Dayashinese Parliamentary Lobby

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The Dayashinese Parliamentary Lobby (Dayashinese だいやあしなのこあいんせつのかい, daiyashina-no-koainsetsu-no-kai, Shinasthana 泰彌關說會, dadh-mji-kwran-l′juadh-kabh) is an official lobby on behalf of the Dayashinese diaspora in Themiclesia to the Council of Protonotaries and the Themiclesian government in general. Established first in the 1900s, it focuses on Themiclesian policy towards Dayashina and its expats in Themiclesia.

Early activities

Pan-Septentrion War

In a highly-published article in mid-1934, the Lobby called for young men of Dayashinese descent to join the Themiclesian Army, which was experiencing extreme shortages in recruitment, engaging in the final stages of the Prairie War. This reversed the Lobby's long-standing position against the war. The Foreign Office initially viewed this article critically for its potential in souring relations with Dayashina, which at the time was not hostile, but no response was published. Some Dayashinese-Themiclesian men responded to the appeal but not in sufficient numbers for them to form a regiment in their own right. The Army only conscripted those who have completed primary education in Themiclesia or were able to pass an examination about Themiclesian history, institutions, and language; many Dayashinese candidates passed the first two and failed the language section. Additionally, because the Conscription Act, 1936 upheld the militia structure and training scheme, Dayashinese soldiers feared that they would become an unwelcome minority within the ranks, since their community and culture were quite distinct from Themiclesians.

In 1936, the Navy was assigned to coastal defence and began an advertisement campaign to recruit two regiments of marines, to replace the two that were conscripted (Special Conscription Act, 1934) by the Army. Recruitment, due to the conscription law, progressed very slowly, averaging 0.9 recruits per day between Sep. 1936 and Sep. 1937, slower than during peacetime. The Lobby considered the Navy attractive for a few reasons. First, it did not have an entrance examination or maintain a regional militia system. Second, it operated a considerable number of foreign-built ships and commissioned foreign-trained officers, and its crew learned to speak a pidgin of Shinasthana and foreign languages. Third and perhaps most salient, since Themiclesia did not expect naval engagements, enlisting with the Navy was thought to be less risky.[1] Under consultation with the Navy Ministry, the Lobby sent fliers to diaspora households, which respond actively to the Navy's marine recruitment campaign. Fliers called the current conflict "one that is occurring between good and evil and one in which every man and women, of any faith and origin, will be useful and needed." Within a single month, the Navy filled the two new regiments and became quite close to the Lobby in the following years.

In 1939, the Army learned from its prisoners of war that Dayashina's Imperial Special Operations Group had infiltrated the two Dayashinese regiments. For months, the Navy Secretary denied this to Cabinet; however, infiltrators then made an attempt on the Emperor's life in Feb. 1940. The Cabinet, suppressing the story, united against the Navy Secretary and offered him a choice—fix the problem or resign. Under intense pressure, the Admiralty responded that the Navy has always been a self-policing body and will report and deal with suspicious activity according to accustomed norms. Historians note that the Navy has never reported or punished anyone for treason; this is likely because it has never been in a situation where discipline and loyalty amongst its ranks has a direct impact on Themiclesia's survival.[2] Indeed, discipline has lapsed since the abolition of the Naval Tribune in 1837; the Admiralty was hesitant to re-introduce or suggest anything similar for fear of repeating the Incident of 1769, in which an over-zealous and inexperienced Tribune triggered a civil war in the Navy.

In 1940, the Cabinet grew restless over the lack of action on the Navy Secretary's part. He then suggested that the Emperor be moved from the Rjem-hme' Palace (臨海宮) to Gwrjiang-gar Palace (永和宮), outside of his units' jurisdiction. The Privy Councillors (中大夫) were unhappy about this decision, privately accusing the Navy Secretary for being irresponsible for the conduct of his men, but ultimately could not prevent its implementation. For a few months, sabotage stopped, until May 1941, when infiltrators managed to stage another attempt on the Emperor's life and burn down a street in Blim-tsi, only a few days apart. The Navy Secretary summoned the President of the Lobby, while he was in division, and coarsely ordered him to "do something about your constituents".

  1. In 1940, a Themiclesian ultranationalist accused by an article on newspaper the Dayashinese men of cowardice for this consideration; however, it was pointed out in very strong terms by the Navy that, even if no naval engagement was expected, routine activity in the Halu'an Sea was still an inherently risky task, and, as the Special Conscription Act, 1934 demonstrates, the government can by statute conscript marines for service east of Themiclesia if the situation was desperate. There was therefore no question of "an inherently safer form of service" in the Navy, even if intuitively it may be thought so.
  2. The Navy has always resisted the idea of a judicial system within it, since this meant civilian interference with what they believed was "a highly technical and specialized" service; as a result, severe offenders were either used as human sacrifice (prior to the 14th c.) or simply thrown overboard and marked as missing. Inscriptions in excavated sailors' tombs prove that the Navy believed that death on board made the ship haunted and cursed; this was followed to the extent that sick sailors were thrown overboard.