Sikyong (Prime Minister) of the Central Tibetan Administration, Lobsang Sangay, speaks during the final session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, in Dharamshala, India, on 1 April 2016. Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal
By Lobsang Wangyal
MCLEOD GANJ, India, 1 April 2016
Sikyong Lobsang Sangay said that his honour has been saved by his victory in the just-concluded Tibetan general election. He has been re-elected to the top post of the exile Tibetans for another five-year term.
Speaking during the final session of the 11th Tibetan Parliament, which has been holding its budget session since 21 March, Sangay said that it became a matter of honour to participate in the debates and speak to the accusations against him.
“I participated in the election debates for ‘izzath ka sawal’ [for the sake of my honour]. I am not as excited about winning the election as that my ‘izzath bach gaya hai’ [my honour has been saved],” Sangay said, using Hindi phrases.
The election process, which took more than ten months, degenerated into personal attacks between the two candidates and their supporters.
Sangay won the election with a comfortable margin, beating rival Penpa Tsering by more than 8,000 votes. The results will be officially announced by the Chief Election Commission on 27 April.
Speaker Penpa Tsering, in his impressive concluding remarks said that now the elections are over it is time to leave differences behind and to move forward in unity to fight for the cause of Tibet.
Tsering noted that he saw many writings and drawings attacking the candidates during the elections, and said, “This creativity could now be used in service of the Tibetan cause.”
He emphasised that Tibetans should all work for the Charter of the Tibetans-in-exile, and not make individuals more important than the Charter.
“LABU-San-khyi” Tera izzat bach gaya par tibbat ka kya hua? Going for self-pacification is not useful. Your win is for your Izzat, but for us it is a defeat of the bigger Tibet cause. It is not right to choose self over nation. […] Self-interested people […] in our fragile Tibetan exile politics. If you have little face left, leave your seat for greater good.
[to Lobsang Sangay] you broke the heart and trust of thousands of Tibetan people, who voted for you, so that you can do something good for Tibet and Tibetan people. They have not voted to save your dignity, they have voted for something good you can do for Tibetan innocent people.
Nechung, tsering Mao, shugden, and all spirit worship are against Buddhism. Buddha was against superstitions. These so-called Oracles are imposters, bringing superstitions to the pure Dharma taught by Buddha Sakyamuni.
Lamaism has made mockery of buddha dharma.
We need to retire these practices of Oracles.
And get back to learning the buddhism as taught by lord Buddha…not by those dodgy teachers who rewrite buddha dharma.
Religion and politics should be totally divorced. This Nechung and Lhamo Tsering Chenga business of throwing “changnes” and making CTA apologise is just laughable and making a mockery of our democracy. CTA is answerable to the people and not to some deity that stood watching when the Chinese started slaughtering our people in 1959.
Mixing politics and religion has in the past history led to Gelug and Kagyu lamas killing each other off trying to gain political ascendancy. We don’t want that happening again here in exile in modern times do we? We don’t have to look far for the negative consequences — the middle east is a shining example, with Mullahs and Imams going nuts and brewing this toxic mixture of politics and religion.
Yes Dalai Lama made an observation which is very valid. There are lots of deficiencies in the exile government. But you aren’t going to go scurry around offering apologies for every criticism.
We have to shed this sycophancy mentality. If you really understand Democracy, then no one is above reproach, not even Dalai Lama or Samdhong Rinpoche. Rinpoche was so disingenuous when he didn’t vote. He rode the wrong horse in Penpa Tsering and felt embarrassed to admit it. But he still rode the “High horse” and hid under the cloak of Rinpoche immune from all criticism.
Let’s not make our democracy a farce with religion intertwined in it.
Lobsang Sangay won but he lost people’s trust. Penpa Tsering is the real winner.
Lobsang Sangay feels that his izzath (honour) has been saved. LS disgraceful performance has incurred the wrath of HH, who scolded on 23rd March during the 100th anniversary of Mentseekhang. LS should think again what has happened to his izzath. Instead of accepting how HH lambasted, he said that’s what HH does all the time, and refused to apologize for disturbing his disposition. Such is LS ego.
HH said that the things are worsening in the Tibetan society, particularly in the field of health. LS and his supporters twisted HH scolding and made it into just a matter of health department. Bonpo Chitue Monlam Tharchin said in the Parliament that there’s nothing serious about what HH said. In the end LS refused to personally apologize to him. It is heard that the health department has send a letter of apology to HH.
And the latest is that when Kashag and Parliament consulted Nechung and Lhamo Tsering Chenga, the oracles expressed displeasure over the actions and performance of LS. Tsering Chenga in rage of fury threw chagney on LS and PT’s faces. Nechung has expressly suggested LS and his cabinet to offer an apology in person before HH. After this proclamation, Kashag and Parliament has decided to offer a joint apology. Nechung has said that the current Tibetan leadership has the responsibility of the life and security of His Holiness.
Tibetan public is very concerned at the current Tibetan leadership. Please sincerely follow and practice the guidelines shown by HH. Please know that personal izzath is important, but the izzath of Tibet and the six million Tibetans is above personal izzath.
How I wish honorable understands that the whole election is about moving the Tibetan struggle forward and meeting the aspirations of Tibetans and not about your own Izzat ka Sawal, damn who cares. You now have power.
Congratulation. LS la. Our sikyong, So happy you won. Of course at the end it comes down to izzat. Negative people always are negative no matter they will twist things here n there, no matter what. Looking forward to your second term. I wish you all the best.
Thank you Tsoktso la for such a wonderful conclusion speech. Hope everyone will listen to you and think about Kundun. We don’t have Sonam that we lost you as our Syikong but also very happy to hear you will continue to serve our country. You are our hero our hope is in you. Everyone knows you are honest and true leader we want, but sometimes some people don’t think about Tibet and Kundun. They just go by Cholka, living society’s people’s votes, their friends and family and some for their own gain. You lost by number but you won the truth. It’s will remain in our history. My request to you is please work for Tibetans inside Tibet. Thank You. BOD GYALO.
Saving the honor of a nation is certainly more important than his self-honor and therefore, he should promote our common welfare and direct all his efforts towards resolving the Tibetan issue. His victory is definitely a great achievement for him, but it doesn’t fully satisfy all the Tibetans as we wait to see how he improves the socio-economic and political situation in the coming five years. His entire performance will be judged during the next Sikyong election and I hope he will go down in the history of the Tibetan freedom struggle as an able leader with high morale and integrity.
I congratulate you for winning this general election and pray for your success. Please don’t disappoint His Holiness and the Tibetan people.
Yep rightly so!
Thnx LW btw snap beautifully taken, congrats