London witnesses the first subtle Tibetan election campaigning for the office of Kalon Tripa.
By Tsering Passang
London, 29 May 2010: When an email circular came through my inbox last week, I became quite eager to meet and hear from the man himself – many regard him as a serious and popular candidate to the office of Kalon Tripa. The Election of the 3rd Kalon Tripa is due to held in the spring of 2011.
Thanks to the early initiative of www.KalonTripa.org many Tibetans today know the names of over 20 potential candidates for the office of Kalon Tripa, otherwise known as the Prime Minster of Tibetan Government in Exile.
Kasur Tenzin Namgyal Tethong, who I believe is a serious leadership contender for the office of Kalon Tripa, with a wealth of experience and sound intellect in addition to the good connection that he enjoys both within and beyond the Tibetan Community, chose to stop-over in London on his way from Romania to the States, where he resides. He explained that the London stop-over was to meet his old friends including Mr Thubten Samdup, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama based at The Office of Tibet, in addition to his planned engagement in Manchester, which is home to one of the world’s biggest football clubs, Manchester United.
Tethong, a household name in the Tibetan Community, has a very impressive C.V. in his favour if he decides to stand for the Kalon Tripa post, having already rendered his professional service to the Tibetan people and for the cause of Tibet in Dharamsala since 1960s. Fifteen years ago, he moved to the US, where he still continues to contribute untiringly in support of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s various initiatives, through non-governmental organisations based there.
In the Tibetan Government in Exile he served as Chairman of the Kashag (Tibetan Cabinet) and Foreign Minister among other important positions he held. Tethong was The Dalai Lama’s Representative in the US, based in New York, and later as His Holiness’ Special Representative to Washington in 1970s and ‘80s. He was a founder member of the Tibet Fund and the International Campaign for Tibet, and also played a key role in the resettlement programme of one thousand Tibetan refugees from the Indian sub-continent to the US in the early 1990s. Under the directive of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, in 1980 Tethong led the Second Delegation to Tibet on a fact-finding mission, as part of the first phase of China-Tibet Dialogue. Among other pioneering initiatives, he co-founded Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) and Sheja (Tibetan Language Newspaper).
This week, when he met with the small Tibetan gathering at The Office of Tibet in London, convened at short notice on 26th May by Tibetan Community in Britain, Kasur Tenzin Namgyal Tethong didn’t talk about general Tibetan politics. Instead, he passionately shared insights into the charitable work of The Dalai Lama Foundation, for which he is currently serving as the President. Despite spending just over half an hour listening to him talking about the work of The Dalai Lama Foundation and its initiatives such as ‘The Missing Peace’, ‘Tibet in Exile – Fifty Years’ and ‘Tibet Exile Lens’ projects, as soon as Q &A session began the restless Tibetans in London jumped straight to the inevitable question i.e. his candidacy for the office of Kalon Tripa.
There was no shortage of questions from the floor. A Tibetan graduate and a compatriot from Tibet expressed directly to Tethong that his candidacy to the office of Kalon Tripa would make a real difference and urged him to consider joining the leadership contest. Aware that his name is listed as a candidate on www.KalonTripa.org, a private initiative of Representative Thubten Samdup, campaigned for by his supporters, Tethong said that he would respond to the support calls from the Tibetan people in due course.
Personally, I wish that the former Kalon announces his candidacy for the office of Kalon Tripa upfront and takes part in the leadership contest proudly, as this could also add to the embracing of Tibetan democracy, but subtle as any Tibetan politician can be, Tethong carefully chose his words and said, “The Kalon Tripa has very big responsibilities,” and then added, “If there is overwhelming public support from the Tibetan people in the primary election, wanting me to serve as the Kalon Tripa, then I’ve to consider my position seriously.” Tethong quickly emphasised that the leadership is “two-ways”, meaning that public support would be so important if he were to commit himself to the five-year term.
Tethong was asked about his approach towards the resolution of Sino-Tibetan issue and also whether he could work with Harvard graduate Dr Lobsang Sangay, another strong and younger contender, in the same government (as Kalon Tripa and Deputy Kalon Tripa), should the situation arise, in order to bring the Tibetan Movement to the next level. Whilst not answering directly to the possibility of working together in the same government, Tethong expressed his high regard for Dr Sangay and said that he knew him well.
On the question of finding a solution to the ‘revitalisation of large Tibetan settlement camps and reversing the current trend of many young Tibetans leaving their communities in order to find employment elsewhere’, Tethong lauded the current Kalon Tripa and Representative Thubten Samdup’s plans to try some new initiatives towards this end. He pointed out, though, that it would be “unsustainable” and added, “Thousands of young talented Tibetans graduate each year with good qualifications and it’s not really practical to make them stay in the settlements, where jobs are scarce. Young people like to go to the towns and cities and this is inevitable, especially in our situation, and we cannot stop them leaving the settlements. It would be more practical if we try to find ways to match their skills and send them to countries where they would be welcomed and eventually this would help them in their professional development and to the Tibetan cause”. This was a good campaign pitch to win votes from the younger generations, I thought. It is certainly a different approach to the one already being explored and undertaken by the current Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche.
Recalling his previous public statements, Tethong said, “Rangzen (Tibetan Independence) and Ume-Lam (Middle-Way Approach) followers should not criticise each others. Instead we should work together for the main issue i.e. Tibet and Tibetan people”. He said that the ‘Middle-Way Approach’, which is the official stance of the current Kalon Tripa, can be changed if the next Kalon Tripa’s proposal for any possible new solution to the Sino-Tibetan issue receives strong backing from the Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE).
With a small hint of possibly raising the prospects of changing the current course of action for Tibet’s future towards more internationally acceptable term of ‘self-determination’ for the Tibetan people, Tethong clarified and added, “The Tibetan Parliament has supported ‘whatever means’ The Dalai Lama chooses towards the resolution of the Tibetan issue. The Parliament has not specifically adopted the ‘Middle-Way Approach’ as the legally binding policy, rather it has supported His Holiness’s position.”
Whilst asking my own questions I raised that Tethong la was engaging in “side campaigning” rather than emerging forthrightly and campaign for the office of Kalon Tripa. To this, in a light hearted manner, the former Minister sort of agreed by responding, “I suppose you could say that but as I said before, I’m primarily here because of the planned engagement in Manchester and since I’m passing through London, I felt that meeting my old friends and Tibetans in London would be a good thing.”
Tibetans in London have been talking about the Tibetan Leaders’ Debate, having recently witnessed the UK General Election, and they are now looking forward to hearing from other Tibetan Kalon Tripa ‘candidates’. So, why not stop-over in London to meet your old friends?
Tethong’s stop-over in London certainly sparked the subtle Tibetan election campaign for the Kalon Tripa’s seat.
(Note: This article by Tsering Passang for Tsampa Forum is part of Embracing Tibetan Democracy in Exile.)
[OPINION-DISCLAIMER]
