The Will of the Majority of the People Shall Decide[1]
(March 23, 1954)

In order to accommodate the ethnic minorities, especially the situation in Tibet, a third clause has been written into Article 61 of the draft[2], which is: "The specific form of the organs of self-government in all national autonomous areas shall be prescribed in accordance with the will of the majority of the people of the nationality or nationalities exercising regional autonomy." At present in Tibet, it is the Dalai[3] who is in charge of affairs. If we were to act according to the second clause of Article 61, we would have to convene a People's Congress and elect a People's Government. If we do this, I am afraid the Dalai will not go along. He could bring out the Seventeen-Point Agreement[4] we concluded with him and question us. What is to be done? We can act according to the third clause. If a People's Government is not feasible, other specific forms can be adopted. The Dalai is a living Buddha, a living god; he was not elected by the people. To want to change this immediately is not feasible. As for what form to adopt in the end, it shall be decided by the will of the majority of the people there. Their faith in the Dalai and the Tusi[5] is much stronger than their faith in us. You cannot touch him. Alright! Let us act in accordance with the will of the majority of the people! If not this way, what other way is there? I have said to the Tibetan delegation, we will not compel you; whether you carry out land reform, whether you hold elections, is for you to decide. Is it permissible not to implement the Seventeen-Point Agreement? It is not permissible; it must be implemented. But if there is any article therein that you are unwilling to implement at present, you may temporarily not implement it; you can delay. Because the agreement does not say on which year, which month, which day it must be implemented. It has already been delayed for three years; if you want to delay, you can delay for another three years. After three years have passed, you can still delay for another three years; delaying it for nine years is also possible. One cannot do things that others oppose; one must wait for the people's awakening. We believe the people will surely awaken. We have published an editorial saying: Han cadres cannot do things that the Tibetan people are unwilling to do; they must act in accordance with the will of the majority of the people. In the third clause of Article 61, could the will of the leading figures of the ethnic minorities be added alongside the will of the people? It is also fine not to add it; in any case, they absolutely support their leaders, whom they consider sacred and inviolable. If it were added to the constitution, it would not look so high-sounding, so it was not added.