Poreg View: Harvard-trained legal scholar, Lobsang Sangay (43), taking over on Monday, Aug 8 as the Kalon Tripa (Prime Minister) of the Tibetan government-in-exile, signals the new phase in the Tibetan movement hitherto identified exclusively with the Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) who had fled to India as a child- god in 1959. The swearing in ceremony took place at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharmasala, the seat of the Dalai Lama.
Unlike the spiritual leader and his companions, Lobsang has no physical contact with Tibet. He represents the new generation which is born and brought up outside Tibet, and has never visited the land of their forefathers. He himself was born in Darjeeling. Nearly 1. 5 lakh Tibetans live-in-exile around the world and over a lakh are in India.
Sangay is not going to have a smooth sail in his new responsibility. The challenges that confront him became clear on the very day of his election in April itself with China rejecting his legitimacy.
But he is unfazed. ‘Tibetan leadership is far from fizzling out. … We are here to stay’, he is quoted as saying after the brief swearing in ceremony. He has vowed to the Dalai Lama’s line of seeking increased autonomy for Tibet within China. ‘We are also willing to negotiate with the Chinese government anytime, anywhere’, he declared promising to fulfill the Dalai Lama’s vision of creating a truly secular democratic society.
The 76-year-old Dalai Lama decided in March (2011) to relinquish his political role and pass on the mantle to a leader chosen by the Tibetan Parliament –in exile. He had his way a month later asking Tibetans both inside and outside of Tibet to accept his decision to push for a full-fledged democratic system of governance for the Tibetan polity.
He has been hinting at his abdication for a long while, to be precise since the sixties. The political role of the Institution of the Dalai Lama dates back to 1642, when the Great 5th Dalai Lama assumed Tibet’s political leadership role. But he considers that the rule by spiritual leaders or the rule by kings is ‘an outdated concept’ in the 21st century.
In that sense, there is no suddenness in his decision and it sets at rest the perennial question ‘After Dalai Lama, who?’
It was not the Dalai Lama’s case that he would be isolating himself completely from the Tibetan cause. He will continue his support for ‘middle path’ which involves a non-violent engagement with Beijing for seeking meaningful autonomy because he sees it even now as the most pragmatic approach to resolve the Tibet issue. More so, as he himself told the faithful recently, his intention to devolve political authority is not a wish to shirk responsibility nor is he disheartened; it is only because of a wish to help the Tibetans to better prepare themselves to face long-term challenges.
Pertinent to recall in this context is his observation in a communication this March: ‘I am a Tibetan, and more precisely I am Tibetan born in Amdo region of Tibet. So there is no way I can disassociate myself from the Tibetan cause. In future if an urgent need arises, I will always be ready to serve the cause’.
Expectedly, the Dalai Lama’s plans were not received well in China. The Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson described it as an attempt “to deceive the international community.” Apparently, China is worried by the fact that the Tibetan spiritual leader will continue to be a big draw, travelling and giving speeches and thus will be ‘a source of considerable frustration for Beijing’. Notwithstanding the negotiations it had with his representatives, China has vilified him for decades as a separatist troublemaker. And there will be no end to this tirade.
In the days and weeks ahead, China will try to legitimize its Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu (21), who was hand-picked in 1995, and will also come up with its own successor to the 14th Dalai Lama. Success may not come its way. This contention is based on the fact that the ‘official’ Panchen Lama still lacks credibility and has remained the Chinese Panchen Lama. Most Tibetans believe in Gedhun Choekyi Nyima (22) who was anointed as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama. His continued ‘incarceration’ has added to his aura. Chinese authorities have placed him and his family into under protective custody more than 16 years ago.
