By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, February 5: The Kashag (Cabinet) of the Tibetan government in exile (Central Tibetan Administration) today issued a clarification regarding the speculations surrounding the postponement of the 34th Kalachakra following “a Prime Ministerial (Sikyong) candidate’s” statement of a reason other than the one given by the Kashag on August 31, 2015.
At a press conference presided over by Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, Secretary of Kashag, Sonam Norbu Dagpo and Tashi Phuntsok, Secretaries of Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR), a statement from the highest office of the Tibetan exile government was read out. However, no questions were taken following the reading of the statement.
“In the lead up to the elections of Sikyong and the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, debates, discussions and review of the Tibetan movement are intensive in the general Tibetan populace. In light of such events, it has emerged in social media and other mass communication channels that a Sikyong candidate has been making baseless allegations and criticism regarding the activities of the 14th Kashag,” the statement said.
Though the statement ran short of naming the incumbent Prime Minister’s opponent in the upcoming elections it was clear who the reference was made as he is the only contender facing the incumbent PM in the polls.
The Kashag categorically mentioned the two occasions on which the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama made references about the reasons to cancel the Kalachakra, the first being at Minnesota immediately after the announcement was made, and the other during a teaching in South India.
“In such a case, talking about a reason differing from the ones already stated by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Kashag is not only just fabrication, but also a dereliction of duty on the part of the individual towards the public and the administration,” the statement read.
The Kalachakra’s postponement has been a subject of much discussion and debate on various platforms but in the past few months it snowballed into a major issue of contention after candidate Penpa Tsering, in response to a question during a campaign talk in Minnesota on January 23, indicated that the postponement of the great religious congregation by a year had other reasons than what was made public by the Kashag headed by his opponent.
In his response to the question from a member of the audience, Penpa Tsering said that he would normally refrain from commenting on it but that since the issue was being raised before him often he would respond. He said an NGO had requested for an acceptance of a longlife offering (Tenshug) to His Holiness who had asked it to be included among the programmes of the Kalachakra in consultation with the Kashag since it was organizing it. Tsering further added that the Kashag were reluctant in giving ‘the NGO’ a platform to offer long-life prayer to His Holiness who, he indicated, was a bit disappointed over the matter becoming political.
However, today’s statement from the Kashag called it “fabrication,” giving details of the developments leading to the decision to postpone the Kalachakra.
The Kashag’s statement today alleged that the candidate’s mentioning of reasons other than what the Tibetan leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama had announced at the recently concluded teachings at Tashi Lhunpo in Bylakuppe was not just false but that it showed “lack of responsibility towards the general public and the administration.”
However, Penpa Tsering said his intentions were not to undermine the Kashag or for personal gains. “What I said was not to disrespect the Kashag or for personal gain. I said what I knew and had the authorities told me the core issue in details, such incidents wouldn’t have occurred,” Penpa Tsering told mediapersons today after the Kashag’s press conference.
The Kashag’s statement also criticized the comments made regarding the offices of Tibet though it has not named the opponent of the incumbent PM. “In spite of being fully acquainted with the issue of using His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s title in the Offices of Tibet and the democratisation process of the Tibetan polity – beginning from the semi-retirement phase in 2001 and the complete devolution of political authority by His Holiness in 2011- is a sign of not taking one’s responsibility appropriately.”
Tsering, however, said his comments were not directed towards criticizing the current Kashag but simply his plans regarding the office of Tibet if voted. “If the Kashag had heard well, what I said was that the Offices of Tibet are the means for our outreach and a big change is happening. I have only mentioned what my plans are if I am voted. I have not commented if it was right or wrong,” said Tsering.
