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Where are the petitions from Tibet?

By Tenzin Nyinjey | Tibet Sun

Tenzin Nyinjey Photographer unknown

This morning I heard some breaking news: Some Chitues (MPs) have sponsored a motion in drotsog (assembly), seeking a change in the clause of the tsatrim (charter) that would allow Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche to contest the Katri (prime minister) post for a third term.

My understanding is that the reason why the Chitues are sponsoring this motion is because they have received many samshogs (signed petitions) from Tibetans in Tibet, urging Rinpoche to continue as the Kalon Tripa of Tibetan government-in-exile.

According to what I have heard, Tibetans from Tibet who signed this petition are of the opinion that the Chinese leadership are eagerly waiting for Rinpoche to disappear from the scene of exile Tibetan leadership. The implication is that Rinpoche is indispensable to the Tibetan movement. In other words, without him the movement will die a natural death.

Sadly, I can’t help but see a personality cult being developed around Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche. Perhaps the honourable Katri himself must be cringing in embarrassment, since he himself has said many times that the charter is not a child’s play, that can be tampered with for the sake of a particular individual.

By understanding the past, we can better control our future. We should remember that samshogs from Tibetans living in Tibet were also received by the Tibetan government-in-exile many years ago, endorsing His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s decision to change the course of our struggle from Rangzen to Rangkyong (autonomy).

Those samshogs were never made public by the Tibetan government-in-exile, thus falling short on two of the most important principles of democracy: transparency and accountability.

Now that samshogs have appeared again, this time seeking a change in the clause of the charter of the Tibetan Diaspora, we should ask ourselves some serious, depressing — and even conspiracy-theory-type — questions:

Firstly, are the Chitues willing to go public with the samshogs? If not, how can we be fully convinced that they have indeed received them, from Tibetans in Tibet?

Secondly, if indeed they have received samshogs (my gut feeling is that this must be true — although in politics gut feelings and motivations are dangerous things that one should avoid), how many people have signed them?

And lastly, how can these people (they might not be numbering more than 300 I think) who have signed the Samshog represent the wishes of the entire six million Tibetans?

Copyright © 2010 Tenzin Nyinjey

Published in Tibet Sun