From Dalai Lama to democracy

On March 10, as the Dalai Lama stepped onto the podium to read out his annual speech commemorating the 1959 Tibetan Uprising against Chinese rule in Dharamshala, the atmosphere seemed far from unusual. The 71 year-old head of state and spiritual leader of Tibet spoke about the Uprising, about Tibet's non-violent movement, and the recent political upheaval in the Middle East.u00a0

And then the propagator of non-violence dropped a bomb. He had decided to devolve his powers to the Tibetan parliament-in-exile.

Ever since, the Tibetan parliament-in-exile has been feeling the reverberations. Parliamentarians have discussed little else, since they resumed session on March 14. Twice they have requested the 14th Dalai Lama to reconsider his decision, only to be met with flat rejection.u00a0

Already, there are murmurs of a referendum to decide the matter. But according to the man himself: "I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power. Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect."

If the Dalai Lama does relinquish his powers, it will bring to end a centuries-old tradition. Given the situation, it is perhaps necessary. He is already 75 years old, and Beijing has long been waiting for a time when he is not around.u00a0

The next highest lama in Tibetan Buddhism, the Panchen Lama, is currently a Chinese prisoner. When he was anointed Panchen Lama at the age of five on May 14, 1995, he was detained by authorities of the People's Republic of China and has not been seen publicly since.

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In his place, Beijing propped up its own Panchen Lama. Given the fact that the Panchen Lama has historically helped anoint the next Dalai Lama, there are fears that Beijing might use its own Panchen Lama to anoint a 'Chinese' 15th Dalai Lama.u00a0

As strange as it may seem, the atheistic Chinese government recently passed a law that lays down rules according to which high lamas can reincarnate.u00a0

In such a scenario, there could be two Dalai Lamas -- one of the Tibetan community and another chosen by the Chinese government. Nothing could be as injurious to the Free Tibet cause.u00a0

The next highest lama is the Karmapa Lama, who also has two claimants. The one recognised by most Tibetans and also the Dalai Lama, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, was recently mired in a scandal although he was given a clean chit by the CBI. But the Karmapa Lama has always maintained a non-political role.

The seeds of the March 10 speech were, however, sowed long ago. The Dalai Lama established the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in 1959, the parliament in 1960, and created the post of a directly-elected KT in 2001. In 2011, he thinks it's time for Tibetans to make a complete transition.u00a0

No government recognises the CTA. The representatives of the Dalai Lamas in various nations will have to be made embassies, which may not be permitted by host nations. Also, Beijing, which is in talks with the Dalai Lama's representatives, may refuse to hold parleys with representatives from a parliament-in-exile. The role of the KT is also new, and has no power or influence inside Tibet. All three current candidates have spent no time living inside Tibet, further adding to their obscurity. The Dalai Lama in comparison has gathered international respect.u00a0

Tibetans across the globe may be asking the Dalai Lama to reconsider his decision, but as Kate Saunders from the International Campaign for Tibet put it, "at a perilous moment in the history of Tibet, the Dalai Lama is expressing his faith in the Tibetan people".

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