Staff members of Department of Information and International Relations Pema Tsering (left) and Sakina Batt present the 5-50 Forum document to the members of the press in Dharamshala, India, on 24 April 2019. Tibet Sun/Lobsang Wangyal
By Lobsang Wangyal
McLEOD GANJ, India, 24 April 2019
President of the Central Tibetan Administration Lobsang Sangay announced the Second Five-Fifty Youth Forum: Shaping Tibet’s Future to be held from 16 to 19 August in Dharamshala.
A select group of 100 young Tibetans from across the globe will be invited to the meeting at the Tibetan headquarters in Dharamshala. The youth will deliberate on CTA’s Five-Fifty Vision in shaping Tibet’s political future and strengthening the Tibetan freedom movement.
This forum will be the second in a series, part of the 5-50 Vision coined by Sangay. The series is premised on the Dalai Lama’s advice to ‘hope for the best and prepare for the worst,’ and aims at fulfilling the aspirations of the Tibetans in Tibet, of restoring freedom for Tibetans and bring the Dalai Lama to his rightful place in Tibet.
Through this initiative, attempts will be made in finding a way forward to engage with China through dialogue and strengthen CTA’s role in sustaining the Tibetan freedom struggle.
The first grand meeting of the 5-50 Vision was held in October 2017. Since then a few more meetings of Five-Fifty Political Forum, Youth Forum, and the Resilience Forum were held.
When asked if the 5-50 meetings are bringing any results, Sangay said, “The results are visible and palpable.”
When asked about the Vision 2060 For Tibet convened by his predecessor Samdhong Rinpoche in 2010, Sangay said he was not aware of that.
That meeting in February 2010 was to define a vision and approach for the coming 50 years to realise the fundamental goal of the Tibetan struggle.
The 5-50 Vision has similar structures to that of Vision 2060 — to resolve the Tibetan issue with China and to develop sustainable education, religion, health, political, and socio-economic systems in the exile community.
A Special General Meeting of Tibetans is also scheduled in October this year in Dharamshala, in which more than 400 people from various Tibetan clusters around the world will participate to deliberate on shaping Tibet’s future.
Thanks Tibet Sun for bringing the issue about the Vision 2060. How our Sikyong didn’t know about this important initiative by Samdhong Rinpoche. It’s very naive of him not to look into projects and initiative of his predecessor.
Now it clearly shows that it’s not just him who have visions. Samdhong Rinpoche has already talked about setting a vision for the next fifty years. I read in the link about the Vision 2060. It has talked about all that Sangay’s 5-50 is talking about. Instead of putting old wine in a new bottle, LS should have worked on continuing to fulfil all that has been set out for the next 50 years.
I think three or four 5-50 meetings have already been held. What is the need to have more meetings when the ideas will be all the same? Then there is another big meeting in October. What for? We would like to see actions than these useless meetings. Please don’t waste the money just to make platforms for Sangay to show off. We had enough of those.
Last year, it was 5 – 50 conference. But now that it is 2019, isn’t it 4 – 49 vision now?
If we keep saying 5- 50, then even in 2050, an octagonerian Lobsang Sangay will still chant 5-50 like a mantra.
It strikes me that one of the things Lobsang Sangay and his team must be thinking about is how to get around term limits and extend his tenure as President beyond two terms for another decade or more. Based on his globe trotting alone, it is pretty clear he sees himself as the future international face of the Tibet issue and therefore irreplaceable. How to do this without stirring up a hornet’s nest however will require the political skills of a magician.
“When asked about the Vision 2060 For Tibet convened by his predecessor Samdhong Rinpoche in 2010, Sangay said he was not aware of that.” – REALLY?!!!!!
Is this arrogance or does he really not know?!!! Lobsang Sangay is full of show and nothing concrete.
Could somebody please revisit his poll promises and review what has been achieve and what has not been? Except for concreting Gangchen Kyishong. T-building with huge hall on the top!! Imagine around thousand people in the hall and the fire or earthquake strikes! Where would these people run?