By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, September 2: Exile Tibetans celebrated their 56th Democracy Day today at Tsuglakhang courtyard with Mukut Mithi, former Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh and a Rajya Sabha member as the chief guest, and Dr. Arun Kumar, MP, as special guest.
Sikyong (Prime Minister) Dr. Lobsang Sangay and Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, along with other dignitaries were also present during the celebration punctuated by performances from Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) and various Tibetan schools.
Tibetan PM Sangay, in his statement, described the Tibetan democracy as a gift from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, emphasizing how on this day in 1960 at Dalhousie he shared his vision of democracy. Highlighting some historical events during the evolution of Tibetan Democracy under His Holiness, Sikyong spoke on the further democratization by making TPiE a ‘full fledged legislative body’ in 1991, and completion of the three pillars of democracy with formation of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission in 1992.
He also said the participation of the Tibetan masses have increased since His Holiness declared a semi-retired position in 2001 and complete devolution of political power in 2011. He, however, assured of electoral reforms to complement the ideals of our unique democracy to avoid the unfortunate incidents during the recently concluded elections.
“As citizens of a democratic institution we need to be mindful of the fact that while democracy bestows us with the rights it also expects us to shoulder our responsibilities. Right to speech and freedom of expression should be respected. These rights and privileges shouldn’t be misused,” said Sikyong.
The Speaker of TPiE, in his statement, said, “As to whether the democratic system of the Tibetans in exile will attain stability and make progress will depend on the intellectual maturity, the capability to uphold the greater good and the existence of a sense of cooperation within the Tibetan public.”
