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1960

Talias Declaration of Independence

The country of Talia has existed for centuries, but it seems that
the British have undermined our proud spirit since they colonized our
lands in 1858. Though our physical appearance on the map may seem
insignificant due to our size of 20km2, our national pride and
determination cannot be viewed with the same minuscule glance.
With Talias location wedged between India, Pakistan, and China, we
are easily forgotten, ignored, or worse, associated in combination with
the aforementioned countries. We may be a small country, but we are
a great one too, and we deserve respect and accreditation where it is
due. Therefore we demand freedom and independence from Great
Britain in anticipation of flourishing into an independently capable
country of our own.

Our relationship with Great Britain has been one with more gives
than takes. We have provided them with our precious natural resource,
oil, and the oil drills that were excavated out of our beautiful landscape
have caused tremendous damage to our country. We have suffered
environmental degradation, loss of farmland, and relocation of homes
for many of our people. These are not the only consequences we have
faced. The natural richness that lies beneath our ground is being
exploited by foreign capital, which, in turn, only enriches the foreign
investors.1 Only our colonizers have benefited from this. Talia has been
left behind, sucked dry of our resources and national pride. Oil is not
the only element of our country that has been taken advantage of. Our
people have provided the British with unselfish, hard workers. Yet, we
are repaid with poor wages and neglected treatment. We cannot let

1 Nkrumah, Kwame. I Speak Freedom.

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tyrants hold control over the care and safety of our people, especially
when they have little to no concern about it.

And who exactly is our people? Talia has always accepted all persons
into our country. Indigenous Talians have forever lived in the heart of
the intersection of Pakistan, India, China, and Russia. Though the
majority of our population is Talian, we have many people of Indian,
Pakistani, and Chinese descent or direct refugees from those countries.
The country of Talia will always welcome with open arms any who
wishes to start a life in our beautiful nation. Unfortunately, this has
posed problems. Since the tensions have mounted in the Kashmir
region, the number of refugees that have taken shelter in Talia have
increased.2 This mixing of Hindus and Muslims, Indians and Pakistanis,
have started to create uneasiness within Talia, for we are a secular
nation with majority of our citizens identifying as non-religious. We
have demanded for immigration reform laws; however, our British
tyrants continue to refuse our cries for change. To them, more people
in Talia mean more workers for their manufactures. What they neglect
to notice is that this sudden increase in population cannot be
physically supported due to the small area of our country. On top of
that, as previously mentioned, original Talians have had to deal with
relocation from oil drill constructions. Land for farming and housing
have been stolen from us, the population continues to increase, and we
are faced with poverty and famine. We have failed to take control of
our own fate; we must change the current course of Talia.

Our colonizers may believe that they have done only good in our
country. This is because they are not the ones experiencing the erosion
of communities and culture and values that existed here previously. 3

2 Powerpoint: Decolonization: India Goes First video

3 Duara, Prasenjit. Introduction from Decolonization: Perspectives
from Now and Then
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This invasion of alien principles has crippled and weakened Talias

national identity and pride. These oppressors have forced us to live
unlike ourselves, forcefully weaving in their ways of life, leaving
disorder and unrest in its wake.4 We must rebuild Talia and pry it out of
Great Britains greedy hands.

And how are we going to do that? The first requirement is unification.

All the people of Talia must be united in this resistance to
imperialism.3A This road to independence cannot be fulfilled without the
support of every individual. This is a revolutionary time for Talia. We
have become notorious in the global community as a weak, passive
country with very little to offer the world. We are known as passive
because we are peaceful; we are known as weak because we do not
resort to violence; we are known to contribute very little because we
are being robbed of what we have. All of this can change when we
have gained the independence we respectfully deserve.

In this quest for independence, we must learn from the mistakes

and triumphs of other fellow colonies around the world. There have
been combined strategies of force and violence versus education and
peace.3A We shall remain true to the nature of Talians peace and
dignity. We have witnessed violence all across the world, and such
hatred and evil do not dwell in the hearts of our people. The closest
example to home is our neighbor, India. Mahatma Gandhi was a
superior leader in Indias battle for independence. He believed in non-
violence just as we do.5 He showed the world that violence was not the
only solution to this problem of imperialism. He used passive, yet
aggressive, beautiful language to spark the flames of an independence
movement. Gandhi stated that, violent non-cooperation only

4 U Nu: Burma Looks Ahead. 19513A Ibid

5 Gandhi, Mahatma. Non-Violence is the First Article of my Faith.

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multiplies evil and that as evil can only be sustained by violence.

However, I realize some Talians would like to remain quiet and
innocent, such as many women and children, to keep their identities
hidden as they only watch from the shadows and support the cause
anonymously. I respect those decisions, but I ask you to do one thing:
never submit. Another element mentioned by the great Gandhi was
that non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation
with good. Submitting to the oppressors would be the equivalent of
admitting to their authority and giving approval.

Another example of a rather peaceful independence movement is that

of Ghanas in the African continent.6 Its civilized and democratic
transformation has given the other colonies hope for smoother
transitions in the near future. Though we are miles apart, Talia is
demanding the same opportunities as Ghana. In order to have a
constitutional decolonization process, Talia has created a new political
party, the National Democratic Party, or NDP. We prioritized the
creation of this party because we believe that it is of utmost
importance to have a sense of national identity for our future before
any other outside influences could distract or distort our focus. There
has been a global tug-of-war like competition between communism and
capitalism, and this race has become more prevalent since the slow
progress of decolonization, and the ultimate destination of
independence, has arisen all over the world. The National Democratic
Party will consist of government officials voted on by the public. It will
be comprised of a President, the executive leader of Talia, a Vice
President, and 15 representatives, one from each district of Talia.
Thought the NDP is technically a party, it is neither communist nor
capitalist, liberal nor conservative. It is simply a government

6A
6 Powerpoint: Decolonization in Africa Ibid
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representation of Talia that shall work honestly without stains of

corruption and in the best interest of the citizens of Talia. The
obsession of controlling a government by putting a label on it is
ludicrous. The purpose of government is to tend to domestic needs and
wants in order to implement domestic policies that reflect those needs
and wants. Therefore, the country of Talia shall discover its own,
unique way of successful governance. Let us not limit ourselves by
choosing an ideological foundation. However, the world is choosing
sides, and there is a sense of division. Therefore, Talia has chosen to
accept the support of the United States of America and their
democratic republican form of governing. We do not want to be
associated with the dictatorial government of communism, such like
the Soviet Union. Communism claims equality and prosperity; yet,
freedom for these citizens is hardly visible. Talia will give its people the
freedom to choose his or her own values and goals, and this will
naturally lead to equality and prosperity in our lands. We believe that
the United States more closely reflects the same understanding and
philosophy as us.

Talia has the potential to become a prosperous country that can

make phenomenal contributions to the world. As an independent
country, we could accomplish financial autonomy, which would allow
us to make our own decisions regarding exports, imports, and, above
all, natural resource management. Poverty and famine do not have to
be the norm of every day life in Talia. We have always been
outnumbered, we have always been the minority, and we have always
been taken advantage of, but that stops now. We must take back what
is ours. National pride is one thing Talians have never lacked or
forgotten. Let us unite and be firm; let us take a stand!
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