Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has said India was one of the stable democracies in the Asian region.
Dalai Lama
Bengaluru: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has said India was one of the stable democracies in the Asian region and stressed on the need for close ties with other democracies such as Japan and United States. “I often say that in Asia, India is the most populated democratic country, which is very stable. Japan is the most industrialised and democratic Asian nation and America is the leading nation of the free world,” he told PTI on Wednesday, adding that “Russia is difficult to predict.”
China, he remarked, was a totalitarian country, unlike the US, which has a tradition of democracy and equality. “I admire not the American military and nuclear power. I admire the American tradition of liberty, democracy and equality.” China, he said, is a great nation with great people. “We must respect them and they are hardworking, but the system today is totalitarian in nature,” he said.
He explained that the Chinese people were suffering. “Sometimes, I feel the People's Republic is fooling people. So, no longer is it the People's Republic,” he observed. Answering a question on the US raising concerns over a China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, which has been touted as a rival to the World Bank, the Dalai Lama said, “When matters concerning economic competition and world power play comes up for discussions, definitely America, which believes in a free society, is very important, I feel.”
With regard to China asking the European Union to objectively look at Beijing's achievements in human rights, he said, “No. China has not achieved in terms of human rights; they have always been distorting information. We cannot blame the Chinese officials, but the system as a whole.” Concerns about human rights issues in Tibet had been raised during the 34th round of the EU-China Dialogue on Human Rights, he added.
Regarding the terrorist organisation Islamic State, he said, “Religion is not the driving force, but power and economy are the reasons behind conflicts.” This includes the Shia and Sunni Muslim strife. “We need detailed research work to know the causes for terrorism and conflicts between communities like the Shia and Sunni Muslims. Generally, in many cases, I feel power and economy are the reasons behind them. We have been witnessing this for the past 1,000 years,” he explained.
The Dalai Lama dismissed the idea of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and A.B. Vajpayee having made a mistake in trying to solve Tibet’s problems with China. “I really do not feel Pandit Nehru made mistakes,” he said. “The Indian government tried to do something.” He added, “The historical mistakes were of their own making and happened over many centuries,” he said.
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( Source : PTI )
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