By Renato Palmi
South Africa: Another opportunity was lost for Tibet in South Africa when China’s premier Wen Jiabao visited South Africa in June.
Here was an opportunity for the “Tibet Supporters”, who talk about their support for Tibet and love of the Dalai Lama to show in some form this support. Where were the voices of the thousands that flock to hear and see the Dalai Lama when he visits this country? Do they only select what they want to hear and close their ears and shut off their compassion when he talks about the plight of the Tibetan people. Do they still believe in their imagination that Tibet is Shangri-La? How can they purport to say that they love everything that is Tibetan when they will do nothing and say nothing for the Tibetan people inside Chinese occupied Tibet?
These individuals are not the only ones that are insincere when it comes to their seemingly support for Tibet. Where was the voice of Tony Leon, the leader of the opposition in parliament and the voice of his party the Democratic Alliance? Was the media fanfare around him visiting Dharamsala and meeting with the Dalai Lama when Leon said, “the continued struggle of the Tibetan people [is] a vital one” a sham and an opportunity to exploit the Tibetan struggle and the Dalai Lama for him and his party? Where was the voice of Ben Skosana of the IFP that accompanied Tony Leon to meet with the Dalai Lama? Where was the voice of Mangosuthu Buthelezi the leader of the IFP who was an invited guest of the Tibet government-in-exile to the 2005 Parliamentarians for Tibet Conference?
Earlier this year members from the Tibetan government–in-exile flew to South Africa to be present at the inaugural opening of the Tibetan Friendship Group initiated by the IFP and DA. Why did these parties not use their influence and their presence in parliament to condemn China’s human and economic violations inside Tibet? Wen Jiabao’s visit to this country provided a platform to discuss the issue of Tibet but they failed and I have to ask why?
What is Dharamsala going to do about this silence on the part of political parties and individuals that publicly declare their support for the Tibetans yet do not act? Will they just leave it and move on or will they investigate the reasons that South Africans across the spectrum were so silent and find ways to change this inexcusable behaviour? If they do not then I am afraid that the issue of Tibet will never be taken seriously but will continue to be exploited and manipulated for personal gain by certain individuals.
Note: Renato Palmi writes in his private capacity.
