I am a simple Buddhist teacher, and from my perspective, three things are necessary to enable humans to gain the maximum benefit from a democratic system of government. First, the smallest, most local democratic unit—a village, for example—must be granted the right and the duty to control the activities of the democratic unit above it, such as a county or state. This control system reverses most existing democratic systems, in which the control is exercised from top to bottom, with the central government being the pre-eminent seat of power. I propose a control system from bottom to top—a system where local democratic units located in villages and towns take on greater responsibility and power, and representatives from these local units combine to make up the higher levels of government as well.
A second basic necessity is that the public must become politically literate before they can fully participate in self-rule. Only when citizens gain a clear knowledge of how a democracy works will they be empowered with enough competence and understanding to meaningfully participate in a democratic society.
Third, all forms of political propaganda should be banned from public life. In my view, today’s brand of politicians has no place in a good democratic system.
