Theos-Talk Archives (November 2008 Message tt00493)

PROMINENT BRITISH T.S. MEMBER COMMENTS: 

[ Dr.Edi Bilmora ] 


Dear Friends,
  
The Message from Surendra Narayan is of such importance that I feel it necessary to underscore and emphasize the salient points of his address (included within "..."). 
  

1.  "The General Council today consists of about 36 members and this includes the 4 International Officers, 7 additional members nominated by the President and about 25-26 General Secretaries of National Societies / Sections. 

The International Directory which appears at the end of the October issue of the Theosophist has a list of 53 countries, including a few forming a group. Deducting 25-26 National Societies / Sections represented in the General Council through their General Secretaries, the remaining 26-27 countries do not have General Secretaries and are not thus members of the General Council and will now not have any role in the election of the President, while today their individual members enjoy voting rights in electing a President." 
  

2.  "On top of this, comes a proposed amendment providing that while the  General Secretaries, who form a majority in the General Council, shall consult their Governing Bodies before casting votes for a Presidential candidate, they shall however vote according to their own judgment, and thus are free to override the views of their National Societys' Governing Bodies. 

A General Council which consists of about 36-37 members and does not have any place for about 26-27 countries which are not National Societies / Sections can elect a President by only about 18-19 of its members voting in favour of one particular candidate. 


Such a General Council is totally unfit to be given the power of electing an International President, which power and privilege has for a century now rested in the individual hands of its over 20,000 members worldwide, eligible to vote." 
  

3.  "To say that today, when the world has shrunk into a global village, votes of members of the TS cannot be well informed is, to put it mildly,a strange statement!" 


4.  "The Theosophical Society is not a multinational corporation with its CEO and narrow business interests. It is an international body which seeks to promote universal brotherhood, deeper understanding of life and its purpose and selfless service." 
  


As I have said before, the TIMING of a Rule change can say even more than its contents. The fact that this change has been proposed so very soon after the election speaks volumes. 
  

This Rule change, if implemented would run the serious danger of :   
A. disenfranchising our members and so engendering apathy   

B. leaving the election process wide open to lobbying, individual preferences and prejudices (rather than judgement) and power struggles   

C. creating conditions more akin to a dictatorship (however benign) than a wise democracy 
  
D. severing the web of spiritual connection between the President and members. 
  

I again oppose this rule change and fully support Mr Narayan's suggestion that: 
  
 the proposed amendments should be referred to all the members of the Society worldwide in the same manner as in an election of a President at present. 
 

With warm wishes and regards
 
Edi Bilimoria 



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After the TS President Elections 2008 

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