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Leaks of Tibetan election results

By Tashi Wangyal | Tibet Sun

Tashi Wangyal

With only two days left until the final election results are revealed, traditionally Tibetans should be on the verge of their seats, holding their breath in excitement and anticipation to hear the much-awaited results. Both voters and non-voters who cared had waited for months for this fateful day. And the candidates had spent a tremendous amount of time and money to run their relentless campaigns to vie for the political positions in the exile Government.

However, on the contrary, today people seem calm and settled, and do not appear as excited as they should be. I was told that they were basically waiting for the official results only to see if they matches the numbers they already have in hand!

When i first heard this news, momentarily i was stunned in disbelief. I thought people must be joking or speculating, but hell no, many of them were serious and affirmative. In some cases, people knew the actual breakdowns of the vote counts for both the Kalon Tripa and North American Chitue.

However, my astonishment did not last long, for i know that Tibetans in general are only good for keeping confidential matters up till their best friend.

So, who is to blame here? Are we indirectly encouraging our government to promote transparency, or are we simply not recognizing the values of responsibility, professionalism and accountability?

If it’s true that the vote counters and respective authorities have taken oath to protect and safeguard the confidentiality of this election result, then how did this thing happen?

If the leaked information turns out to be true in the end, then the responsible authorities and their respective team members have failed not only themselves but also the rest of us as a nation with their gross negligence and irresponsibility.

In any judicial system of an independent state, this breach of confidentiality that had been promised under oath would be considered a criminal offense.

So what are we suppose to deduce from this debacle? Can we keep hoping for a better outcome next time around, or do we hold the perpetrators accountable this time? If you look at it in the short term, prosecuting someone appears harsh and mean. But in the long run, these measures will set good precedents and definitely help to grow our society. We need to correct our weaknesses one at a time, even if it means rocking the boat occasionally. We as a society need to grow from all fronts, socially, economically and politically.

Of course we would all like to hear the results as soon as they are counted — unfortunately this arrangement is not presently in place. So, in the mean time, is it justified to sabotage the existing system and make fools of ourselves to the rest of the world?

We sometimes make fun of small neighbouring states like Nepal for their unsophisticated practices, and yet we fail to exhibit political maturity and advancement of our own.

SAD, SAD, SAD.

Copyright © 2011 Tashi Wangyal

Published in Tibet Sun