does not support the other ministers’ idea to freeze prices before changing the currency since he believes this will only create a shortage of what in necessary and in his words “make profitability of producers reach zero”.
The Brazilian investigation and intelligence agency unveiled internal documents which contained money laundering schemes involving Aluízio Alves and Olavo Setubal (representatives of PMBD and PFL). This includes the construction of hydroelectric power plants in the state of Minas Gerais. This has costed both representatives public humiliation including General Leônidas Gonçalves’s attack on Setubal as he expressed the desire to spit on his face. Both Setubal and Alves are now under investigation and were even questioned on their worth and stability inside the cabinet. 
Setubal constantly denies all accusations and believes it is hypocritical that Ulysses is not being charged even though he is in the same party as Aluízio. He claims he has no reason to steal since he has consistently contributed to the country’s development and stated he does not need the money. Both ministers under investigation also argue that there is absolutely no evidence of any of the alleged schemes.