Mala'eretz
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| Motto: Eretz Nehederet (ארץ נהדרת)- 'A Wonderful Country' | |||||
| Official languages | Yiddish, Mala'anshi Hebrew | ||||
| Anthem | {{{Anthem}}} | ||||
| Capital | Bet Mala | ||||
| Largest city | Qorali, Dayanovgrad | ||||
| Shofet of Mala'eretz: | Moshe Goltz | ||||
| Premier | {{{Premier}}} ({{{PremierParty}}}) | ||||
The Mala'eretz Territory is an overseas territory of the Republic of Ashkenatza located on the continent of Keltia. A culturally rich region, its inhabitants are known as Mala'anashim (also known as the Mala'anje) and trace their ethnic lineage back to the of the Virtual Commonwealth of Cyberia.
Geography
The Mala'eretz is a peninsular territory in Southern Keltia on Micras, located on an important river route from Lake Cherusken to the North-West of the Territory. It also includes an island to the South on which lies the city of Dayanovgrad. The capital, in the North-West, is Bet Mala, and another important city in the North-East is Qorali. The southermost tip of the peninsula is dominated by the strategically important fortress of Mivtzar Amir (named after the first Shofet of the Mala'eretz).
Politics
The Mala'eretz is defined by its Treaty of Annexation into Ashkenatza as an 'autonomous appendage', yet the extent of that autonomy is not particularly wide-ranging. Executive authority, including defence, economy, judiciary, welfare, and diplomacy are all maintained by the Ashkenatzi government in Kolmenitzkiy whilst cultural and social affairs of the Mala'anashim remain under the jurisdiction of the regional government. As such the Mala'eretz is not strictly an autonomous territory, though its relative geographical isolation to other Ashkenatzi territories gives its regional government far more autonomy in practice than would be expected. The Councillor, or Shofet (שופט), of the Mala'eretz thus has a form of executive power within the Mala'eretz, but as the region is defined as a 'Territory' under the Territorial Classification Bill of the 14th of September 2010, this executive power can be revoked relatively easily. The Shofet, who resides in Bet Mala, is in essence the sucessor to the position of Titular King of the Mala'anje and is in effect a symbolic political leader of the Mala'anashi people.
The strongest binding condition as per the terms of the Treaty of Annexation is that 'Ashkenatza will, following annexation, agree to retain the geographical and political integrity of the Mala’eretz state indefinitely'. There are, with this in mind, no plans in future to change the level of autonomy of the Mala'eretz, nor are there likely to be in the forseeable future.
Culture
The Mala'anshim (meaning replenished people) and other Ashkenatzi peoples share much in common culturally due to the fact that the Mala'anshim speak their own dialect of Hebrew which in Ashkenatza proper is spoken by some sections of the elite and of course has religious significance to observant Ashkenatzim. The Mala'anje were viewed in a manner akin to the Canadian 'First Nations' and their culture has tended to be seen as 'aboriginal' as a result, though with obvious Semitic influences. Ashkenatzi cultural development of the Mala'eretz has tended to focus on the Cyberian history of the province which lends it much of its historical legitimacy, as can be seen in the colour scheme of the Territory's arms, which are not dissimilar to the flag of the Virtual Commonwealth of Cyberia. Investment from mainland Ashkenatza and the obvious political ties bring Yiddish and Ashkenazi culture to the Mala'eretz and many of the Mala'anashi elite have proficiency in Yiddish. The presence of numerous Asian-themed micronations on the southernmost island in Mala'eretz has also lead to a curious infusion of Chinamese culture into the Mala'anashim through ancestral connections. Pagodas, temples, and Chinamese architecture can still be found in the old Oriental quaters of the old towns of the Mala'eretz alongside Mala'anashi sites of historic significance.
The Mala'eretz's motto is Eretz Nehederet (ארץ נהדרת)- 'A Wonderful Country'). Although the Territory has little autonomy compared to the Mahoz HaSephardim there are numerous concessions in light of the cultural uniqueness of the Mala'anashi people and the region is often referred to as the Mala'anashi Nation- schools in the province teach Mala'anashi Hebrew and Ashkenatzi government funding to the arts has created a vibrant local arts and theatre culture (especially in the capital of Bet Mala) which adds to the region's unique cultural distinctiveness.
History
How Mala'eretz became a possession of Ashkenatza is a complex story. It begins in May 2010 when Amir Rabin, formerly of Cyberian fame, joined Ashkenatza and less than a month later had declared himself acting President of the Virtual Commonwealth of Cyberia, not without some opposition from other former Cyberian citizens, and when it became clear that Cyberia would not once more experience a surge of new activity declared the former Cyberian province of Mala independent as the Nation of Mala'eretz, declaring that Cyberia had descended into chaos and anarchy. By June 11th that same year Rabin had signed a Treaty dissolving the nation and formally annexing it to Ashkenatza[1]. Yet again facing opposition from former Cyberians, titular King of the Mala'anje and last President of Cyberia Jacobus B.S. Kahunamea gave the annexation his blessing which paved the way to the final MCS claim. Rabin would later implement traditional Mala'anashi feudal politics into the regional government and declare himself Shofet, or Councillor, of the Mala'anashi people. By June 13th the Mala'eretz officially became Ashkenatzi on the MCS map[2] and later expanded to cover the entirety of the historic Mala'eretz region on September 12th 2010.[3]
With the passing of Ashkenatza's Territorial Classification Bill through the Knesset later in 2010 it became clear that the Mala'eretz would not enjoy the same autonomy as the Mahoz HaSephardim- a Sephardic Ashkenatzi territory on Eura- as it was feared that the risk of Mala'anashi seccession given brief historic Mala'anashi independence could be an issue. Mala'eretz is also of immense tactical importance to Ashkenatza and is located along several important maritime trade routes, hence the success stories of former nations in the Southern Keltian region such as Chi Nam and overseas territories of New Britannia. Rabin's inactivity in 2010 as an Ashkenatzi citizen heralded a need for a new change in Mala'anashi politics (the Territory had been wholly neglected by the central government in Kolmenitzkiy for several months by this time) and in January 2011 Moshe Goltz of Ashkenatza became the Second Shofet of the Mala'eretz Territory, stressing the need to engage with the Mala'eretz's rich history and culture.
