My best greetings and Tashi Deleg to the new Speaker and to all those members of parliament who have made their presence in this 7th session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
I have not only spoken many times about the current situation inside Tibet and our position with regard to it, but have also explained in detail about these in my recent statement during the 10 March anniversary. Trusting that all of you are aware of these, I am not going to repeat here what I have already mentioned earlier.
In the recent weeks — in keeping with the current critical situation inside Tibet and coinciding with the anniversaries of the Tibetan people’s peaceful uprising and 50 years of our exile life — parliaments of many countries which include the European and American parliaments have, taking great interest in the issue of Tibet, passed substantive resolutions and clearly demonstrated their solidarity with us Tibetans. Not only has this gesture served as the source of inner strength for all the Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet, but it has also helped the cause of Tibet considerably.
Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile is the most important institution of Tibetan democracy in exile. It should, therefore, do its best to establish contacts with the union and state parliaments of the countries who cherish justice. And in order to raise their understanding of the past and the present status of Tibet, as well as the future aspirations of the Tibetan people, it is important for the Tibetan parliament to work harder than ever before to disseminate information in these countries and also initiate relevant constructive programmes so as to obtain their effective support.
Moreover, in order to raise the level of Tibetan experiment with democracy and for the effective undertaking of legislative works, the members of parliament should — in addition to respecting the democratic principles and rule of law — openly and broad-mindedly engage in extensive discussions aimed at the betterment of the community as a whole by properly following the dos and don’ts of the Buddhist concept of “four kinds of reliance”.
I pray for the smooth functioning of the current session of the Tibetan parliament. May the wellbeing of all sentient beings be assured!
The Dalai Lama
17 March 2009
—-
N. B. This is an unofficial translation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s message to the 7th session of the 14th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. If there is difference between this and the Tibetan original, please treat the latter as authoritative and final.
