OPINION
Phuntsog Wangyal* argues that loyalty to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the desire for freedom are not incompatible, that clamouring for Tibet’s independence is not only a matter of political freedom in consonance with our democratic system but also a realistic aspiration, while our experience of the 17-Point Agreement shows that trusting China to respect the terms of any middle way policy deal, even if possible, may be a wishful thinking.
Freedom, democracy and independence are huge issues for which many people have fought and died. Democracy means that a choice of leadership is given to the people (as in the USA and UK) where people argue, debate and formulate policies and then vote to decide which policies have the greatest public support – unlike in North Korea or China where there is only one leader and one party.
In the system of democracy which His Holiness has introduced for the Tibetan people there should be a choice between candidates with different policies. To glorify one person and one set of policies is a contradiction of what His Holiness proposed. To suggest that raising the question of independence for Tibet is a greater threat than that imposed by the Communist Party of China is absurd.
In my opinion His Holiness would view current discussion about independence as a sign of growing maturity in political consciousness rather than as something negative which must be objected to. At the time of His Holiness’s announcing the Strasbourg Statement in the European Parliament I was one of a number of people who disagreed with the statement. At the time I was a volunteer working at the Tibet Office in Zurich and I had the honour of personally speaking with His Holiness and expressing my reservations. His Holiness was kind enough to listen and did not object to my arguments or see them as a sign of disloyalty. Moreover, he suggested that I was free to continue to express my views on the importance of struggling for independence. Later I issued a written statement and Jonathan Mirsky – a renowned journalist on China affairs – interviewed me and published the interview in The Observer newspaper.
Similarly, far from scorning Jamyang Norbu for his pro-independence views, His Holiness graciously met him and stated that it was vitally important “that we unearth historical evidence of Tibet’s independence and make it known, not only to the world but also to the Chinese”. His Holiness added that “without proof of independence, Umaylam (the Middle Way) policy would be like a beggar begging for food”.
Extreme statements like saying “those Tibetans struggling for independence are more dangerous than the Communist Chinese” are absurd and are nothing more than a cowardly attempt to undermine those who have the courage to fight for freedom, democracy and independence. It is unfortunate that such claims seem to come from people close to His Holiness who seem to view every effort for freedom as hostile to His Holiness. This is a shameful distortion and manipulation of the truth. While His Holiness has a personal view of what is spiritually desirable, he has never suggested that the Tibetan people should slavishly follow his every thought. His Holiness withdrew from active politics in 2011, hoping that his people would take more responsibility for political decisions – as happens in other countries. Throughout the democracies of the world a distinction is made between the spiritual life and the political life. Spiritual life deals with life as we ideally wish it to be; political life deals with harsh realities and includes argument, compromise and bargaining.
The Tibetan people’s urge to return to a Tibet that is free and independent has remained unchanged, despite decades of attempts to eradicate or assimilate their way of life into that of a communist and irreligious state. This has been demonstrated over the years by actions such as raising the fist and the Tibetan national flag in defiance, shouting slogans like “Free Tibet” and “China Out” and opposing the CCP by resisting their rule and facing dangers of torture, imprisonment and even sacrificing their lives – as in the cases of self-immolations and many others.
I have personal experience of visiting Tibet many times, from Dartsedo in the east to Ngari in the west, and over a period of more than 28 years. I have witnessed again and again with admiration the Tibetan people’s loyalty to His Holiness AND their determination to be free from living under Chinese communist control. Loyalty to His Holiness and the desire for freedom are not incompatible. Tibetans everywhere are loyal to His Holiness as their religious leader but they also want political freedom. Despite theoretical claims by the communist powers that we are all equal, we all know that the Chinese have always treated Tibetans as second-class citizens. Our way of life, our religion and family values and traditions have been turned upside down, and false accusations, arbitrary detention, torture and the execution of completely innocent Tibetans continue to this day. Tibetans in Tibet do not trust the communist party to be fair and impartial or to treat us as equals and for those of us lucky enough to live in the free world to go on believing that if we give up our struggle, the CCP will somehow miraculously change and grant us the freedom to live our own lives is pie in the sky. It is not going to happen.
The free world has over decades witnessed the Tibetan people’s courage and is sympathetic to Tibet’s right to determine its own future. His Holiness also has time and again expressed his admiration for the Tibetan people’s courage and determination “not to give up”. We must not play into the hands of the CCP and fall into the jaws of the Chinese dragon. Deception and creating confusion are China’s most effective tools for destroying its enemies – they were used to win over the Nationalists in the past and are currently being used to win over the Taiwanese.
This is not the time to talk about different views held by different sections of our community and to score points in insignificant arguments. Our division helps only the CCP. The REAL issue is that the people of Tibet are clearly deeply unhappy and are suffering under the rule of the CCP which disregards their wishes to preserve their language and culture, to preserve their religious heritage and natural environment and resources, and to protect their children from communist propaganda which has the intention ultimately to erase our distinctive culture. It is our duty – and especially the duty of those Tibetans who live in the free world – to preserve our culture for the benefit of the whole world.
Submitting to the aggressor has led us in the past to submit to signing the 17-point Agreement in exchange for the promise not to change the Dalai Lama’s status. It led us to agree not to raise the question of “Independence” in the hope of being able to break the deadlock in negotiations over our status. In both cases the CCP reneged on its promises and left us looking weaker and incompetent. Our confusion benefits only the CCP.
The Tibetan government and the people must find a common long-term goal in seeking complete independence. We must find a strategy to unify the Tibetan community in order to sustain our Tibetan culture and way of life. The struggle for independence is challenging and may be long, but there is nothing that cannot be achieved if we are prepared to endure hardship and move forward together. There are some who say that China with its population advantage of more than a billion is too powerful to challenge but size is not everything as Vietnam, East Timor and Bhutan illustrate. There is a saying that “Little folks have felled great oaks” – meaning that small numbers of people – IF UNITED AND DETERMINED – can cause great trees to fall.
It is time also for us to remember the law of impermanence. Nothing remains the same forever. The great British Empire on which the sun never set has ended; the seemingly all-powerful Soviet Union disintegrated after 70 years; and more recently feared dictators like Saddam Hussain and Colonel Gaddafi were overthrown. We are witnessing gradual changes in China. The economy of the CCP is failing; countries once befriended by China now see China as an enemy to be wary of; and the Chinese people no longer have trust in their own government. The writing is on the wall that the CCP leaders are losing the confidence of their own people as the crack in the communist system grows wider.
Light will shine after the passing of the darkness of night and truth will ultimately prevail over the forces of evil. Blessed are those who fight for the freedom of their homeland; blessed are those who unite with their fellowmen in resisting aggression. Now is not the time to squabble but to unite.
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* Phuntsog Wangyal is a former representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and a former member of Tibetan Parliament in Exile