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44 การประชุมวิชาการ
สถาบันพระปกเกล้า ครั้งที่ 15

10. Avirodha -- non-opposition, non-obstruction, that is to say that he should not
oppose the will of the people, should not obstruct any measures that are
conducive to the welfare of the people. In other words he should rule in
harmony with his people.

This list of attributes essentially describes the character or personal qualities
appropriate to a person who holds high office. Perhaps we could sum it up by saying
that a leader should be a person of integrity, of moderate habits, statesmanlike in
conduct, and motivated by a desire for public service. While emphasizing desirable
psychological attributes, the list gives few clues as to the specific policies that should
compose a Dhammaraja’s political manifesto. I can discern only two: public welfare,
through the distribution of wealth; and the promotion of peace, through the path of
non-violence. In modern political language I think these priorities would be referred to
as issues of Welfare and Security. The first of these, welfare, has two aspects, like
the two sides of a coin: the first is the avoidance of poverty, and the second is the
creation of wealth, or economic prosperity. Like the Buddha, Ashoka recommended
zeal, thrift and moderate spending, all of which contribute to an economic surplus,
and without such a surplus it is hard to see where the resources for welfare would
come from. Today we would refer to the avoidance of poverty, or concern for those
of insufficient means, as welfare policy, and talk about the creation of wealth in terms
of economic policy. Accordingly I will henceforth speak in terms of the three principal
concerns of the modern Dhammaraja, or the Dhammraja’s manifesto, as Welfare,
Economy and Security, noting that the requirement to be of good character is an
essential prerequisite for the post.

The requirement to be of good character is one that I think President Obama
fulfils. At least, his presidency has not been rocked by scandals or rumours like those
of some of his predecessors such as Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. Some have
accused him of a lack of decisiveness in the field of foreign policy when dealing with
crises like those involving Syria, Egypt and Iran. One may also think he does not
เอกสารประกอบการอภิปรายร่วมระหว่างผู้แทนจากต่างประเทศ
score highly on the requirements of pariccaga, or the sacrifice of personal comfort,
and tapas, or austerity in lifestyle. He normally takes his annual holiday in Martha’s
Vineyard in a $21 million mansion, and his transport – Airforce One, the modern
equivalent of the Dhammaraja’s chariot – costs $180,000 per hour to maintain. On the
other hand he seems to score highly on sila, or moral character, and maddava, or
kindness, at least so far as can be judged from his interactions with the public.
During the last election campaign he said that an ‘empathy deficit’ was just as
important as the financial deficit facing the country.

Welfare

Perhaps President Obama’s strongest claim to the title of Dhammaraja lies in his
policy on welfare. Under Obama, the US government spends around $600 billion per
year on welfare. While his Republican opponents have sought to rein in welfare