Commemorating the 49th anniversary of Democracy day, Tibetans here in New York gathered together at Circular Espanol Hall to observe this important day. Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York & New Jersey organized this day with a community discussion on 2011 Kalon Tripa election. The exiled Tibetan leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama declared democracy for Tibetans in 1960. The Tibetans in exile will go for Kalon Tripa polls in 2011.
‘Keeping in mind the importance of public involvement and an effort to bring out major voters turnout in such elections, RTYC has organized this panel discussion to create more awareness among the general public, said Mr. Nawang Tashi, president of RTYC NY & NJ. He also said that education should not be limited to just suffice one’s personal need, it should be much more than that.
Professor Ming Xia from the City University of New York (CUNY) also expressed his view and said that we should celebrate democracy day with great joy and optimism. Professor Ming Xia teaches Political science, Economics and Philosophy at College of Staten Island (CUNY).
Three important personalities from the exile Tibetan community were invited for the discussion. Kasur Lobsang Nyandak, representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the Americas, Dr. Lobsang Sangay, a research fellow in the East Asian Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School, and Professor Nawang Thondup Narkyid were on the panel. Each panelist shared his views on various subjects focusing on a genuine democratic government and being a responsible citizen in choosing the next Kalon Tripa in 2011.
Kasur Lobsang Nyandak in his discussion said that the relationship between Tibet and China is very vital and in future the International pressure on the Chinese government might change the political scenario inside China. He also said that we the Tibetans in exile must take responsibility in choosing our next Kalon Tripa because the next five to ten years are going to be the most crucial to Tibet.
Giving a detailed outline on democracy, Dr. Lobsang Sangay said that democracy is not just an institution or politicians, but the process. He gave the audience a wider perspective of a good leader and explained that a leader should have vision, great communication skill and must be able to inspire people.
The discussion ended with question and answer session between the three panelists and the audience.
Evening was a fun packed entertainment event with live performance from Melong band, one of the aspiring Tibetan music group from Minnesota. Setting the stage on fire, the group performed on their various hit traditional and modern Tibetan songs swaying the crowd. The evening was further continued with fund raising dance party.
