Dharamsala, September 20 – Tibetan parliament-in-exile has passed a resolution paving the way for transfer of some powers from the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama to the assembly.
The resolution was passed on Friday after a ten-day session which discussed a seven-point agenda proposed by the Dalai Lama to devolve his powers.
Speaking on the sidelines of the session in Dharamsala, Pema Jugney, speaker of the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies, said the resolution was in keeping with the wishes of the Dalai Lama.
“Whatever democracy Tibetan community has had till now is won by Dalai Lama. So now he wants to transfer his powers to the people at large”, said Jugney.
The democratisation process was initiated in 2001 when the prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile was elected directly by the people.
Dalai Lama, who has enjoyed wide powers, had recently suggested that powers should be handed over to the democratically elected representatives of the government.
Dalai Lama and thousands of his followers fled to India after a failed bloody uprising against the Chinese rule in 1959. Since then the Nobel peace prize winner has been operating from Dharamsala town in Himachal Pradesh.
