No new ministers appointed, committee to examine sustainability of finance company as Tibetan parliament concludes session

(TibetanReview.net, Apr01’22) – The 17^th Tibetan Parliament in Exile (TPiE) concluded its third session on Mar 31 with among other things resolutions to constitute a committee to examine the sustainability of the previous Kashag’s much-heralded Gangjong Development Finance Private Limited and to reject a suggestion to eventually close down the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA)’s Narthang printing press which was suffering from a lack of financial viability.

In his detailed presentation on the finance company, Sikyong Penpa Tsering highlighted the company’s dire financial situation and the legal hindrances to overcoming this problem through injection of more fund.

The terms of reference of the committee included the host country’s legal requirements for running such a non-banking finance company, the issue concerning the raising of the capital of the company, the company’s current state of affairs, and whether it could be sustained in future in accordance with its stated objectives.

The committee of five is required to present its report for consideration by the TPiE during its fourth session which is due in September.

The failure of the third session of the 17^th TPiE to amend the Charter to enable the nomination and confirmation of a new Chief Justice Commissioner of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission (TSJC) meant that Sikyong Penpa Tsering did not nominate candidates for confirmation as Kalons (ministers).

The TPiE members who opposed the amendment of the Charter on the qualifications of a candidate for appointment as a justice commissioner of the TSJC did not accept the legitimacy of the existing two justice Commissioners. And the Sikyong did not want to nominate candidates only to get into an unsavory friction with them over the confirmed candidates’ oath-taking issue.

The CTA currently has just three ministers, heading the departments of Information & International Relations, Security, and Education. Sikyong Penpa Tsering fronts for the rest, namely, the departments of Home, Finance, Health, and Religion and Culture.