El Nasionalima
El Natsionalisma is a Slokasian political movement which formed in 1970 and was adopted by the administrations of several presidents. Meaning “The National Way” in the Slokasian language, the term is also used to describe the period of Slokasian history from 1973 to 1983. Defined by rapid economic growth, nationalism and the cultivation of a national identity the primary figure was President Howard Xiang. Although generally democratic in nature, some aspects of El Nasionalisma are criticized for worsening income inequality and being authoritarian in implementation.
Development
Prior to the Costa presidency [a], Slokasian nationalism was a fringe ideology. Instead of identifying with the country, many identified with their province or ethnic group. Primarily an effect of the country's diversity and many foreign empires, many people saw themselves as their ethnic group first and Slokasian second. This largely changed with Juan Costa’s National Reforms which largely enforced standard policy and practices nationwide. Although these practices which also included social practices and language were dominated by the San Fernando Island, Costenoian elite. During the Slokasian Civil War, factions and armies were formed from these groups often uniting them for the first time. In 1966, in the liberation of New Liverpool, units from 17 provinces served in combat allowing for a united government to take hold. In a speech to gathered soldiers just after the liberation of the city General Semerjang Best declared “Not since this nation’s founding has there been such unity, I see the flags and banners of a dozen provinces and people’s all united for the creation of a common Federation”.
Overview
Founding
The spirit of unity was felt across the various factions of the United Federation government. In the first meeting of the United Federation Parliament, Speaker Howard Xiang stated in his opening remarks “I want to create a new united Slokais, a common tongue, a common name and a common goal”. This statement was actually taken from a pre-war nationalist book[b], yet was still well received by many. Just a few months later, the UFP passed a legislation to establish a sub-committee to build national unity known as The Parliamentary Sub-Comitee on a Common Language (PSC-CL). In 1967, the PSC-CL passed a set of rules around language, a highly debated topic. Known as the Language Act of 1967, it would form the basis of the language aspects of El Nasionalima.
Ascensions to Provincehood
With work beginning on a national language, the UFP turned to the issue of provincial sovereignty. A major issue behind many of the regionalist groups in the Slokasian Civil War was a sense for the creation of a province of their own. Boundaries often created multi-ethnic states with several such as Ambonar having ethnic violence. Some politicians argued creating provinces around ethnic or religious lines would discourage national unity. The first test for this debate was the ascension of Bimhjar Province. Bimhjar which consisted of the northern half of Dolphin Isle was home to the unique Bimha ethnic group. The Bimha were a mostly Muslim ethnic group prior to the 1700s before being conquered by the Ambonar State. Bimhajar suffered heavily at the hands of the Ambonar prior to the Sanctarian control and long-standing tensions existed. As of 1950, 78% of Bimhjar was ethnically Bimha with 66% being Muslim. During the Great War, Bimhjar formed its own independent republic from 1963 to 1966 before joining the UFP.