Sealing its Success; 50 glorious years of Democracy in Exile;India's former Election Commissioner Seals the Success of Tibetan Democracy in Exile
Dharamsala, September 24, 2010: At a momentous event organized by the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) held this evening in Dharamsala, the exile Tibetans along with the Indian and Western supporters celebrated the success of Tibetan Democracy. From a fledgling democracy in September, 1960 to now a successful and thriving democracy, the Tibetan democracy marked 50 glorious years in exile in September this year. Unlike the countless waves of democracies and transitions to liberal democracy in the 20th and into the 21st century that derived from revolutions, wars, decolonization, economic and religious circumstances, the Tibetan democracy burgeoned in a unique manner.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama's vision of a future democratic Tibet saw its first phase of fruition with the establishment of the Tibetan Government in exile in 1959 and the successive establishment of the Tibetan parliament in exile the subsequent year.
The concept of democracy within the exile Tibetan community continues to flourish and innovate even in its 50th year and therefore the TWA organized an exclusive event- 'Sealing its Success; 50 years of Democracy in Exile'. The event was graced by the imminent presence of the chief guest Mr. T.S Krishnamurthy, former Chief Election Commissioner of India. As the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr. Krishnamurthy was an observer to US Presidential elections in the year 2004.
Addressing the gathering of Tibetan government officials, incumbent and former members of the Tibetan parliament, and representatives of various Tibetan NGOs, Mr. Krishnamurthy gave a powerful insight into the challenges of Democracy and said that the Indian Democracy has both good and bad things to offer and that the Tibetan Democracy should imbibe the good ones. "While in all the other evolving democracies, it takes some times for the Government to endow women with voting rights, it is very impressive to see that in the Tibetan Democracy, the Tibetan women are spearheading a pivotal project in the election process" said the distinguished guest Mr. Krishnamurthy.
The guest of honor Mr. Jamphel Choesang the Chief Election Commissioner of the Tibetan Government in Exile lauded the Indian democracy as the most amazing democracy in the world.
The special Guest, Mr. Wilson Lee, the program officer of National Endowment for Democracy (NED) based in Washington, said that the sustenance of Tibetan democracy in exile is essential to safeguard the basic human rights of the Tibetan people.
TWA's president, Dolkar Lhamo Kirti said that much credit for the success of the Tibetan Democracy should be attributed to the magnanimous Indian Democracy which is world's largest and oldest democracy.
The momentous event 'Sealing its Success; 5o years of Democracy in Exile’ also witnessed the launch of the bi-lingual book 'Exile Tibetans' Mass Mock Election and its Findings' and the film with the shared title was premiered. The TWA organized the ‘Mass Mock Election of the Kalon Tripa' in July 6 this year on the occasion of the 75th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Mock Election aimed to raise awareness on the importance of the 2011 Kalon Tripa election. The TWA undertaking sought to encourage Tibetans in the Diaspora to exercise their political rights so as reinforce the foundation of Tibetan democracy.
One of the determinants of a strong democracy is the active participation in the election of the head of government, which for the Tibetan government in exile is the Kalon Tripa and the members of the Tibetan parliament. For Tibetans, participating in the democratic election of the Kalon Tripa is not merely a civic duty but rather taking an active role in affirming the exiled government as the legitimate representative of Tibet and the Tibetan people. TWA deems the Kalon Tripa and parliamentary election, with its primaries next week and the finals finalizing on 20th March 2011, as the great opportunity for democratic participation.
Safeguarding of human rights is fundamental to the Tibetan community in exile and improving voter participation in the democratic election of leaders serves to further strengthen the Tibetan human rights movement. Beginning October this year, TWA will embark on a year-long education campaign targeting the Tibetan populace in the remotest and most vulnerable regions in India, Nepal and Bhutan.
At the forefront of democracy is the natural flair and involuntary effort in being responsible for one's future, as agents of our own destiny, and the collective future of the society. Freedom of expression and the franchise of the ballot are new expressions of the Tibetan practice of non-violence, and this election furthers our self determination and freedom in exile. We call on our Tibetan brothers and sisters around the world to engage, educate and participate in the election of our leaders and take a strident step towards emboldening the Tibetan democracy that will serve as a model for the future democratic Tibet.