Students in India Give "Thumbs Up" to Democratic World Government

Last fall, City Montessori School (CMS) in Lucknow, India, held a student-based referendum on the establishment of a democratic world government (DWG). Some 7,000 ballots were collected (from students 16+ years old, and from family members of students), and 90% of these were "yes" votes. Now, in an effort to grow this initiative into a truly global referendum, the Founder-Manager of CMS, Mr. Jagdish Gandhi, is emailing 1,000 school principals in India and the principals of another 1,000 schools around the world, asking their schools to participate.

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) April 21, 2008 -- Last fall, City Montessori School (CMS) in Lucknow, India, held a student-based referendum on the establishment of a democratic world government (DWG). Some 7,000 ballots were collected (from students 16+ years old, and from family members of students), and 90% of these were "yes" votes. Now, in an effort to grow this initiative into a truly global referendum, the Founder-Manager of CMS, Mr. Jagdish Gandhi, is emailing 1,000 school principals in India and the principals of another 1,000 schools around the world, asking their schools to participate.

Founded by the well-known Gandhian social worker, Jagdish Gandhi, CMS is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest school, with 32,000 students. It is also the only school ever to receive the prestigious UNESCO Prize for Peace Education (2002). CMS organizes peace education activities and hosts many international events, including annual international conferences of Chief Justices of the world that have been attended by heads of national judiciaries or judges representing their Chief Justices from more than forty countries, as well as by peace advocates from another 35-40 countries.

"Nothing tends to focus the mind more or better than being asked to vote on an issue," said Anirudh Singh, the head of the World Unity and Peace Education Department at CMS, "and we don't think anything is more urgent than the achievement of democratic world government."

In his email to other principals, Mr. Gandhi notes that "... the mandate emerging from a successful world referendum ('successful' meaning that 50% of all adults vote and at least 67% of those vote 'yes' to democratic world government) would be legally binding on all national governments under international law." He also expresses the view that "... young people today understand the tragic mistakes that were made after WWI and WWII in terms of creating the old League of Nations and the United Nations, neither of which brought us the hoped-for state of peace and security that was intended."

The CMS student referendum was done in cooperation with Vote World Government, a new Canadian NGO. At their website (www.VoteWorldGovernment.org) there is further information on the planned global referendum, and an "active" ballot. Internet votes are being collected in order to determine if there is a mandate from the human race sufficient to compel the creation of a directly-elected world parliament empowered to protect the environment from threats such as climate change, ban war, and resolve all international conflicts through world law. The ballot reads: "Do you support the creation of a directly-elected, representative and democratic world government?"

"We're very proud of this accomplishment," said Jim Stark, the president of Vote World Government, "and we hope this campaign will grow to the point where schools the world over are following the example of City Montessori School." Stark has written a book that will be published this September, entitled Rescue Plan for Planet Earth (advance copies are available at www.VoteWorldGovernment.org/books.shtml).

About the author of the press release: Ted Stalets, a futurist living in Nashville, TN, USA is Vice President of Vote World Government. To download the new student guide, go to:
www.VoteWorldGovernment.org/studentreferendumprogramhowto.pdf. Information on Stark's upcoming book Rescue Plan For Planet Earth: Democratic World Government through a Global Referendum can be found at www.RescuePlanForPlanetEarth.com. It will be released in the fall of 2008. For further info, write ted.stalets @ gmail.com or jimstark @ webruler.com. For further info on City Montessori School or Jagdish Gandhi, see www.cmseducation.org/about/jgres.html.

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