Plan for Direct-Indircet Coexisted Democracy
I shall consider a new political system where politics and indirect politics coexist. For, there are some serious vices of the indirect politics. For example, if we are supposing that there are 10 bills coming up in the Congress, but about each bill there is an argument. In such case, is there any solution available? That means, even if there are 100 bills in the Congress, only a few bills supported by the ruling political party are always chosen, as far as we are to choose one candidate in the election. Therefore we cannot choose one bill directly of 100 choices.
That must be absolutely the fundamental vice of indirect politics. That seems to be a deposition of our lives in the sovereign authority. Could anyone be trusted only by one's appearance, words, smiles and handshakes? If so, we would not able to accept any human ethics or values. Moreover, in the indrect politics, minority groups have strong power. They always attempt to offer bribes in order to keep their own power.
Environmental, welfare and financial politics of the government, for instance, take huge influences by them. For that reason, a bill for the regulation of guns was rejected. In the election, we are given only a choice to elect a member of Diet whose interest is connected with that of some special enterprises.
In direct politics, people must make a compromise with such political situation, so we should by all means amend it for the true democracy. In other words, those who have great concern for the politics should be participated in political decisions. Namely, we have only to establish a system where those who have little concern for the politics entrust their rights to politicians, whereas those who have concern for it can select direct politics instead of indirect politics.
As for direct election, Internet can be useful. Then we will not need to choose some complicated bills. Participation in the Internet election can be free.... The decision of the bill is given as following: each person who participates in Internet election is given a vote, so that members of Diet try to gather as many votes as possible, making a great appeal to them for the bills they are supporting. Possibly the rate of the participants in the Internet election will be 20-30 % of all the voters. ------ Those are on the 1st stage of this system.
Indirect politics is becoming more old-fashinoned with widespreading of Internet. There a new political system for our new age is needed because there are some serious vices of the indirect politics. Precisely, our political action is highly restricted as a result of indirect politics, which does not work at all. The half of the people is against the bill for the poor budget. The same can be applied to the politics for the future of the country. Therefore direct election system is necessary abreast of the politics in the Diet.
Today, when worldwide solidarity is necessary, democracy makes possible the restoration of natural environment, world peace and human rights. In democratic system, every question is acceptable. Even the international direct-indirect coexisted system of politics is possible in democracy.
The purpose of this system is relieve our political consciousness from strong sovereign authority. It does not intend to realise a fundamental reform of our social system. Indirect democracy is also necessary to deal with urgent political problems. Governmental administration and dilomacy should be also survived for that reason. In this step, the voting rate of the participants of direct election would not be over 50 % of the whole. In fact, it would be probably within 30% of all the voters, because 70-80% of the people would be those who have no interest in the direct election. Nonetheless, politicians are requested to have concern with all the bills.
The second stage is the following : Those who participate in the direct election can also offer their own policy to the government. Politicians, civil officers, enterprises, NGOs or any other member of the groups can submit their own bills in cyberspace. Here the best 10 bills which had great concern of the people are selected out. During the election in cyberspace, people can participate in the discussion for the decision of the bill. The discussion term lasts 60 days and is over at all.
In the meantime all the contents of these 10 bills are thoroughly considered and discussed in the Diet, too. The general people can also join there. The decision is made at 10 o'clock at night. Members of Diet have votes for the people who entrusted their rights to them, whereas those who join in the direct election have one vote per person. It means that the latters' votes should be separated from the votes of politicians.
Here is a typical objection to this plan as follows: average people are folly and the politics would be poorer and worse if they join there. Nonetheless, we are given enough education and get much information through Internet easily. Everyone has good ability of judgment equally. Success and failure as a result of politics have nothing to do with democracy. The more often people experience the result, the cleverer they would be as much. They would not be discontent with the result, either. We welcome any question about this plan. We hope that this plan will be able to connect with worldwide democratic movements as well.
The International Political Association for Direct-Indirect-Combined Democracy (IPADD)
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