Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, Sept. 11: As the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile convened its eighth session in Dharamshala on Wednesday, nearly 1,000 Tibetans from the Indian subcontinent and abroad, under the banner of ‘The Advocacy of the General Public for the Sustainability of CTA,’ made a direct appeal to lawmakers. They called for urgent amendments to the Charter of the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) to enable the appointment of the Chief Justice Commissioner and two judges to the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission (TSJC), the apex judicial body of the CTA.
The group stressed the urgency to appoint the Chief Justice Commissioner and two additional justices of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission (TSJC) to establish a robust judiciary capable of administering oaths for future leadership of the exile Tibetan government.
In a press conference on Monday, the advocacy group stated that if the charter amendment is not enacted in this session of the parliament, they plan to set in motion a series of action plans including; Call for the resignation of all the 45 current members of parliament; Begin a hunger strike campaign; Submit a petition to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, invoking his authority under Article 1(ii) of the Charter; Campaign for equal voting rights for MPs from religious sects, Call for changes to be made to the allocation of standing committee members, and the right for overseas Tibetan representatives to be on the standing committee.
The ongoing session of the current parliament, also known as the ‘General session’ will deliberate on the activities and workings of each department of the CTA. On the first day of the session on Wednesday, Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, in his address, reminded parliament of the vital role the democratic system plays in Tibetan governance, a system bestowed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He urged Tibetans to work towards fulfilling the Dalai Lama’s aspirations, particularly his four commitments.
The Speaker also expressed gratitude for international support, citing the passage of the Resolve Tibet Act in the US, a motion supporting Tibetan self-determination in Canada, the Australian Parliament’s raising of the Tibetan issue, and the formation of a convener and co-convener for the All Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet.
CTA’s executive head, Sikyong Penpa Tsering responded to many questions from parliamentarians, particularly issues related to the Department of Religion and Culture. Key among them was the issue of reincarnation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. President Tsering emphasized that the current Kashag has prepared measures to prevent interference from China on the matter and that his administration has drafted a ‘blue book’ outlining strategies for managing national emergencies.
