CUTS hero questions Tibetan Prime Minister

[Admin]

Nice new short piece out by our latest op-ed contributor, Jangchup Wangmo. Wangmola hails from Vancouver and has been observing the Tibetan situation for many years with a lot of frustration for the lack of progress that has been made. Though personally not a Shugden practitioner, Wangmola agrees with some of the views on this site (and disagrees with some of them too) and wanted to contribute to it.

In contributing an op-ed piece and speaking up for the Tibetan people, Wangmola hopes to encourage more Tibetan youths to set aside the divisions that their elders have imposed on them, to objectively consider the future they now have to wrestle with, and to add to the growing chorus of voices who are increasingly dissatisfied with their leadership and want to make a change. The world today is very different to the post-exile life that awaited their grandparents and parents, it is time the Tibetan youth take active charge of their future.

We hope to receive more articles like this from Wangmola, and from other Tibetan sources in the future. Submissions are accepted from the public and can be sent to [email protected] for consideration.

CUTS hero questions Tibetan Prime Minister
By: Jangchup Wangmo

On July 14, 2017, the Tibetan Prime Minister Sikyong Lobsang Sangay visited the Central University of Tibetan Studies (CUTS) in Varanasi, India. Varanasi is known throughout the world to be an intellectual powerhouse; many of India’s political and philosophical greats spent time there studying or teaching.

For many students, this visit has become memorable and regardless of who you ask, it is mostly for the wrong reasons. The Sikyong’s visit to the university was marked by two incidents. The first was news that a 20-year-old CUTS student, Tenzin Choeying, had attempted to self-immolate. Saying that it was for the Tibetan cause, he also made it a point to state it was not the Prime Minister’s fault and that he was doing a good job. This statement however, has drawn doubt and ire from many quarters of the Tibetan community, who question why he even felt the need to utter a statement like that. If someone is doing a good job, if there is no possibility of them being blamed for it, then there would be no reason to bring it up at all. Sadly, the Tibetan community lost another brother when Choeyingla finally succumbed to his injuries six days later, with 90% burns all over his body.

This young man asked three questions of the Sikyong. It was a very brave move considering students at the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) School in Dharamsala had previously suffered an interrogation session after they questioned their Prime Minister too. Or perhaps being young and not an adult protects him to a certain degree, since Tibetan adults who have spoken their minds have frequently found themselves on the receiving end of violent repercussions for doing so.

The second incident that has been said to have marred Sikyongla’s visit is when students had an opportunity to question their Prime Minister. One young man in particular, stepped up to the podium and asked the Prime Minister some tough but fair questions. This is not the first time the Sikyong has had to field such questions from the youth. In 2014, while visiting the Tibetan Children’s Village (TCV) in Dharamsala, teenagers questioned the Sikyong’s policies and actions towards Dorje Shugden worship.

Instead of being rewarded for fair and open-minded thinking, the TCV students were hauled up in front of the authorities and interrogated as to why they had questioned the Sikyong in such a manner. Imagine if the leader of any other democratic nation did that to their children, and the kind of uproar that would ensue. Imagine the uproar that would ensue if former US President Barack Obama arranged for students to be interrogated each time they asked him difficult questions at town hall meetings. In a real democratic country, bullying and intimidating the youth would never be accepted. Yet, under the Tibetan regime, this is commonplace to the point it takes place without question.

This latest incident at CUTS however, proves that when exposed to more and different sources of information, Tibetan youths are just as capable as any other nation’s youths in arriving at logical conclusions and asking the right questions. They just need to be given a chance to learn about everything and anything without repercussions, and not be penalized each time they want to explore other avenues of thought or viewpoints, as their elders so often experience. For Tibetan adults like Lukar Jam and Jamyang Norbu, they know all too well the price a Tibetan pays for speaking their mind, and for speaking the truth, especially if that truth has not been sanctioned by the leadership. Vandalized property, being run out of the settlements, being dangerously labelled as anti-Dalai Lama and anti-Tibet, and having a smear campaign launched against you is just a start.[/size]

Translation
That student says that “I have many questions but I am going to ask my three main questions to Sikyong. With great respect, my first question is to Sikyong that a few years ago, I think I heard from Radio Free Asia that you said, “I went to all the [Tibetan] settlements, to all the universities but I’ve never been to Varanasi [University].” So, today you are here. Are you complete now?

My second question is that it seems like you [Sikyong] are interested in external territories more than internal territories. You go abroad to many places for Tibet’s projects and therefore you are like Samdhong Rinpoche, and that is affecting and harming our internal territory. So what I wanted to tell you is, a few months ago, there was a meeting between the Parliament and the Sikyong and many other members about the serious topic of Tibet. All the members and you yourself are chosen by the public.

The public has hopes in and believes all of you to be good members of parliament. That is why the public voted for you and put you all in this position. So the public were watching that meeting but in the meeting, members of Parliament were so disrespectful to each other. Some were sleeping while others were speaking. Some people just walked away. Even you walked away during meeting and I saw that in the video. That’s what I found is very disrespectful to others as well as to the public, who support you to be their leader.

Third, in brief, you previously said that you will invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Potala Palace. Now you have four years left [to the end of your term]. When will you invite His Holiness to the Potala Palace? Do you have any plans for this?”

For those who are familiar with the Tibetan language, they will immediately recognize the humor present in the young man’s style of questioning... read more: http://www.dorjeshugden.com/all-articles/features/cuts-questions-tibetan-prime-minister-not-ready

[SabS]

Finally, it seems that the youths being exposed to the world's culture are daring to speak up against poor governance. The CUTS youth is so skillful that he is able to put his pointed questions across with light humour. Why would the Prime Minister, who is supposedly well-seasoned as a Harvard graduate and starting his second term of governance, shuns answering questions? Either he is inept or he is absolutely guilty of the accusations against him and his leadership. Sikyong is making the Tibetans in Exile look incompetent and weak. Now majority of the world sides with China over the once popular Dalai Lama and Sikyong is fast losing their source of ludicrous sponsorships. Even their strongest ally in India is fast becoming a bane with the possibility of India striking trade agreements/partnerships with China. Where will the Tibetans In Exile be if that becomes the case?

After so many years of hiding their incompetence and self serving policies, the Tibetan In Exiles' leaders are quickly losing their grips with the advent of their people's exposures to social media and the news/information provided. With better understanding, their people are more confident to speak up for their rights, including religious rights to practice. In order to hide their failures, CTA had diverted the focus onto the shocking illogical ban of their authentic religious practice of Dorje Shugden. With this ban, their people were forced to conform and obey with threats of physical harm, ostracism, segregation, discrimination and persecution. As their people begin to learn more from social media on the truth of Dorje Shugden and his practices, they will see how manipulative and corrupted their government leaders are. Certainly, this does not bode well for the Tibetans in Exile. The Sikyong Lobsang Sangay will need to stop hiding his head in the sand and take a good look at his people to realise youths are fast becoming knowledgeable in the world news & events and not so easily hoodwinked anymore. Stop the blame on Dorje Shugden, lift the ban and reunite your people to your best advantage. Time is not on your side anymore as China grows stronger politically and commercially, making her attractive as an ally. Even India may soon have agreement with China and where will Dharamsala stand?

[DharmaSpace]

It is high time the CTA, stop treating the Tibetans like sheep, not only that, CTA feels the good will they have from the Dalai Lama can cover whatever negative actions that have created within the Tibetan diaspora, from the issue about the 2 Karmapas, corruption, Dorje Shugden issue, Umaylam vs Rangzen. There is always karma, if one creates disharmony and conflicts, that will come back always.

The CTA boat is fast sinking, I pray many Tibetans will not be caught out, in the after affects of a sinking chip called CTA. More Tibetans will rise up and question the CTA, as there seems to be a lot traveling by CTA's leaders but no results. I can't help but think, could Lobsang Sangay be a Chinese agent after all. You cant doing so much and getting little right?

[dsnowlion]

Sooner or later! Does the Sikyong think he can go around "pretending" to be important yet achieve no results? Does he think that all Tibetans are peasants and illiterate?

Tibetans should rise up and speak up. It is after all "democratic" exile government, isn't it?
What does the Sikyong and the CTA expect? Youths are not youths no more and they can see logic and they will speak up and ask questions. Good to see this, rejoice to see this. May more and more SMART Tibetans speak up and share their views, and question what is NOT RIGHT!

You can't keep blaming everything to Dorje Shugden and Shugden practitioners!

I can't help but think, could Lobsang Sangay be a Chinese agent after all. You cant doing so much and getting little right?   

Who knows maybe he is after all a Chinese agent "pretending" to be  Sikyong because honestly what has he done for Tibet/Tibetan lately? What big achievement? Please name one if anyone can.

[Celia]

After all these years, it is clear Dorje Shugden ban just segregate and causes problems within Tibetans. It is not rocket science that unity within Tibetans is crucial in order to progress with the Tibetan cause. Yet, CTA continue to prioritise wasting time and money on promoting anti-Shugden sentiments which divides Tibetans. Glad that more people especially Tibetans are realising this and catching on to CTA's dirty tricks prompting demands for more accountability from CTA. Hope that this trend of Tibetans actively doing something (or more) to improve their chance for a better future continues to escalate.

[vajrastorm]

The CUTS hero must have been pushed to display such great courage as to question the Sikyong on several "sensitive" issues by the attempted self immolation of a fellow CUTS student earlier on in the Sikyong's visit. Many including this young man must have been deeply affected by the dying young fellow university mate saying it was not Sikyong's fault that he had performed self-immolation and that Sikyong had done a good job!

The CUTS hero pointed out the unbecoming way in which Sikyong and other MPs  had behaved  when  important issues about Tibet were being discussed in a serious meeting - walking out or sleeping when an MP was speaking! He also asked when Sikyong would be honoring his promise to invite HH the Dalai Lama to the Potala!

Though forthright, he was respectful. Truly like a breath of fresh air. Did the Sikyong reply?

[Brian Little]

There is no freedom of speech under CTA rule. There is no religious freedom too. All Tibetans get is no freedom unless CTA says yes. Read up and you will know all Dorje Shugden people will be segregated and ostracized by Lobsang Sangay's people, let alone asking questions like this young man did.

[Tenzin K]

This young man show hope for the future of Tibetan. How a democratic country move to another level is by challenging for improvement. He is brave enough but at the same time I’m worried for his safety as we all know how the Tibetan leadership work and how violent they can be if they are being challenged.

Just look at how Tibetan leadership use violence & harassment to discriminate Shugden practitioners, it’s scary. Tibetan leadership never think big as they would prosecute anyone to cover their mistake or anyone that challenge them. Shugden ban is a scapegoat use to cover CTA failure to bring Tibetan back to their homeland. Instead of uniting Tibetan to negotiate with China CTA choose to divide his own people to cover their failure. Has you seen such governance in any other country act like this?

I just hope nothing happen to thius young man and from this many more young people dare to stand up and speak for their right.

[Brian Little]

Thinking of past records, we can surely say he would have been reprimanded and sent for further questioning before being subjected to further abuse before being released off. That itself, there will be messages sent out to warn others that this young man had questioned about CTA and go against The Dalai Lama because he questioned Lobsang Sangay.

[Belinda Mae]

I really salute the students who dared to ask questions that were in their minds. Only the younger generations can stand up and help their people. The older generation will have lesser interest to fight for their rights because they are old and they have already gotten used to it.  Hopefully more and more will speak up and question the Prime Minister and hopefully Lobsang Sangay will take some actions before he lost his votes for future elections.

[Celia]

It is definitely a good sign that more and more are speaking up against CTA’s questionable and obviously problematic decisions. After all, with more and more demanding accountability, CTA will not be able to brush off and dismiss dissenting thoughts simply by playing the anti-Dalai Lama card. CTA also can't continue to easily get away with all of CTA’s lies and deceptions which are harmful to Tibetans including the Dorje Shugden ban.