Penpa Tsering and his lawyer Namgyal Tsekyi arrive to file a case against the Cabinet led by Lobsang Sangay of the Central Tibetan Administration for levelling "false accusations", at the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission in Dharamshala, India, on 18 May 2018. Tibet Sun/Contributor
Tibet Sun Online News
ON THE WEB, 19 May 2018
Former Representative of the Dalai Lama to the US Penpa Tsering filed a case on Friday against the Cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration charging “false accusations” against him when ousting him from the post in November. The case was filed at the Supreme Justice Commission of the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamshala.
The Cabinet led by Lobsang Sangay had levelled Penpa Tsering with ten points justifying his removal from the post. In a December 2017 press conference Penpa Tsering challenged each point as baseless.
“The case is a false accusation, as the Cabinet is charging me for something I haven’t done,” Penpa Tsering said to reporters, before going to file a case in the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission with his lawyer Namgyal Tsekyi.
The Cabinet’s main accusations against Penpa Tsering concerned “trust deficit” and “dereliction of duty”.
Tsering said that he was filing the case after Sangay said on two occasions that Penpa Tsering should go to court for any misgivings.
“I am filing the case as Sikyong [President of CTA Lobsang Sangay] said on a few occasions to go to court for any apprehensions. If I didn’t go to court, there could be implications,” Tsering said.
Penpa Tsering had clarified that the appointment to and termination from the post is the prerogative of the Cabinet, and he was not challenging that decision-making power of the Cabinet.
In December during a press conference, Tsering said he resigned after he received an order from the Cabinet announcing his termination, but that the ten reasons given were not acceptable.
Tsering’s termination issue jolted the Tibetan community, with social media overflowing with diatribe against both Sangay and Tsering. in an unprecedented action, Tsering’s supporters staged protests wherever Sangay went in Europe, Canada and the US.
The issue of Tsering’s termination dominated the budget session of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile held in March.
Sangay refused to make comments on the issue when reporters requested his views on the matter.
Namgyal Tsekyi, a trained lawyer and past solicitor at the Tibetan Justice Commission in Bylakuppe Tibetan Settlement, will represent Penpa Tsering in the Tibetan court.
“Whatever judgement is pronounced by the justice commission, that will clear the matter,” Tsering said.
The truth be told, the issue is nothing to do with unfair dismissal. The fight between Lobsang Sangay and Penpa Tsering is over Dhardon Sharling. In public Dhardon and her family pretended to support Penpa Tsering. PT’s chamcha number one, told PT that Dhardon is his. But in private Dhardon was supporting Lobsang Sangay and worked as LS’ mole in Penpa Tsering’s camp. She was informing Lobsang Sangay’s camp about PT, as confirmed by Sikong. What is the Hindi saying: Ek Phool Do Malik. Nahin Ho Ta.
Glancing through the comments so far, it is very clear that Sikhong is mounting pressure to the Tibetan court and by extension to spur public against Penpa Tsering.
The comments are pathetic and lacks substance. It is only ego and ignorance blurting from die hard supporters with face names and low self-fish commotions but nothing else.
Let’s hope the court deliberates this once-in-a-life time episode in over 60 years of exile.
We have nothing to loose here. Truth, whatever it is, should and must win.
It usually is a mistake for an outsider to meddle in a ‘family’ matter and in this case even more so if the outsider possesses a Chinese name. But I will take my chances and live with the consequences.
All the commentators so far seem highly agitated and angry, many feeling that democracy as they understand it has been manipulated and even betrayed in a way that only the authority of the Supreme Justice Commission can right.
What I see however is a lot posturing by two very ‘political’ individuals (and their supporters), a lot of shadow boxing, macho ego preening and accusation slinging. But at the end of the day, the only thing that is going to result is a huge residue of mutual bad feeling made increasingly worse by the unbridled ambition of these two individuals.
It is easy to forget sometimes in the heat of discussions about democratic ideals that the Central Tibetan Administration (including the Supreme Justice Commission) is an organization registered with the Indian Government. It possesses zero sovereign authority. No one is going to jail like the Trump crowd in America. The most I suppose that might happen is that someone could be expelled from the organization or maybe weakly slapped on the wrist with a warning. It strikes me that this whole situation is a lose-lose situation for Tibetans.
Tibetans in India under CTA have enjoyed far better RIGHTS and JUSTICE than in Tibet under China. China man, do you think India will jail someone from Kashmir seeking language rights and protection?
You Chinese can fool Gaden Prodang but not majority of the Tibetan people.
I wld like my daughter a man like LS not becoz of green card, but of education achiever like him and most importantly strong pillar supporter of his holiness the Dalai Lama.
what ever PT is trying to do but he will never get vote for next sikong election at any cost.
He might be good and spend many years working for CTA but recent disturbance really a mess and he is the reason for all of this so we dont want such leader in future.
DO NOT VOTE FOR PT IN NEXT SIKONG ELECTION.
I also noticed majority of the Tibetan women have secret crush of sort to Lobsang Sangay. Never met any woman who criticizes LS. Maybe it is cos he is a pretty handsome man. they don’t care about his little lies here and there. They are happy that he gets things done solidly.
Lithang Khampa la,
I agree it is not just Tibetan women but monks like Geshe Andrug Tseten fanatizes about Sikyong LS. You know what I mean. One of the reason why this monk stoop so low even to lie (going against his sacred vows) is because of man-love for the powdered good looks of Sikyong LS
Are you sure you are not a Lithang Khamo? All Tibetan mothers want their daughter to marry Lobsang Sangay, handsome, educated, US citizen or all the mothers want a son like Lobsang Sangay, loved and praised by His Holiness, and US passport holder. PT is the person every mother warns their daughter, ugly, moneyless, no green card, no job, his friend is a bottle of whisky, power hungry and with no accomplishment.
Every one sees things differently, some by ignorance but some by deliberation. Consensus is bleak reality of Exile Tibetans including our esteemed monks who are supposed to be champion of logic, leave aside liberation even liberation in mundane life is distance dream. We should not be disappointed, we have only one Milarepa even we thousands of monk. So we have no option but push our life forward. And we should not forget we are exiles. Kashag seems to be in dream state, perhaps got intoxicated by LS. HH always tells, 21 century should be a century of dialogue. This precious message is yet to our Kashag is of 3km, how we can imagine to reach faraway. How difficult consensus could be reality of Exile, even when two of three pillars of Democracy are dormant. Hope Third eye of democracy may prevail.
Indirectly P. Tsering is begging a job in CTA to survive in this merciless world and this is all preprogrammed by Gadhen Phodrang to save him from his cliff hanging time ticking.
Exile Tibetan democracy? ha! ha! ha! I have mentioned few times in the past but still our people are slumbering with eyes open. Our democracy is like a brand new car given to our people by HH Dalai Lama without driving training to us. Democracy is usually begins from the root not from the top and to have good democracy citizens must literate first. Without basic education of our public democracy is a beautiful display show in a case.
Whoever criticize or attack our handsome and super smart Sikong is an enemy of the Tibetan people, particularly Tibet women. 99.9% of Tibetan women voted for handsome LS and including Dhardon Sherling and her family were publically supporting PT but secretly Dhardon Sherling worshipped LS. A close friend of Dhardon Sherling, told me in her sleep she was saying LS’ name over and over. PT brings a woman lawyer at his side as a tactic to woo the Tibetan women voters, but it will not work.
Poor Penpa Tsering Nagri, who is a jobless and powerless, most likely moneyless. The first questions are how is Penpa Tsering Nagri is the source of income? He has no job, so how is he living these days? Who is paying for him to hire a lawyer? Who paid his day to day expenses?
Who are his patrons? When Penpa Tsering was in power, he always used to make two points. 1) Anyone who criticizes CTA is Chinese spies. 2) Anyone who criticizes CTA, there is someone behind with a bigger motive?
Actually PT is quite black. Whenever there is a group picture with PT in it, the blackest guy is Penpa Tsering Nagri. Besides, if you look closely at PT’s face, you will see lots of bumps and roughness, hinting at a life heavily weighed down by hardships of existence.
Tenzin la,
I think both Penpa Tsering la and Lobsang Sangay la surface in the same range as far as their skin shade is concerned. They both have same skin color, complexion and texture, and they look like brothers long lost during the Kumbh Mela. Look closely from the left side, they both look like Sahil Dandania (Pl. don’t google). Calling one “Nagri” (black) is not good and it just makes your argument even more biased.
Now that court shall hear his case, there are probably some ugly skeletons that are so far hidden will come out in open. This may further hurt PT rather than LS so much because his term ends soon and he cannot stand for re-election. Anyway, I am happy all the bulls will come out and truth shall win if there is any winner here at all. All I see is losers.
This high profile case will test whether the much touted “democracy gifted by His Holiness” is REAL or not. So what is at stake:
1. Much bragged about democracy gifted by His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
2. Exile Tibetan Administration’s FUTURE as an entity, whether it can UPHOLDS rule of Law, without which, we are FINISH.
Lobsang Sangay and his Kashag except for the new education kalon are all con men. They will con the system. There is nothing surprising here. They are in there for THEMSELVES. For WE THE PEOPLE, we have to PROTECT a system based on RULE OF LAW by all means necessary.
MAY TRUTH PREVAILS.
For the sake of Tibetan democracy and to prevent future misuse of power by the executive, Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission must accept Penpa Tsering la’s case and do not just sit there in the office without any work and wasting Green Book taxes of the Tibetan public. Hope the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commissioners would have some spine to do the right thing this time.
Khampa Warrior,
You call youself ‘ Khampa Warrior.’ But you are supporting Amdo PT instead of Khampa LS. It is right that some khampas are saying nowadays, Khampa unity is gradually rotting away, unless younger generation strives to preserve it.
please your $40 doent even matter even if you stop paying that so dont boast as if you are paying $40 million
SC can recommend Kashag to consider giving Penpa tsering a suitable post befitting his stature if it was found that he has a right claim.
If Allegation against Former Tsoktso Penpa Tsering la is proved wrong by Exile Supreme Court, Lobsang Sangay should resign from Sekong post if he has some moral principle. But we should not misunderstand that case is against authority of Kashag but allegation of dismissal. Best of luck for PT, in particular Tibetan Exile Democray In General.
If SC accepted PT’s case, does LS need to step down during the hearings?
have you ever learn civic and how democracy system work? go google and learn
PT filed a Case against LS or against Cabinet (Kashag)?