China needs to learn from India's democracy: Dalai

Jaishree Balasubramanian
Kuala Lumpur, Mar 16 (PTI) Tibetan spiritual leader
the Dalai Lama has said that China needs to learn from India
about democracy which brings in harmony among people of
different languages and ethnic backgrounds.
"In India, because of the rule of law, there is
harmony in society, which has different languages and scripts.
Democracy in this country is very deeply rooted not
because of the country's poor conditions, but because of
transparency," the Dalai Lama told Thailand's leading English
daily 'Nation' in an interview.
Noting that military occupation would not solve
problems, the spiritual leader said "in China, there are state
secrets.
People in China should learn from India's experience.
He stressed that the world trend was the rule of law,
transparency, fairness, honesty and respect for human values.
Dalai, who is based in Dharamsala, said China was
going counter to the trends and needed to learn from India
about democracy among people of different languages and ethnic
backgrounds.
"I laughed when I heard the Chinese government had
called me a splittist. I take pity with the Chinese
hard-liners.
They are harmful to their future," he told the paper
in Dharamshala.
He said he was confident that he would live up to the
age of 113, visit Beijing, witness a free Tibet and pass on
his political power to an elected leader.
The Dalai Lama said he planned to retire later this
year and devolve political power to an elected leader.
He said though he expected his plans of retirement and
power devolution to be supported by his ministers at an
upcoming parliamentary meet, he would try to convince them of
his views if they disagreed with him.
"Some formalities must change," the Dalai Lama said.
He noted that he had told Tibetans that education was
important and that they should adopt peaceful means to achieve
Tibet's autonomy.
"My position is clear: autonomy. The international
community supports us because we use peaceful means to call
for our country's autonomy," the paper quoted him as saying.
He said he hoped to see a free Tibet while he was
alive.
Some 20 or 30 years from now, he said he would
concentrate on his spiritual, not political, role, confident
that he' was fit enough to live through his 113 years.
"Forty years ago there, I was predicted to live to
113.
One Tibetan writing dating back 100 years describes a
person in today's world who will live through 113 years. That
person is thought to be me because I share his qualities. In
my dreams, I am 113 years old. I'm quite sure of my age. You
can extend your life.
I'll live long enough to see a free Tibet in my
lifetime. If I'm still alive then, I'll choose the next Dalai
Lama on my own. All my political power will be with an elected
leader.
I'll concentrate on my spiritual duty. We can meet for
an interview in Beijing then. Then, you need to prepare some
oxygen and go to Tibet," he told the interviewer.