Members of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile meet the "Truth-seeking Protesters" at the basketball court outside the Parliament in Dharamshala, India, on 24 March 2018. Tibet Sun/Contributor
By Tibet Sun Online News
ON THE WEB, 24 March 2018
Amidst high drama over the issue of Penpa Tsering’s dismissal by the Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration, the 11-day budget session of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile finally came to an end with the House passing the budget for the fiscal year 2018-2019.
The 45-member exile Parliament approved a budget of INR 2,65,25,55,781.00 for seven departments and other offices of the Central Tibetan Administration.
Penpa Tsering’s termination as the Representative of the Dalai Lama in Washington DC dominated the budget session, with members discussing the issue every day.
About 90 people from a group “Truth-Seeking Volunteers” protested against the President of the CTA, Lobsang Sangay, and the Cabinet, demanding a response from them to Penpa Tsering’s reply to their 10-point reasons for his dismissal.
They sat in protest near the Parliament at a basketball court for eight days, from the 17th till the Parliament ended its session today.
Fourteen members of the Parliament paid a goodwill visit to the protesters on the last day of the session.
Later the Cabinet called a member of the protesters to meet with them, but the protesters demanded that media be allowed to cover the meeting, and this was rejected.
Then the Secretary of the Cabinet came to the venue to invite a member of the protesters to meet the Cabinet. To this the protesters asked to allow one of their members to film the meeting, but this was again rejected. As a result, no meeting took place.
Speaking to media persons, the leader of the protesters, Thinley Kelsang, said that they have used every means to reach out to the Cabinet and the Parliament for a solution. “Since nothing came out from our endeavours, it is now the Cabinet and the Parliament who are responsible for any eventuality.”
Lobsang Sangay has consistently said that Penpa Tsering was dismissed due to loss of trust, and that it is the Cabinet’s prerogative to appoint or dismiss any representative. He also said that if anybody feels any discrepancy in the decision, they are free to go to court.
Cholkha division is spewed clearly in the recent Tibetan Chitue session. It is always like this and there is no hope that those who are paid to solve the pressing Tibetan issues are engaged in demagogue of their Chokha. Specially some Khampa and Choelug Chitues are hard wired in their tribal traits and partisan politics. They are a big disgrace to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the general Tibetan public. No small part is played by our airheaded Sikyong in the present mess in our small society. Please have some shame and sense not to plunge our precarious community into further darkness. For god’s sake, think of our brethren in Tibet who are viciously tortured and put to death day in and out, for all these years by barbaric Chinese occupying forces in Tibet. Hope the next Chitue session would be more civilized and a productive one.
Biggest boss of all turned out to be Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok as the Tsoktso.
His pregnant pauses, taking off and putting on the reading glass to read the names of chithu (always takes at least a minute to do so), and interjecting his instructions with anecdotes about his experience as a long-term chithu and how the proceedings are normally conducted and so on, were all shining moments in the overall tense parliament session. He is a memorable character. Salute to the Big Boss!
Another little man Sangay Taythi from Minnesota is all hate and no action. He is Trukshing Gyalpo no 1. His queen would be Dhardon Sharling. In his whole life, he only knows to spew venom and pretend to be a rangzen lover.
Mr. Venom, could you lead us to rangzen or else advise us how to get there?
Dorji Tseten – mama’s boy
Tenpa Yarphel – Khampa leader Ogyen Topgyal’s blood Hound
Sharchok Khuta – Devils advocate
Tenzin Jamyang – clueless Shichak boy
Dawa Phunkyi – Lalu Prasad of Bihar
I am reasonably happy that the parliament session is over. Parliament session is nothing but a platform for our partisan, communal and regionalist parliament to flung accusations against each other. Shaming by name and using all kinds of abusive language seem to be the speciality of our so called representatives. More days they take, more disgrace they will be to our community. All the pledges they take at the start are flung out of the window. Tibetan Conflict Resolution organisation should conduct a workshop for our parliamentarians. They seem to be more involved in bringing issues related to different individuals rather than overall well being of the Tibetan community in exile.
Start the workshop with Sikyong, Kashag members and Sikyong Chithue supporters. All they did in the parliament was name and shame PT supporters. A workshop on accountability, responsibility, acceptance, forgiveness, humility, truth, justice, rules and regulations should be given to Sikyong and his groups.
They all need workshop. Both LS and PT supporters. LS supporters seem to be hell bent upon humiliating PT supporters while PT supporters want the Kashag to dance only to their tune. One party can’t force their opinion upon the other. Maybe a middle way solution can be found.
The Tibetan people and Tibetan Parliament must act as an opposition party to Kashag to balance the power of Tibetan government to run the administration in a fair way but the Tibetan Parliamentarians, I mean many of them are just there to warm the seats and sycophant the present power.
I salute the “Truth-Seeking Volunteers” to their patriotic actions by pinching the Kashag at least. They might have sacrificed many things for this agitation. I salute because they may have stayed like me happily in a corner without loosing anything.
I don’t feel I am supporting anybody right now but when people cry, the government must listen them, it is the govt’s duty. See, Mr. Anna Hazare has been approached by the BJP govt (very strong govt.) to talk to him. Why not the Kashag? The agitators are also our Tibetan brethren.
Now please don’t bring the opposition party concept in this refugee form of administration and not a government. If you really updated till date.
the whole idea of organizing this protest by thinly kelsang is that he is anyway a US citizen and there is no loss for him in any manner. he have a dual so I would suggest that CTA must come up with the policy where if any Tibetans own a foreign passport then he or she must be out of voting right in Tibetan society.
There is a strong faction of outspoken khampa monks who always launch opposition to anything against the interest of Khampas.
They are hard to beat because they speak very good Tibetan, have loud and commanding voice along with well-fed, heavy-set physique, and don’t seem to give a shit about anything.
And that sort of makes them a strong presence in the parliament where most India-born MPs struggle with language.
And guess what, PT is universally hated by Khampas everywhere.
that is not true. No khampa have hatered for PT in any manner and it is purely rumor created by Thinley Kelsang.
I and many of our college friends waiting Thinley kelsang to come down to delhi. lets see if he can fly back or not.
Death threat to Thinley Kelsang from Khampa supporter!!!!
India-born MPs struggle with language…
Comes to mind Chithue Youdon Aukatsang and Chithue Yangchen Dolkar. Both are from Dhotoe.
Also
Dorje Tsetan – Chotta Admi bada emotion
Serta Tsultrim – Blah blah blah
Monlam Tharchin – Tarzan voice
Tenpa Yarphel – Thuggish posture
Geshe Phende – screechy voice
Yangchen Dolkar – Nepali Tibetan language
Youdon Aukastang – Talks through facial expression
Lobsang Dakpa – Slow train
Pema Delek- Sleepy guy
Atuk Tseten – WWF wrestler
Youdon Aukatsang – Bhutanese Momo la
Tenpa Yarphel – Face chaudvi ka chand
Serta Tsultrim – Khusti wrestler
Juchen Kunchok – Tibetan Rabri Devi
Losang Yeshi – Tibetan Lucky Ali
Sikyong has shown humility by saying that he hold no grudge against protesters, and acknowledged their right to express their grievances. That is a softening of position by our prez.
Now PT camp should reciprocate by toning down their protest.
Sikyong and humility???
I believe he has not come across this word once in his life, let alone practice it. All he has known to do is lie and misuse his power. He is a disgrace to all khampas.
He will only come to realize his follies and arrogance after his Sikyong days are over. The wound that he made in people’s heart and mind during his sikyong days will stay very long and be remembered by the generations to come.
solution is simple.
Penpa Tsering has to request his followers to stop the protest for national unity. In fact, that is a solution many Khampa monk MPs suggested in the Parliament.
You and Khampa MPs suggest Penpa Tsering to ignore Sikyong’s oppressive behavior and injustice.
Xi Jinping and his party tell Tibetan people to ignore Chinese illegal invasion.
Did you learn your idea from Xi JInping?
In fact, the truth-seeking Tibetans and many MPs in the parliament also called for an inquiry committee. “Many khampa monk MPs” cannot represent the whole Tibetan population.
A lull before the storm….
The Sangay-Penpa stalemate escaped solution, defying any hope (in the eyes of the protesters minds of those following live events in and outside of realm of the exile parliament) for any resolution.
The last minute efforts by Kashag to entice the protesters for a closed door session fell apart as the protesters demanded to video record the what would transfer for the sake of transparency which was rejected by Sangay’s Kashag. Doesn’t this raises more questions than answers?
The composition of the parliamentarians who visited the protest site has shown the regional factionalism fueled by religious deputies too.
They said the parliament’s chairman has sent a strong message to Kashag to find a resolution. It is because of it that Kashag considered the offer to meet the prostestors? Or it is the chairman’s game plan which fizzled any possible resolution to appoint an independent investigation committee to look into the mess?
Sounds like Lobsang Sangay succeeded in bluffing the parliament and the protesters who must be acknowledged for their surprising professionalism and decorum.
By failing to resolve the issue, Lobsang Sangay has thus ensured that the Truth-Seeking Protesters will continue to faithfully follow him for the rest of his term, and hurt him without redemption. And it is all his own making.
One can’t wait to see Penpa Tsering knocking the doors of the exile Tibetan Justice Commission, and see what follows.
At least some MPs did approach the protestors. But they all turned out to be Utsang and Amdo MPs. The element of regionalism is conspicous by absence of Khampa chithies.
Misleading the public by presenting false information is one of the main reasons why the truth-seekers asked for filming the meeting with the Sikyong and the Kashag. Everybody saw what was said in the live videos and what was presented in all the petitions so far. No one has called for “reinstatement of PT”.
People have lost their trust in Sikyong and the kashag. They feel betrayed that they were told every day of their protests that Kashag would meet them. When the final meeting was set up, Kashag put the condition of no media. The group members accepted the condition but asked to have one of their member film the proceeding to make sure no misunderstanding and misrepresentation arise out of the meeting in the future.
Being truthful by Sikyong and Kashag should start from now on so that no further controversy and problems remain in the community.
Now this is going bit too far. The cabinet has taken the initiative to discuss their grievances but they put up a condition that has had been rejected and rightly so. Their only objective seems to be reinstatement of PT. Now after everything that happened during the last few months, how is it reasonably possible to work together under an atmosphere of trust. If dialogue is the sole purpose to come to a solution, why should it be a condition to film the proceedings. This films will be leaked surely to start a fresh controversy. If PT is so confident of his arguments, why not let the court decide rather than hiding behind some hired/paid strikers and media. Now we should move on and let the two individuals to sort the matter out rather than shooting from the back of some individuals. We have far more important task in front of us. If it was the prerogative of the Cabinet to hire or fire a representative at OOT, they should have simply done it without bringing out long list of quite childish justification. This actually created more chaos. But let’s move on now.
My dear Tibetan friends, I really don’t know how to say this but over the last few days i had been very much disturbed by what is happening around our exile government, I am neither at the side of Dr LS nor at PT, I am simply a concerned citizen of Tibet and devotee of His Holiness. Everybody knows that Tibet has been going through a very crucial time and people inside Tibet is burning themselves on fire just to see free and united Tibet. They did the best from their part even living under the tight control of Chinese government. They placed their hope on Tibetans in exile to raise their voice and make their struggle alive, and for Us, instead of doing that, we fight among ourselves looking for a reason which can never help us to solve the real challenge we are facing right now. Please my dear friends, when you challenge with the decision made by Kashag and President, that means you don’t feel happy with His Holiness, and can you really afford to make His Holiness see what you guys are protesting against our exile government? How would he feel? I don’t care whether its for Dr LS or PT, all I care about is His Holiness and my country, as long as you guys keep challenging CTA, there are few guys watching happily to see the CTA getting messed up and for me I don’t want that thing to happen. So please instead of fighting for one person, think of His Holiness, think of your country, and most importantly, think of all these Tibetan brothers and sisters who sacrificed their lives by setting themselves on fire, please think about it. We still have time. Don’t give our enemy a chance to see our Tibetan govt in exile is weak.
Bodgyalo
I agree with you buddy! They are fighting for PT reinstatement but this will never gonna happen. Do they think this is a joke?
Responding to anonymous,
You are claiming yourself a true patriotic and dedicated nationalist but you are missing and lacking some logical points in your statement. First of all His Holiness and our CTA have given too much concession to the CCP, like Tibetan Freedom Movement to Middle Way Path, Exile Tibetan Government to CTA, Freedom Movement Contribution to Chatral, Splitting Tibetans into Shugden vs Non-shugden followers and now Penpa Tsering party and CTA.
His Holiness could have stopped this unnecessary protest by showing his King Solomon’s wisdom of advice to Thinley Kalsang and his party but he did not. We have many miles to go before understanding all these complex problem. I think Sikyong knows all these mumbo jumbo better than anybody else but it is a dead end.
wow you have guts to say against HH Dalai Lama – Shame on yourself.
Do you know where you stay? I know you very well. lets catch up in delhi and will show you the result of your guts to write against our god.
On the surface, it appears as if Parliament let Sikyong LS go free from the charges and allegations. In the course of the parliament deliberation, many charges got cleared while many got pushed away for the larger interest of the Tibetan community. Even one of his own chithue supporter questioned the Kashag members whether they agree with every Sikyong’s comments/explanations in Toronto and also the ones made in the Parliament or whether they had any reservations. This shows not everyone buys what LS or his kashag have said or did but most are buying it for the sake of greater good of the community.
Like it or not, the people’s movement is historic, or to put it in the favorite words of LS and Dhardon Sharling, an “unprecedented” movement in the exile history.