Birlikism
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Birlikism බිරලික Birlik | |
|---|---|
| Ideology | Chandan nationalism Cultural nationalism Multiculturalism Corporatism Guided democracy Republicanism |
| Political position | Right-wing (social) Syncretic (economic) |
Birlikism (Chandan: බිරලික, Birlik, lit. "oneness") is a Chandan nationalist political ideology based on the theories and actions of the Five Leaders of Chanda and is the founding ideology of the Republic of Chanda. It promotes the development of a Chandan national identity by a centralized corporatist state instead of a pluralistic liberal democracy. Since the declaration of the Republic in 1951, Birlikism continues to be the dominant political ideology of the country promoted by United Motherland.
Birlikism promotes a revival of the multiethnic cosmopolitan society and culture of the Akdoğan Khanate to form a Chandan national identity. It opposes the existence of ethnic nationalism, instead promoting social cohesion and cultural harmony between the ethnic groups of Chanda. However at the same time, it seeks to "modernize" their cultures by rooting out perceived social ills, "outdated" thinking, and "imperialist" cultural influences. In order to implement these ideals, the ideology supports the creation of a one-party state along corporatist lines. It rejects political pluralism and democracy as long as there is a perceived threat to Chandan unity. Birlikism does not specify a particular economic system, which has led to varying economic policies since the 1950s, ranging from socialist economics to state capitalism.
History
Birlikism was formulated as a reaction to the Chandan State's political and economic instability caused by ethnic strife and conflict after the country's independence. The origins of the ideology began with political thoughts developed by Abdug'ani Yoʻldosh, Nurlan Sabir, and Inomjon Alikhan. While at first the three formulated their ideas independently, they were introduced to each other by a mutual acquaintance in 1939. Together, the three politicians developed their political theories, forming a loose political faction.
In the beginning, they were mainly concerned with the instability of the Chandan State's democratic government. The three men began to reject the underlying Euclean constitutional ideals of the Chandan State as ineffective and dangerous for the country. While they embraced more authoritarian methods of rule, at the same time Sabir and Yoʻldosh supported some limited political pluralism. The inability of the government to govern effectively exacerbated the ethnic strife and separatist movements throughout the country, which in turn further worsened the situation. The three men quickly agreed that the people had to be united by a common cause, but disagreed how that could be achieved until they were approached by Wu Khar and Kadri Badi, professors of history at Chandan National University. The two professors introduced the idea of using the common heritage of the Akdoğan Khanate for a foundation of a common national identity. The others quickly embraced the idea and it soon became the fundamental component of their ideology. The five men, informally known as the Group of Five co-founded a political party called the National Front in 1943. Sabir quickly became its most prominent member. It would be this time when the name Birlik became associated with the ideology.
Doctrine
Nationalism
The central concept of Birlikism is nationalism (උනටෝඛචිලික; undeschilik). Birlik thought places the creation and continuation of a Chandan national identity as essential to the country's continued existence as an independent state. While the people of Chanda are culturally and religiously diverse, they share a common history and cultural heritage under the rule of the Akdoğan Khanate, which existed from 1665 to 1888. The Group of Five sought to establish an national identity around this heritage by establishing the modern state of Chanda as the direct successor of the Khanate and reviving its common culture among the Chandan population.
By defining nationalism under a shared culture, it explicitly rejects any kind of ethnic nationalism, labeling it divisive and unworkable for Chanda's multiracial and multicultural society. Instead it promotes the multi-ethnic cultural unity of the people, and defines ethnic groups as "sub-divisions" of the Chandan people. Abdug'ani Yoʻldosh wrote in 1937 that "Chanda is of many races, languages, religions and cultures; to center an identity on any one would only serve to divide our country." As a result, he and other members of the Group vehemently opposed support of ethnic nationalism and especially separatism by any ethnic group. Only with a single purpose, they believed that the country could achieve prosperity and defend its independence.
Multiculturalism
Birlikism seeks to prevent ethnic tension between the peoples of Chanda by promoting the concept of multiculturalism (Chandan: ඉව; iv), literally translated as harmony. It supports the adoption of non-discriminatory policies based on race, culture, and religion.