Birlikism
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Birlikism බිරලික Birlik | |
|---|---|
| Ideology | Chandan nationalism Cultural nationalism Multiculturalism Militarism 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 the formation of a Chandan national identity based upon pan-Chandan nationalism and the legacy of the People's Liberation Army of Chanda. 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 However at the same time, it seeks to "modernize" their cultures by rooting out perceived social ills, "outdated" thinking, and "imperialist" cultural influences.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 splintering of the People's Liberation Army of Chanda into pan-Coius and pan-Satrian factions as well as various ethnic paramilitaries. The political and economic instability that followed, allowed for the introduction of Birlikism and its takeover of the country.
In response to the growing chaos after the collapse of the PLA, many Chandan intellectuals began to question the foundations of the country. The origins of the ideology began with political thoughts developed by the Group of Five which began as an informal political club. Its most prominent members were Abdug'ani Yoʻldosh, Nurlan Sabir, Inomjon Alikhan, Wu Khar, and Kadri Badi. The former three were members of the PLA while the last two played a critical role with Chanda's independence at the Treaty of Keisi during their exile in Senria. The five men agreed that the people had to be united by a common cause, adopting the pan-nationalism of the Pardals for the people of Chanda. They also rejected the underlying Euclean constitutional ideals of the Chandan State as ineffective and dangerous for the country. Influenced by the Imaharist concept of republicanism they embraced more authoritarian methods of rule.
The Group of Five founded the National Front of Chanda in 1943, where the principles were established as its ideology, naming it Birlikism. The ideology would be continued to be developed by the National Front, under the leadership of Nurlan Sabir.
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. The Group of Five sought to establish an national identity by establishing the ideals of the Pardal movement to the historical legacy of the Akdoğan Khanate. Birlikism adopted the Pardals' pan-nationalist ideals of militarism and anti-imperialism and applied it to Chanda's culturally and religiously diverse population. Furthermore they share a common history and cultural heritage under the rule of the Akdoğan Khanate, which existed from 1665 to 1888.
By defining nationalism under shared ideals and a common heritage, 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. Iv is viewed as the logical extension to Nationalism, as a united identity requires that there be no conflict between the diverse of people of Chanda.
Birlik thought places the state as the guarantor and protector of Iv. In 1938, Yoʻldosh wrote, "to secure multiculturalism, the new Republic must guarantee the principles of freedom, equality, and equal representation." The principle of freedom is the basis that all the people of Chanda are able to express their own culture without facing restriction by the state or prejudice by their fellow citizens. Equality refers to the principle that all the cultures and religions of Chanda are of equal worth and thus equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law. Finally the last point representation, establishes the principle that the peoples of Chanda are entitled to fair representation in Chandan society.