Caruban

Caruban චිරෙබොන් Cirebon
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Aking karapatan, ating batas (My right, our law)
Anthem: Diwa ng Bayan (Song of the Nation)
Capital and largest city	Bonton
Official languages	Tagaplo and Caticeze-English
Demonym(s)	Carubanese
Government	Unitary semi-presidential republic
• Lakan	Merob Wibowo
• Prime Minister	William Langins
Legislature	Parliament  L Batasan
Formation
• Republic of Strackenz	January 23, 1579
• Skithan rule	September 1, 1708
• Self-Government Act	October 26, 1807
• Carubanese Parliament Act	February 22, 1826
• Independence Act	March 15, 1960
Population
• 2018 census	6,370,120
GDP (nominal)	2018 estimate
• Total	$200.5 billion
• Per capita	$31,475
HDI (2016)	0.921 very high
Currency	Carubanese dollar ($)
Date format	mm-dd-yyyy
Internet TLD	.cr

Caruban (Tagaplo: චිරෙබොන්, Cirebon), officially the Republic of Caruban, is a country in Ausiana. Vulkaria borders the country from the west, the Tervali Islands from the south, and the Samson Ocean from the east. A former Skithan colony, much of its modern heritage is intertwined with Skithan culture. Its native residents, the Tagaplo people, share a long historical relationship with Vulkaria. Due to Skithan rule, the nation is bilingual and speaks Tagaplo and Caticeze-English. Drambenburgian, a Vulkarian language, is only recognized by various local governments, most of which are Tagaplo communities. The peninsular country is surrounded by the Samson Ocean. The capital and largest city in Caruban is Bonton.

The Tagaplo people arrived in the Caruban Peninsula in 900 BC. They settled in the Lusong archipelago, the group of islands north of the peninsula. Early Vulkarian states introduced the Tagaplo to a sedentary, agrarian lifestyle. In the 6th Century, the Tagaplo migrated to the mainland peninsula. The remaining tribes in the Lusong Islands maintained their sea-nomad traditions. In the mainland, the Tagaplo founded thalassocracies in large, stone-walled settlements. During the Warring City-States period (1500-1850), Vulkarian warlords conquered Caruban and formed the Republic of Strackenz. Drambenburgian-speaking Vulkarians colonized the peninsula and assimilated the mainlander Tagaplo. In 1708, the Skithan Empire invaded Caruban to secure trade routes in the Samson Ocean. After the Zamastan War of Independence, Skithan enacted colonial reform to maintain its other colonial possessions. In Caruban, self-government was enacted in 1807 to prepare the territory's transition to an autonomous parliamentary democracy, finalized in the Carubanese Parliament Act of 1826. Clashes between colonial and Tagpalo politicians culminated into "Vorherrschaft" (Drambenburgian word for "supremacy "), a racist system of minority representation that denied the will of the majority, indigenous population. Vorherrschaft ended in 1960 when the Skithan parliament granted Caruban independence.

Caruban is a developed country with a high-income economy. The service industry is the top economic sector, followed by manufacturing as second and agriculture as third. Carubanese citizens enjoy a high quality of life, spanning from benefits in government transparency, free education up to high school, universal healthcare, and protections in civil liberties and economic freedom. The country is a republic with an elected, unicameral parliament. The prime minister, currently William Langins, is the head of government. A popularly elected Lakan, currently Merob Wibowo, is head of state. In its bid to institute permanent neutrality, Caruban renounced its right to declare war and abolished standing armed forces in the 1964 Constitution.

Etymology

Cirebon House, the Lakan's official residence

The name Caruban traces its origin from an old legend. It usually varies, but the story always involves a Tagaplo merchant was visiting Vulkaria. When Vulkarians asked the merchant about their home country, they assumed the Vulkarians referred to their variety of wares, calling them "caruban."

"Caruban" (චරුබන්) is an old Tagaplo word for "mixed." Over the years, foreigners used other names like "Cheribon," "Chirebon," and "Sirivon." Vulkarians used "Strackenz" for the peninsula, and it did become a name for a Vulkarian rump state in the 16th-19th centuries. In 1960, Cirebon (චිරෙබොන්) was adopted as the official native translation.

At the beginning of Skithan rule, when Caruban was still a loose confederation of indigenous tribes, Vulkarian cities, and Skithan colonies, the colonial administration used the title "United Federation." The Self-Government Act in 1807 used the new title "Federation." In the 1964 Constitution, Caruban replaced the federal form of government with a unitary state, and the title "Federation" was replaced by "Republic."

History

Prehistoric to early history (Pre-1000 AD)

A village in the Caruban Peninsula, 4th Century AD

There has been human habitation in the Caruban Peninsula as long as 40,000 years ago. Sea nomads from Western Ausiana migrated to the peninsula in 900 BC. They settled in the Lusong Islands. Traders and settlers from Vulkaria arrived around the 1st Century AD, followed by Yuan in the 3rd Century AD. They established towns and ports along the southern coasts and introduced wet-rice farming (Yuan), pottery, and metallurgy (the latter two from Vulkaria). Their presence resulted in Vulkarian and Yuan influences in the local cultures. [Sanskrit analogue] was adopted from [India analogue] as a local language, later evolving into the modern Tagaplo language. Increased trade in the mainland peninsula attracted migrants from the Lusong Islands.

A series of conquests erupted between the 7th and 9th Centuries, creating powerful, royal Tagaplo thassalocracies that dominated the peninsula. By the 10th Century, the Tagaplo kingdoms in the north and Vulkarian and Yuan city-states in the south divided the peninsula.

Government and politics

File:The Parliament of Sri Lanka.jpg

Tipolo Palace, home of the Carubanese Parliament

Caruban is a parliamentary democracy with a semi-presidential executive modeled on the Quetanan system. Executive authority, or leadership of the government, is vested in a cabinet led by the head of state known as the Lakan. In the old days, the Lakan was an absolute ruler or paramount chieftain of the Tagaplo people. The modern Lakan enforces law, grants pardons, receive ambassadors, appoints cabinet officials and supreme court justices, and has reserve powers such as dissolving parliament and refusing to sign a bill into law. Under normal circumstances, the Lakan only exercises their powers on the advice of the Prime Minister and cabinet. For supreme court appointments, the Lakan acts on the advice of the Judicial Independence Commission.

The Carubanese Parliament is unicameral, legislates laws, and can remove the government through a vote of no confidence. Based on the rules of the Quetanan system, the 1964 Constitution enshrined the principles of parliamentary supremacy over the executive and judicial branches. Parliament democratically elects representatives every five years. Eligible formateurs in parliament, leaders of parties capable of winning an investiture vote, are nominated to become prime minister. After a general election or a vote of no confidence, the formateur of the winning party in an investiture vote will be appointed by the Lakan, as head of state, to form a government. Traditionally, the Lakan grants audiences to both the prime minister and the opposition leader to give minority parties a stronger voice in criticizing government policy. The cabinet, formed by the prime minister, is the highest policy-making body in the government and is collectively responsible for the consequences of their actions.

Elections are called by the Lakan either after every five years or after an investiture vote fails. The Lakan then dissolves parliament. Electoral districts called "pekan" (an old Tagaplo word for "market") are vacated upon dissolution and must nominate a candidate. A pekan candidate is usually elected by a local party from member residents. The candidate must win a simple plurality vote to represent local constituents as an MP or Member of Parliament.

The Batasan is the independent legislature for the Tagaplo people with devolved powers granted by the Carubanese Parliament. The Batasan's primary responsibility is to preserve Tagaplo cultural heritage. Unlike Carubanese Parliament, Batasan elects its members through party-list proportional representation. Winning parties are assigned seats based on the percentage of votes garnered by each party and the number of available seats (50). To qualify, parties must win at least 5% of the vote.

The Carubanese judicial system, headed by a chief justice, adjudicates on mixed common and civil law. The Supreme Court of Caruban is the highest court in the country. Court justices and officials are appointed non-politically under the strict rules implemented by the Judicial Independence Commission.

Culture

National anthem

Diwa ng Bayan is the national anthem of Caruban. Josias Pertiwi wrote the composition in 1878. The Carubanese Parliament commissioned Pertiwi to compose a hymn for the 1879 State Opening of Parliament. Pertiwi adopted the lyrics from Fr. Genesis Lambosa's 1836 poem "O Sintang Lupa."

The Tagaplo version is not a direct translation of the Caticeze-English version.

Official Caticeze-English version (Diwa ng Bayan)	Official Tagaplo version (Diwa ng Bayan)	Literal translation of the Tagaplo text
Land of the morning, Child of the sun returning, With fervor burning Thee do our souls adore. Land dear and holy, Cradle of noble heroes, Ne’er shall invaders Trample thy sacred shores. Ever within thy skies and through thy clouds, And o’er thy hills and seas, Do we behold the radiance, feel the throb Of glorious liberty. Thy banner dear to all our hearts, Its sun and stars alight, Oh, never shall its shining fields Be dimmed by tyrant’s might! Beautiful land of love, o land of light, In thine embrace ‘tis rapture to lie, But it is glory ever, when thou art wronged, For us, thy sons to suffer and die.	O sintang lupa, Perlas ng silanganan, Diwang apoy kang Sa araw nagmula. Lupang magiliw, Pugad ng kagitingan, Sa manlulupig Di ka papaslang. Sa iyong langit, simoy, parang. Dagat at kabundukan, Laganap ang tibok ng puso Sa paglayang walang hanggan. Sagisag ng watawat mong mahal Ningning at tagumpay; Araw't bituin niyang maalab Ang s'yang lagi naming tanglaw. Sa iyo, lupa ng ligaya't pagsinta, Tamis mabuhay na yakap mo, Datapwa't langit ding kung ikaw ay apihin Ay mamatay ng dahil sa 'yo.	O beloved land, Pearl of the Orient, A fiery spirit thou art From the sun come forth. Land dearest, Nest of valour, To the conquerors Thou shalt never be slain. In thy skies, air, meadows, Seas and mountains, Widespread is the heartbeat of freedom without end. Thy precious flag symbolizes Brilliance and victory; Its sun and stars ablaze Shall ever be our guiding light. In thee, land of joy and loving, 'Tis sweet to live embraced by thee. Therefore heaven, too, if thou would be oppressed, Is to die because of thee.