By Choekyi Lhamo
DHARAMSHALA, Sept.10: Tashi Topgyal who ran for Sikyong elections in 2016 announced his candidature on Wednesday through his official Facebook account. He said education, unity and Tibetan identity are the three most important issues for him to resolve the Tibet issue.
He asserted the need to attract Chinese government’s attention to recognize the Middle Way Approach (MWA) under the leadership of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and said the issue of self-immolations in Tibet is a reminder of the continuous Tibetan struggle to preserve Tibetan Buddhism and culture.
Topgyal called himself a “shepherd” capable of running the office following 10 years of administration by Prof. Samdong Rinpoche and a decade by Dr. Lobsang Sangay. He said it is a crucial time to be vocal about the Tibetan cause and noted that Tibetans in exile have a discouraged tone while discussing issues related to Tibet. He emphasized the need to make China understand that we are a strong community that can dismantle the Chinese regime.
He also remarked that no outsider can know the struggle of a Tibetan refugee living in India and that under his leadership, he will unite all Tibetans under his supervision.
The businessman said he will offer all the fellow candidates for a place in his cabinet if he gets elected as acknowledgment for their services to the community. Topgyal claimed that he is not driven by his own interests but for the interest of the Tibetan people.
One Response
“No outsider can know the struggle of a Tibetan refugee living in India”. Very true, especially when outsiders can not even fathom why people would choose to self immolate. The holocaust survivors in the beginning did not want to talk about what they went through because obviously it is extremely painful. The physical scars can heal with time in some cases, the emotional scars always remain under the surface. But, one has to give them credit for not letting the world forget. Otherwise, we just endlessly end up repeating the same atrocities.