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The format of this round of democratic elections in Tibetan communities should be applauded. The elections are being carried in accordance to democratic procedures. In other words, the candidates are directly elected by the voters. However, the problem lies in how a political system which combines religious and state institutions can coordinate a democratic political administration. For example, in the past, when major events occurred in Tibet, séance ceremonies were practically unavoidable. Important Oracles like Gnas-chung were consulted. To an outsider, this seems like an ignorant and superstitious practice, but according to Tibetan Buddhism, not even the Dalai Lama can violate the precognitions of the oracles. If we assume that the sacred Kalachakara Dus-‘khor teaching given by the Dalai Lama each year is not superstitious, then we must assume that the same is true of seeking the precognitions of oracles. Yet, with the rise of democratic institutions, should the opinions of the parliament and the Dalai Lama or the oracles be at odds, whose opinion will take precedence? Outsiders believe that public opinions should be the determining factor. However, in a society with values shaped by Tibetan Buddhism, when the precognitions of oracles are transformed into public opinion, Tibetan society could be on the verge of collapse.
This election will mark the first time that the premiere will not be appointed directly by the Dalai Lama, but rather chosen through a democratic election. As a result, there are more candidates than expected, running for both premiere and parliament member seats. This is because the required amount of signatures for a letter of declaration is too low. Candidates only need to get the signatures of a dozen so eligible Tibetan voters. To gain eligibility to vote, Tibetans must pay poll taxes to the Dalai Lama’s government. This allows some room for maneuvering. The exiled Tibetans who are unable or unwilling to pay their taxesoften reach implicit agreements with candidates who pay their taxes for them. Moreover, since the number of signatures required for candidates seeking seats on the parliament member is so low, past elections have been rife with bribery and vote buying. The election committee has been unable to deal with this kind of practice. We applaud democratic institutions which give the people the ability to supervise their government. However, the Tibetans can choose to develop a democratic system that reflects the development of traditional Tibetan culture. They do not necessary have to follow the Western democratic model.
The official Election Day is set for March 20th, less than a month away. There were four leading candidates in the preliminary premiere election. Among them, Lobsang Senge led with 30,000 votes. To everyone’s surprise, the Dalai Lama’s favored candidate Tenzin Tethong only earned 10,000 votes. Lobsang Senge, a Harvard graduate, has led the way in determining the key issues. The reputations of the other more traditional candidates are less than remarkable. The main issues promoted by Lobsang Senge have included people's livelihood, education and social problems. Thus, he has moved beyond the ideology of struggling for independence which has overshadowed all other issues in the past. Though it is still difficult to predict who will emerge victorious in the premiere election, Lobsang Senge has already earned his place in the history of Tibetan elections. We can say that if Logsang Senge is elected as premiere, it means that the exiled Tibetans have already grown weary of the path that the Dalai Lama has been guiding them down over the past half century. Even more, they are hoping for solutions to real-life problems. After all, caught up in the current of modern thinking, young Tibetans do not want to be refugees forever and they do not want to go on relying on the good graces of others for the rest of their lives. If any of the traditionalist candidates are elected (the most notable of whom being the highly qualified Tenzin Tethong), it means that, regardless of the individual qualifications of the candidates themselves, the preferences of the Dalai Lama still hold sway. That is, the Dalai Lama is still very influential. This election has yet another variable. To date, Lobsang Senge has yet to criticize China’s Tibet policy. Thus, there are rumors circulating that he already reached an understanding with China. (to be continued) |