Towards the dusk of the 20th century, the iron curtained half of the world (USSR) suffered an unexpected collapse. The iron curtain which had kept USSR as the second most-powerful one for a long period melted ultimately and got chemically transformed due to the accumulated heat from the great friction between the unsatisfied common mass and the totalitarian autocrats. It is from this changed bed of soil, there started to grow up the crumbled flowers under the liberal baptism like the withered foliage regain their strength and color with the first shower of the spring. This unnamed seasonal change was what the high minds on the earth termed as the painful process of shock therapy.
Today it is the end of the first one tenth of the 21st century but still the age old hunger for rights exist as fresh as yesterday’s pain, as high as Mount Everest and as stable as the pole star. Nowadays the eyes of the whole world are looking for liberty , their hearts are beating for freedom and their bodies are fighting so relentlessly for democracy; the true source of one’s liberty and freedom be it of one individual’s or a nation’s .
However amidst this throat-cutting and blood-shedding struggle for democracy, there is a nation of people who are refusing to accept the gift of democracy from their father-like king Jigme Singe Wangchuk of Bhutan. He found that every nation is stepping towards capitalist and democratic system in any possible way, some even by laying down their precious human life only for the hope that their coming generation will enjoy a taste of the so-called democratic freedom. But the Bhutanese people, I don’t know whether luckily or unluckily have refused to accept it, putting all their faith and trust in their divine king. As a result, he has become as before the one for his people to ask for food in times of famine and for emancipation in case of confusion and indecisiveness.
As I keep myself pondering upon this, my mind sets out to interweave this particular Bhutanese exception with a Tibetan similarity. I doubt that a similar situation will take place when our country’s lost-freedom is brought back to its shell again. We have been putting great faith and hope in our great leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama for the past many a years and are still doing the very same. Actually he said many times and will say again from time to time about retiring from the political arena of Tibet particularly when she becomes liberated. He expresses this not with tiredness, depression or laziness but with a strong sense of worry and anxiety that if such a thing continues his six million children will never be able to get through the political tempest of a sovereign state in the future.
During the first decade of our negotiation with China from 1979, the Tibetan Exile Government’s envoys were given what the Chinese leaders themselves wanted to give them than what they actually had come for. So at the end of the decade (1996/1997) His Holiness held a general referendum of whether to continue the middle path approach or something new. The outcome of which clearly proved the continuation of the middle path with an overbalanced percentage of 64. The people of Tibet expressed that it was not necessary to hold such referendum as they believed in his middle path and after all in anything he decided and undertook for the resolution of the Tibetan issue.
In 2008, after the Olympics in China our envoys and the Chinese leaders met around one table. They discussed and argued, however like the past seven rounds of talk, nothing but more more-depressed leaders and more-annoyed people could come out as a result of the eighth talk. The cry for His Holiness’ return and the wailing for Free Tibet began in the then March did not ebb and vanish inside Tibet. Instead the slumbering fire inside their hearts got refueled and was flamed once more by this act. So once again His Holiness proposed his government in exile to hold a special meeting to discuss and decide on a better approach to solve the Tibetan issue if possible. And consequently a big meeting called The First Tibetan National General Meeting was held in Upper TCV, inviting participations of Tibetans from all over the world. I am cent percent sure that this must have shaken the foundation of the Communist Chinese mindset though certainly not the base of their physical setup. I do not know whether to say luckily or unluckily, session after session and discussion after discussion they have unanimously came to the same starting point as if their process of sessions and discussions was also as round as the earth itself.
Moreover, recently in His Holiness’ message to 14th Tibetan Parliament in Exile on March 14th he expressed his decision of resigning from the crest-political authority of Tibet. This is not the first time His Holiness expressed such planning of his for the future Tibet. There must be a reason, or in other words, a silver lining which the eye of our common mind cannot observe in his from time and again insistence on this. He descended to say “…No system of governance can ensure stability and progress if it depends solely on one person without the support and participation of the people in the political process. One man rule is both anachronistic and undesirable….” But our parliament, despite the fact that His Holiness has stepped into the threshold of 75 years of age, passed a resolution requesting him to reconsider his decision. However His Holiness rejected the resolution on 19th March while addressing a gathering in the Tibetan Main Temple at Mecloedganj. His Holiness said that his intention was neither from a wish to shirk responsibility nor because he was disheartened but to help Tibetans for better prepare themselves to face long term challenges. He furthered “I am a Tibetan and more precisely I am Tibetan born in Amdo region of Tibet. So there is no way I can disassociate myself from the Tibetan cause. In the future if an urgent need arises. I will always be ready to serve the cause.”
Heedless of His Holiness ‘wish and helpless of His Holiness’ persistent adherence to his decision. Our parliament finally had to formally passed a resolution to accept his proposal and to amend the Charter of the Tibetans in exile. But still their diehard wishes seem to not vanish unless and until he is given at least some political connection to Tibetans on actual ground as though he is otherwise forever going to be isolated from the Tibetan political issue. They have included in this resolution an agreement to hold a Second Tibetan National General meeting around the end of May to try to still accommodate a special symbolic position for His Holiness in the Charter of Tibetans in Exile. What would again be the fruit of this meeting? Would it give birth to a brother of the First General Meeting??
As far as my little knowledge is concerned, I am indeed devoid of merit on why the Tibetan Parliament in Exile goes this much far on this subject. If they regard His Holiness as a living Buddha then there is no reason they do not listen to his predictions. If they are thinking of him as a high human being, then there is far more no logic in trying to burden him with politics even in his late seventies. I do not notice from any Tibetan history book where Tibetans have gained from not accepting and adhering to His Holiness’ messages. Can any expert on Tibetan History point out such an incident to me???
