Green Party (Mikyo): view article

The Green Party of Mikyo (GPM), locally referred to as 綠黨美京, (룍당 메이걩, lyokdang meigyaeng) is a member of the Progressive Coalition and a minor political party in Mikyo. The party promotes green politics, mainly environmentalism, non-violence, social justice, feminism, as well as other leftist positions like social democracy, anti-imperialism, anti-Americanism, and wealth redistribution from an Islamic lens.

The Green Party was formed after a split from the Eco-Party, due to several party officials becoming displeased with many other party officials announcing support for State Atheism. The party was officially established on March 17th, 2003 with Mohammad Hassan-Gim (하산金모함머두, 하산-김 모함머두, hasan-gim mohameodu) as its leader, who is still serving as the party leader today. Currently, there are 11 National Council seats and 1 Senate seats held by Green Party Members.

History

The political movements advocating environmentalism dates back to the early 2000s in Mikyo. On May 8th, 2001, the Eco-Party was established with the promotion of Green Politics as its explicit primary goal. Originally, the Eco-Party was a big tent party for all green politics and environmental causes, however, the increasingly anti-religion and pro-State Atheism positions of several party officials caused religious members to feel alienated, and on March 17th, 2003, Christian and Muslim members split off to form the Green Earth Party and the Green Party respectively.

Initially, the party did not experience much popularity due to its overtly Islamic stances and anti-American positions, however, the MENA Mikyoan and Muslim Mikyoan populations have grown over time, and as Mikyoan skepticism of the United States has increased (particularly in Muslim Mikyoan and MENA Mikyoan communities), the party has seen an increase in popularity. In 2018, the party won its first Senate seat by winning 21.1% of the Allagusugu County Senate votes, and the party's representation in the National Council has steadily increased over the past decade, currently with 11 seats as of 2019, compared to 8 before the 2018 National Council Election and 4 before the 2013 National Council Election.

Ideology

The Green Party advocates green politics (based on the four pillars of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy, and non-violence) from an Islamic perspective.

The party lists its core values as:
- Eco-Jihad (Islamic Environmentalism)¹
- Social Justice
- Grassroots Democracy
- Non-Violence
- Islamic Feminism
- Anti-Imperialism
- Social Democracy
- Animal Welfare
- Religious Freedom
- Sustainability

While the party claims to advocate social democracy, it has also attracted democratic socialists, Islamic socialists, and Islamic Marxists, as it is the only existing party with representation in the legislature which advocates some form of social and economic justice through an Islamic lens.

Political Positions

Economic

The Green Party, as a member of the Progress Coalition, is generally to the left on economic issues, and advocates for social democracy. The party's economic policy includes plans to:
- Expand social security and safety net programs
- Expand the Single Payer Healthcare Act to include abortions for fetuses under 4 months and/or in situations where the child is conceived nonconsensually, where the child would be born with a deformity, and/or where the birth would pose a threat to the life of the mother or child.
- Expand the Single Payer Healthcare Act to include contraception
- Expand the Single Payer Healthcare Act to include mental health treatment
- Expand the Single Payer Healthcare Act to include alcohol and drug rehabilitation
- Increase the federal minimum wage to 250 MKY (21 USD) an hour
- Increase tax benefits for homes and companies which expand their use of renewable energy
- Provide universal childcare and expand tuition-free university benefits to international students and non-citizens
- Uphold labor protections and the right to unionize
- Raise the National Poverty standard
- Establish a Universal Basic Income of 10,000 MKY (840 USD) per month
- Build affordable housing in low-income areas and provide Government Subsidized Housing for residents in extreme poverty
- Expand safety, health, and environmental regulations for industry and increase funding for the National Department of Environmental Protection and the National Department of Health and Safety
- Reduce taxation on low and middle-income residents and increase taxes on high-income residents
- Increase funding for research into Green Energy and for the National Department of Environmental Justice

Social

The Green Party advocates social justices from an Islamic perspective, however, the party has sometimes been accused of ignoring or misinterpreting the Quran and Hadiths to fit a perspective incompatible with Islam by both Muslim and Non-Muslim critics. Party members generally attempt to explain their socially liberal views through a more deconstructive interpretation of the Quran and Hadiths.

The party platform advocates plans to:
- Uphold voting rights and change Senate Elections to be held at a national level (as opposed to a county-level) and be proportional, similar to National Council Elections
↳ Some members may also be in support of abolishing the Senate entirely
- Provide asylum for refugees and a path to citizenship
- Oppose torture in prison and move to a rehabilitative prison system
- Uphold suffrage for prisoners and long-term non-citizens
- Support expanding legal protections to citizenship status and gender identity
- Implement compulsory voting for registered voters aged 21 or older and maintain the minimum voting age at 17
- Uphold civil rights and legal protections for marginalized groups (defined in the party platform as members of groups oppressed on the basis of their race, ethnicity, language, religion, class, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, age, and ability)
- Uphold Equity Enforcement
- Uphold and defend religious, ethnic, and cultural diversity in Mikyo

Foreign Policy

The Green Party, in line with Green Politics, advocates for non-violence in its foreign policy, and opposes American Imperialism (as well as Western Imperialism in general) and American interventionism, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

The Green Party is sometimes accused of being anti-American, however, members of the party claim that they are instead opposed to Imperialism and Interventionism, and claim that they have no problem with the United States existing as a nation, and are instead specifically in favor of ending illegal and unethical involvement of the United States in regime change and the politics of other nations.

The Party's platform includes plans to:
- Suspend Mikyoan support for the United States military in Iraq and declare the United States invasion as illegal
- Close the United States military bases in Mikyo
- Recognize Palestine instead of Israel and advocate a one-state solution

Environmental

The Green Party is one of the major advocates for green politics in Mikyo, and thus is in support of various environmentalist policies. The party's platform includes plans to:
- Move Mikyo to a fully sustainable energy model by 2030 (as opposed to 2050 under the current plan outlined in the Green Energy Act)
- Promoting environmental justice in low-income communities
- Increase funding for the National Department of Environmental Protection and the National Department of Health and Safety
- Increase funding for research into Green Energy and for the National Department of Environmental Justice
- Reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030
- Expand environmental protections and increase funding for projects working to clean up waste and pollution in Mikyoan bodies of water, earth, and in air
- Increase funding to national parks and preservation efforts of indigenous species
- Take input from Indigenous Yaeyama Mikyoans² in efforts to clean up the Mikyoan environment, preserve indigenous species, and make space for Indigenous Yaeyama Mikyoans to decolonize Mikyoan society

Structure and Organization

The Green Party is organized into caucuses, which are further divided into 10 county-level caucuses which meet regularly to discuss local issues. Each county has 5 main caucuses, which all meet monthly to collaborate. The 5 main caucuses are the:
- Green General Caucus
- Green Youth Caucus
- Green Student Caucus
- Green Womens Caucus
- Green Queer Caucus
Other caucuses which exist in some counties are the Green Non-Citizen Caucuses and the Green Disabled Caucuses. Green Party members living abroad form the Green Overseas Caucus.

Every 6 months, all caucuses gather for the Green Assembly to vote on party issues which affect all counties. Every member present is allowed to cast one vote per issue. Similarly, in the March preceding a Presidential Election, Green Party Caucuses will meet to nominate a candidate for the National Presidential Election, in an event called the Green Nomination Assembly. Members of the caucuses assign their votes in a single transferable vote system which replaced the first-past-the-post system in 2011.

Voter Base

The Green Party's voter base consists primarily of women, as around 59% of all Green Party votes came from women in 2018. Similarly, members of the Green Party are almost entirely Muslim, and the majority are MENA Mikyoan, African Mikyoan, and South/Southeast Asian Mikyoan (mainly Indonesian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi Mikyoans). Most party members are college educated (commonly in social sciences or environmental science) and young, as the party reports that around half of its members are between 18 and 30 years old. Members also tend to be members of unions and local activist groups. A significant number of Green Party members are also LGBTQ+, as the Green Party is the only party with national representation in the Legislature to be explicitly Islamic in its views and also in favor of LGBTQ+ rights.

Electoral History

Presidential Elections

Election	Candidate	Total Votes	Outcome
2003	Mohammad Hassan-Gim	6,704 (0.3%)	Lost
2008	Mohammad Hassan-Gim	16,998 (0.74%)	Lost
2013	Halluga Aziz-Tsai	30,055 (1.26%)	Lost
2018	Gimsang Hassan-Nguo	42,876 (1.77%)	Lost

Legislature

National Council

Year	No. of Seats Won	+/-
2003	2/515	▲ 2
2008	4/515	▲ 2
2013	8/515	▲ 4
2018	11/515	▲ 3

Senate

Year	No. of Seats Won	+/-
2003	0/100	—
2008	0/100	—
2013	0/100	—
2018	1/100	▲ 1

--------------------------------------------------
¹ - Eco-Jihad
² - Indigenous Yaeyamas ✎ Edit Article ✖ Delete Article

Comments