Tanah Jaya

The Sultanate of Tanah Jaya (Malay: Kesultanan Tanah Jaya), commonly called Tanah Jaya, is a constitutional monarchy in the Melayu Archipelago. It is an island nation located in the Indian Ocean, being neighbored by North Quadana to the southwest and the Cocos Islands to the east. The city of Setangi is the nation's capital and largest city, with the nation's overall population being 3,768,572 as of the 2020 census.

Tanah Jaya was formerly a state in Malaysia, but declared its independence from that nation on February 20, 2020. Independence was achieved with the consent of the Malaysian government, with the lack of Federal investment and great distance from the rest of Malaysia being cited as the primary reasons for secession. However, there has been significant opposition to the decision and it can be argued that the Federal government's giving of consent for secession was one of the contributing causes to the 2020 Malaysian political crisis.

Geography
Tanah Jaya consists of a single island located in the Indian Ocean approximately 96km west from the Cocos Islands. The island can be separated into two distinct geographical regions: the urban coastal lowlands and the rural inland highlands.

Demographics
73.89% of the population is Malay, 22.60% Chinese, 3.01% Indian and 0.50% White. White Tanah Jayans are primarily of Australian and British origin and live almost exclusively in Setangi. The average lifespan of Tanah Jayans is 80.51 years, although there is a sharp decline in lifespan for those living further inland in the poorer rural areas.

Language
The official national languages are Malay and English; the latter of which, while only spoken by 1.28% of the population as a first language, serves as the nation's primary lingua franca. Various Chinese dialects, primarily Cantonese and Mandarin, as well as the Tamil and Hindi languages are also spoken, by the Chinese and Indian communities respectively. Arabic is also widely understood, due to its importance in Islam, but is rarely spoken in public outside of religious services.

Religion
74.17% of the population adheres to the Sunni branch of Islam, which, due to its status as the majority religion, enjoys a high degree of social importance and political privilege. 18.94% of the population is Buddhist, 2.64% Hindu and 0.35% is Irreligious. 0.77% of the population follows one of, or a combination of the Chinese folk religions.

3.13% of the population are Christians, with one-third being Catholic and the rest Protestant: 34.18% of the Protestants belonging to Methodism, 27.07% being Baptist, 20.35% Anglican, 16.24% Presbyterian and the rest Lutheran.

Government
Tanah Jaya is a Unitary constitutional monarchy modeled after the Wesminster system. The head of state is the hereditary Yang di-Pertuan Besar ("He who is made Great"), currently Haji Tengku Muhammad bin Abdullah. The Yang di-Pertuan Besar's role is largely ceremonial.

Legislative power is held by the 82 seat, unicameral, Dewan Undangan Negeri Tanah Jaya ("State Legislative Assembly of Tanah Jaya"). The name of the legislature has not been changed since independence and it previously served as the state legislative assembly. Members of the Dewan Undangan Negeri are elected every five years in single member constituencies via first-past-the-post.

Executive power is held by the Cabinet, which in turn is led by the Menteri Besar ("First Minister"). The current Menteri Besar is Wen Jiang, of the Democratic Action Party.

Tanah Jaya's legal system is based on the legal system of Malaysia, which in turn is based on the English system. The High Court in Tanah Jaya is the highest court in Tanah Jaya, with the lower courts being the Sessions Courts and the Magistrates Courts. In the various kampongs, Penghulu courts, or those led by the traditional village leaders, may also exist, although their jurisdiction is heavily limited. Tanah Jaya's state Syariah Court still exists, but the current government has called for its abolishment.