Re: [WDDM] Direct Democracy as it is in Libya - Round Table at Jamahiri Thought Academy, Tripoli
Friends and Direct Democracy Fans
This is to inform you that a Round Table on Direct Democracy was organised
by the Revolutionary Committee Movement (RCM) at the Jamahiri Thought
Academy from 3-5 July 2006. The Canadian delegation included Senator Marc
Harb of Canada and Ambassador John MacDonald of USA besides participants
from India and Lebanon.
I was invited by the RCM to attend the Conference as the head of the World
Unity and Peace Education Department of City Montessori School (CMS) at
Lucknow, India. Since last 6-7 years, CMS has been running a campaign for
democratic global governance and we went to see what Libyan DD was all about
whether we could include its features in the new global governance structure
we are trying to push for.
The Round Table was held at the Jamahiri Thought Academy (JTA) located at
the (erstwhile) King's palace in Tripoli. The moderator was Dr Rajab Abu
Dabous, Director of the JTA, author of over 60 books and considered one
foremost intellectuals in Libya today. His knowledge of current affairs,
history, philosophy and political science was absolutely phenomenal while
his memory was most impressive indeed.
The Libyans are keen to tell the world about their DD experiment. They admit
that their system is still evolving and is not perfect at all but they want
people to study and evaluate their system. For this purpose they have asked
us to suggest names of people who are interested in Direct Democracy so that
they can invite them to the next Round Tables. Travel and accomodation
costs for participating in the Round Table will be covered by the organizers
for selected delegates.
I request all of you who are interested in learning more about DD in Libya
to please send me your name (as in passport) along with passport number,
telephone number and full postal address.
From what I could gather, the Libyan DD has the following features: there
are 473 Basic People's Conference (BPC) which meet four times a year and
where people gather to discuss all issues. At these BPC's any citizen can
place draft of a new law or ask for amendment of any existing law or
criticize/support any policy etc. The BPC's elect Secretaries for
departments like Education, Justice etc. All the 473 secretaries for each of
these departments (education/justice etc) get together and elect a
Justice/Education Secretary for the General People's Conference (GPC) which
is somewhat like the national parliament. The Libyan's plan to expand the
473 BPC's to 30,000 People's Communes each numbering between 100-500 members
so as to allow for maximum participation by people.
Raj
Raj Shekhar Chandola
Head, World Unity & Peace Education Department (WUPED)
City Montessori School (CMS*)
12 Station Road, Lucknow 226001
INDIA
Tel: 0091-522-2637655, 2638738, 2638483 (Extn 224); Direct:
0091-522-2636244;
Moble (0091-94150-15041
Fax: 0091-522-2638008 & 2635497
E-mail: rajchandola(at)cmseducation.org
Website: http://www.cmseducation.org/wuped
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*CMS: Striving for World Unity and World Peace since 1959, recognized by the
Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest school (over 30,000
students); recipient of 2002 UNESCO Prize for Peace Education; 2004
Nuclear-Free Future Special Achievement Award and 2005 Changemakers
Innovation Award.