Milintica
Democratic People's Republic of Milintica Te Whare-kai-atua | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
| Motto: "Tinechcocoh huan axcanah tinechtlanqui" | |
 | |
| Status | Independent |
| Capital | Huānoch |
| Official languages | Huenyan, Paora, English |
| Recognised national languages | Huenyan, Paora |
| Religion | Huenyan indigenous religion, Paora indigenous religion |
| Demonym(s) | Milintican |
| Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic |
• President | Matōchmizalo |
• Prime Minister | Tupai Tapihana |
| Legislature | Representative Assembly of Milintica |
| Population | |
• 2020 estimate | 11,428,245 |
| GDP (PPP) | estimate |
• Total | 89.018 billion |
• Per capita | 7,790 |
| GDP (nominal) | estimate |
• Total | 43.687 billion |
• Per capita | 3,823 |
| Gini (2018) | 42.2 medium |
| HDI (2018) | 0.703 high |
| Currency | tlipan (TPN) |
| Time zone | MST |
| Date format | dd-mm-yyyy |
| Driving side | right |
The Democratic People's Republic of Milintica is a federal parliamentary constitutional republic in the far southern area of the International Democractic Union. It is located between the Sea of Brandywyne and the Gulf of Yukoni. The DPRM is a historically left-leaning state with a tradition of strongly advocating for its values. It is particularly vocal on the subject of the environment and climate change, as rising ocean levels threaten outlying Milintican islands.
History
Pre-Huenyan arrival
Before the arrival of the Huenyan refugees from the Xiomeran Empire, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, the Paora, were a hunter-gatherer people whose society was divided into multiple iwi, or confederations of tribes. These tribes, or hapū, had long fought amongst themselves for access to food and resources, as well as to settle disputes and establish authority. As time went on, however, the constant fighting between the iwi and hapū threatened to wipe out the Paora and bring their society to collapse.
In 1206, the chiefs (ariki) of the Paora met at the village of Taimana, seeking to find a way to end the constant warfare amongst their people in order to ensure their survival. After several months of discussion, the Paora came to an accord which ended warfare among the tribes, allocated resources and land, and established a council of chiefs to ensure somewhat stable governance.
From 1206 to roughly 1300, the Paora tribes' population grew significantly, due to the peace and stability brought on by the Accord of Taimana. However, the surging population began to place a strain on resources, and also began to threaten to bring much of the wildlife on the islands to a state of extinction. By 1380, the situation had grown precarious, with many Paora facing a state of starvation.
Arrival of Huenyan refugees
After the forcible unification of their homeland under Xiomeran rule in 1387, a group of Huenyan refugees fled from that island in far eastern Caxcana. Primitive designs similar to cogs or junks, the first Huenyan sailing ships borrowed heavily from ship designs from more advanced seafaring nations of the time. After the Battle of Milintica, at which the Necatli tlatoani Atltōtl was killed, the role of leader fell to his 17-year-old son, Tlipan. Tlipan knew that the forces of Quiauhticue would hunt down and wipe out those Huenyans still fighting the Xiomeran Empire if they remained on their home island. While the Huenyans' best sailing ships were not exactly an armada, the risk of plunging into the unknown with them was still better than the fate they knew they faced if they remained. Gathering as many ships and as much provisions as they could, they began their journey.
For the next three months, in ships only capable of traveling 40-60 miles per day under the best of conditions - and sometimes far less distance - Tlipan and his small fleet of primitive sailing ships traveled westward, stopping only occasionally to land at various places to replenish supplies as much as possible. At several points in their journey, the Huenyans had to fight off hostile locals while trying to obtain supplies. Several ships were also lost during the trip. The Huenyan refugees' only option was to keep sailing until they found a place where they might be able to settle, and be safe from the Xiomerans, before their ships completely failed or their supplies completely ran out.
On October 15th, 1387, an island appeared in the path of the remaining Huenyan ships. Facing a desperate situation at that point, Tlipan decided to land on this unknown island, in the hopes of being able to settle there.
When the ships landed, Tlipan ordered his followers to begin disembarking and setting up shelters, and to look for provisions. It was at this point that the Huenyans and the Paora first encountered each other, in the form of a Paora scout who saw the strange ships disembarking. The scout ran back to his village to warn the chiefs of these new arrivals.
While the Huenyans landing on Ropata were in a desperate state, the Paora, in fact, had troubles of their own. The problem of resource scarcity was becoming acute, and the possibility of starvation very real. The sudden arrival of hundreds of new people, speaking a different language and appearing quite different from the Paora, left the chiefs in a difficult situation. The Paora didn't have much to spare any newcomers, and some of the Paora argued that the newcomers should be forced to leave or fought if they refused. Over the years since the Accord of Taimana, however, the Paora had mostly renounced violence, and the chiefs decided to instead welcome the newcomers and see if perhaps there were any skills or resources the newcomers could provide which would help them with the scarcity problem.
When a delegation of Paora, led by one of the chiefs, went down to the shore to greet the newcomers, the Huenyans were themselves unsure how to react. Some of them felt that the Paora were a threat, and should be responded to aggressively. Tlipan, however, felt that the Huenyans were in no position to start a fight. They were exhausted from their journey, had little supplies left, and had not even established decent shelter. Faced with this reality, Tlipan decided to greet the Paora in a friendly manner and hope for the best.
The first meeting between Tlipan and the Paora chief, Tana Rakena, was one of slow progress. Both sides had, wisely, not brought weapons openly, which made the initial contact easier. In an attempt to transcend the language barrier, Tlipan began drawing pictures in the sand to try to explain to Tana Rakena who the Huenyans were and why they had come. Tana Rakena quickly grasped the attempt at communication, sending a scout back to his village to bring writing materials. The Paora used tree bark as paper, and an ink made from crushed beetles, with sticks sharpened to make crude pens. With a more suitable method of communication, the Huenyans and the Paora began discussions, as well as attempting to figure out each others' languages.
As time went on, and as the Huenyans' settlement on Ropata grew, the relationship between them and the Paora grew into a friendly one. The Huenyans taught the Paora methods of irrigation and farming which had previously been unknown on Ropata and Arepata. They also showed the Paora their ships, which the Huenyans were able to repair with wood from the two islands, and began developing more efficient fishing methods with the Paora. With these changes helping to eliminate the problem of food scarcity, the Paora began to trust the Huenyans, a trust which was reciprocated.
Formation of a mutual homeland
In return for their help in resolving the food scarcity issue plaguing the Paora, and as a gesture of compassion, the Paora granted the Huenyan refugees part of their largest island, Ropata, as a new home to settle in. Over the ensuing generations, the Paora and Huenyan domains would evolve into separate nations. Te Whare-kai-atua, the Paora nation, was formed in 1485 and based in the largest Paora city, Wairarapa, on the northern coast of Ropata.
In 1487, the Huenyan refugees would formally found their own nation at the city of Huānoch, located at the site of their original landing. They named their own nation Milintica, after the historic site of their last doomed battle against the Xiomeran conquest of their original homeland.
The two newly created nations would continue to enjoy amicable relations. Over time, however, as the Paora and Milintican populations began to merge, most people in both nations saw little need in maintaining borders between the two. In a historic meeting in Wairarapa on May 24th, 1809, Milintica's President Xocatzin and the Paora leader Ngati Rikihana signed the Agreement of Wairapa, which began the formation of a joint state.
After three years of further negotiations and gradual federalization, the Constitution of Milintica was officially signed by the Paora and Milintican leaders on September 1, 1812. The Constitution of Milintica called for a government which would share power equally between the two peoples, and represent them equally to the world, while allowing for substantial local autonomy for both the Paora and Milinticans. The Constitution mandated a unicameral elected legislature, the Representative Assembly, as the means for both the Paora and Milinticans to make their voices heard in the governance of their shared homeland. It also mandated that executive power would be shared between a President and a Prime Minister, and that one Huenyan and one Paora would always serve in each executive role as a further means of insuring equal representation between the two groups.
Government and politics
The DPRM is composed of two "federal entities" or federated states, Milintica and Te Whare-kai-atua. These federated states are the descendants of the original independent nations of the Paora and the Huenyan immigrants, which were merged under the Constitution of 1812. Both states retain substantial autonomy over domestic affairs, while agreeing to coordinate on matters of mutual domestic import as well as international affairs and matters related to trade.
Unlike countries where there is a clearly defined head of state as opposed to head of government, the Milintican system grants both the President and the Prime Minister substantial powers. The President of Milintica is the closest to a traditional head of state role in the DPRM, as they are considered the nation's public persona and the person who represents the DPRM to the world. However, the President of Milintica also has jurisdiction over most international affairs of the country, including international trade. The Prime Minister of Milintica, by contrast, is closest to a traditional head of government in the DPRM system, as they handle the day-to-day affairs of running the country and have most domestic affairs of the country under their purview. The Milintican executive branch has been described as a "hybrid system" by some foreign observers, and as a "confusing and confused mess" by others. Under the Constitution, the two main ethnic groups of the DPRM (the Paora and Huenyans) must share roles in the executive branch, although there is no specific rule on which must be President and which must be Prime Minister.
The Representative Assembly of Milintica is a unicameral body that serves as the national legislature. It is composed of 130 representatives, elected from each of the 130 districts on the island.
Elections for both the executive branch and the Assembly are held every four years on September 1st, in concurrent elections. All Milintican citizens age 18 or older are eligible to vote in all Milintican elections, including expatriate Milinticans in other countries. For the Presidential elections, each party names a Huenyan and a Paora to run as their joint ticket for the roles of President and Prime Minister. Most Milinticans take great pride in this shared executive branch as a sign of their national commitment to equality.
There are three major political parties in the DPRM:
MPP (Milintica Peoples' Party): The MPP is a democratic socialist party. It is the largest political party in Milintica, and has traditionally been the historic leader among Milintican parties.
PPM (Progressive Party of Milintica): The PPM is a center-left political party that often allies with the MPP.
GPM (Green Party of Milintica): The GPM, like other Green Party movements, advocates for environmentalism, nonviolence, social justice and grassroots democracy. It sometimes partners with the MPP, but also sometimes opposes it.
In addition to the three major parties, there are dozens of minor parties in the DPRM, most of which only hold a few local offices. The three minor parties that hold seats in the Representative Assembly are as follows:
PAP (Paora Alliance Party): The PAP is a party that advocates for the Paora, the original native inhabitants of what is now Milintica, before the arrival of Huenyan refugees from the Xiomeran Empire. The PAP is often seen as being in opposition to the MPP, and distrustful of its motives.
MFR (Movement for Return): The MFR is a political party that advocates for Huenyan-descended residents of Milintica to return to their former homeland, by force if necessary, to overthrow the Xiomeran Empire and "liberate" its inhabitants. It occasionally allies with more radical elements of the PAP, who also advocate for the Huenyans to "go home".
MIP (Milintica Isolationist Party): The MIP is an extreme right-wing movement that advocates for total isolation from the outside world, coupled with military expansion.
The PAP, MFR and MIP are seen as highly radical and even dangerous by most Milinticans, and only hold a small following as their values are widely seen as against the spirit of equality and cooperation that the Milintican Constitution and nation embody. However, because of their commitment to an open political system, the Milintican government has refused to make any moves to exclude them from the political process.
The current makeup of the Representative Assembly is as follows:
- MPP (Milintica Peoples' Party): 78 seats
- PPM (Progressive Party of Milintica): 25 seats
- GPM (Green Party of Milintica): 10 seats
- PAP (Paora Alliance Party): 7 seats
- MFR (Movement for Return): 6 seats
- MIP (Milintica Isolationist Party): 4 seats
Military
The Armed Forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Milintica are the forces responsible for the defense of Milintica from foreign aggression, as well as helping to maintain civil order during the frequent times of unrest that occur domestically.
The Democratic People's Army of Milintica is the land forces component of the military. The Army has an authorized strength of 22,000 soldiers, and can "surge" in the event of national emergency to 31,500 soldiers by calling up reserves. The army is organized into ten territorial divisions, titled Army Divisions (AD), plus a mechanized division, each of which occupy a region corresponding to the administrative departments of Milintica. The ten divisions control the following units:
- eight cavalry regiments, included two mechanized regiments
- 23 infantry regiments
- one reconnaisance mechanized regiment and one armored regiment
- two ranger regiments and one special forces regiment
- six artillery regiments, plus three in reserve
- one artillery and anti-air regiment
- three military police battalions
- two army aviation companies
- six engineer battalions
- logistical and instructional support commands
The Milintican army has 54 light tanks, plus 8 tank repair and recovery vehicles. The Army also has 74 reconnaissance vehicles, 120 armored personnel carriers, 70 howitzers and 690 transport vehicles of various capabilities. Milintica is unique in that in some rural areas of the country, mounted cavalry units on horses are still utilized as well. The Army also has 14 aircraft of various capabilities for transport by air.
The Democratic People's Air Force of Milintica is the air forces component of the military. The Air Force is organized into air brigades, which are formed by one to three air groups. There are a total of six air brigades. There is also an air-defense group.
The Air Force has at its disposal 13 transport planes of various capabilities, 26 helicopters of various capabilities, and 22 fighter jets of various types. The Air Force also has 10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) derived from unauthorized copies of a Xiomeran UAV that was "liberated" from that country.
The Democratic People's Navy of Milintica is the naval component of the military. Its mission is to act as first line of defense for the island nation, as well as to protect Milintican economic interests in its waters and to provide interdiction and naval rescue.
The current ship roster of the Navy includes 2 frigates, 3 corvettes, 4 fast patrol craft, 18 missile boats, 1 submarine, and 1 landing ship.
Milintica, being a poor nation with many competing interests, often wavers wildly in the amount of support (and funding) it provides its armed forces. As such, the armed forces of the DPRM have had to be very creative, and resourceful, in supplying themselves. Most of Milintica's equipment is either refurbished equipment surplused from wealthier nations, or indigenously derived equipment using designs "borrowed" from other nations. The Milintican military is therefore equipped with a wide and confusing array of new-ish equipment and technology built to something resembling a standard by local factories, and the older cast-offs from other lands.