By Mila Rangzen
Things are happening in Tibet today that rip my heart apart.
‘Independence-lessness’ has always been one of them. Back in 1985 at Bodhgaya
we were reassured by the Dalai Lama that the dawn of independence had arrived
and that the sunrise of independence was a matter of minutes. 27 years later
today we find neither the dawn nor the sunrise of independence. Both eluded us
somehow. Instead what we witness in Tibet is Chinese armed police striking
spiked batons on innocent selfless Tibetans who self-immolate crackdowns on
peaceful protesters and torturous death for the political prisoners who all
screamed for independence in unison.
Instead of reviewing the policy of middle way, insinuations
pour out from Dharamsala that the Tibetan youth are somewhat violent and that
Katri Sangay would not negotiate the values of non violence and democracy. When
China-the enemy accuses us of being violent, it’s one thing but when our own
“TGIE” implies us being so, it’s disturbing to say the least. Let us not do
this rabbit sky fall worry about exile Tibetans going violent because we are
simply lacking courage or incapable of long-term calculating political violence
that needed to be started from scratch with help from none, what we are
absolutely capable of is cheap temperamental disco fights at parties where
couples come to have a good time. Yes, on the state of our quasi-democracy, we
shall go beyond what’s often discussed in thesis or everyday conversations. And
when we do lead, I hope we can count on those who taught us how important it is
that somebody leads so others may follow that finally Tibetan people not only
have $4 million Mercedes Benz of democracy but also the key-the party system. I
hope both Kashag and Chithue will be happy to support on this revolutionary
constitutional changes. Yes, there are some cons on this issue but they can be
taken care of to the democratic satisfaction of the Tibetan world. This 2700
year old Greek democracy is great in many ways but we don’t have to copy all.
We can always improvise to suit our needs while at the same time not
compromising on systematic support to individual aspirations that party system
can avail.
Admit it or not Tibetans in Tibet are outnumbered by Chinese
in almost every town with a ratio of almost 3 to 1 and the country as a whole
with the ratio of almost 2 to 1 which is itself a shocking ratio, 10 million
Chinese colonists against 6 million Tibetans–far above what was then the 1974
post-guerrilla campaign average of 300,000 Chinese mostly settled along the
eastern borders with 1/2 of them were probably troops stationed in the
Himalayan border. Since the Chinese statistics on anything Tibet is unreliable,
and until independent surveys are allowed I use common sense which is not so
common these days! Even if the Chinese population inside rose from 7.5 million
in 1990 to 10 million now the entire fault lies with middle way policy of
appeasement that made no attempt to prevent the Chinese population transfer
policy as it has always been worried it could upset the happiness of Chinese
colonizers! No wonder we need the separation of church and state.
If only the Dalai Lama had been right, for he proceeded to
abandon our independence struggle in 1987 for his “genuine autonomy” and yet
its success rate has only remained a nice pipe dream. At the moment that I am
writing “TGIE” is twenty seven years into chasing the rainbow of autonomy,
self-immolations and other forms of life sacrifices inside and outside Tibet
have crossed over a thousand where Tibetans have given up the hope of living
for oneself but have taken the courageous route to dying so others may live in
independence. These numbers are not mere abstractions. They represent suffering
and hardship on a grand scale. From 2008 alone we witnessed so many young
people whose lives have been devastated by the continuing occupation. The past
four year encountered defiance and Tibetan ingenuity in the face of adversity.
But it also encountered anguish and tragedy.
With rising crackdowns compounding the strains of a
marginalized people, a great many Tibetans are struggling just to survive the
onslaughts on their soil under foreign siege. Thousands of families have been
lost to torture, prison and death. If you have eyes then you’ve seen far too
much hopelessness in autonomy while too many dreams inside Tibet for
independence need to be supported by our government in concrete actions. Many
lost a family member or a limb of a relative to the undeclared martial law
including everything that they had saved a lifetime to build. If you have the
guts to confront the truth and not be unduly touchy then you have also seen the
fierce moral timidity at Dharamsala, and the politicians who lacking moral
courage to stand up against the legacy of wishful autonomy that led us into
hell holes and who now seem unable to find an exit.
The anger is justified. Things don’t have to be this way. I
believe Tibet can do better. But we can’t do with a band aid solution. Just the
semi democracy alone won’t do. A mere victory of some election seats for a
handful of Rangzen activists alone would not carry far enough. What we need is
an open heart surgery. People need to be freed systematically from captive
mentality. That’s why I am calling for reformation of our political system in
my next piece followed by the founding of Rangzen Party, awareness campaign in
major settlements in India, petition, demands and conditions, time-frame,
demonstration, and hunger strike unto death, self-immolations and many more.
It’s time to descend from the comfort of essays, speeches and poetry (these are
great work indeed) to the concrete Gangkyi Square. Simultaneously, activism
must target CCP designs. In 1969, the year I was born, Chinese population
inside Tibet was 4 percent. In 1987, when I turned 18, it was 50 percent. Today
Tibetan population stands at only 40 percent. The answer to the Socratic why is
our policy that lacked any determination to have had any teeth. Instead it
glorified and it still does in dashing our collective forehead down the slope
to the concrete threshold of the so called great hall of China as triumph!
However, let’s not forget all the acknowledgement of world
historians particularly by the ancient Chinese and Persian records of the
Tsenpo era in history when our imperial greatness was galloping along at high
speed, creating the pride that made our country one of the military powers in
the history of the Asia. We’ve done things right in the past. We did not kill
women and children in wars like Genghis khan, not a Muslim, did 500 years later
in the 13th century to the Chinese, the Persians and to many other peoples
around the globe in his divine quest for world domination. We taught the bad
guys a lesson to the extent that they realized it was in their best interest to
hold any urges for aggression within their own borders. We can do things right
once again. We have recovered from invasions before. Indeed, the Tibetan
independence spirit has repeatedly proved to be extraordinarily resilient
especially inside Tibet. After we hit rough road, as in the early years of 20th
century, the independence came roaring back in 1913 with a leader like Tsarong,
a common man from Phenpo who rose through the ranks of Kudrak and proved the
best general by not only ensuring a safe passage to India for the 13th dalai
lama and his entourage in 1910 from the ensuing Chinese troops but also kicking
every Chinese rear out of the country.
But we’ve now gone through 63 consecutive years without
independence. That’s the longest such spell in our entire two millennium of
recorded history, and the end is not in sight. With the development of arms and
technology that the Chinese possess, Tibet today is facing a far more sorry
condition than from those in place in the early 20th century when communication
and transportation were snail paced. Hope for autonomy is simply not there.
With things so excruciatingly painful this time around, it is worth inquiring
why autonomy is impossible and more importantly why we often stick our head out
right under a dangling sword made in china.
Big part of the answer has to do with the change in the
political direction which has thrown us into the abyss of hopelessness. Badly
misguided policies swinging between safeties and hopes with almost zero action
in time made the invasion a piece of cake for the Chinese. Such policy hasacted
as a severe drag on the growth of independence. We can count here the binge of
autonomy and appeasement that has lost our confidence about the
creditworthiness of the middle way policy that led to unprecedented downgrade
of our people’s political vision. We can also count the vast expansion of
costly moves that undermine our independence struggle. When the price of
independence struggle rises, it does not come as a surprise that many in exile
wonder what good it would do if our leadership is hell bent on dragging us and
our future generations to a hell of autonomy from where there is no return,
that is if it ever happens and it will not, but meanwhile in its deluded state
of mind, “TGIE” continues to pour our national resources however limited it
might be in to a giant septic tank.
In addition to the administration’s blunders are its missed
opportunities—paths not taken that should have been taken. We have been sleep
walking through a period of extraordinary loss of political vision. In so many
decades, from remaining indifferent to the first Chinese attack in north east
in 1949 to surrendering sovereignty in 1951 to refusing to arm the 6 million
civilians, from refusing to seek US military help in 1957 or even earlier to
sitting, waiting and hoping time will take care of the crisis, from abandonment
of independence struggle to middle way policy of appeasement, our leadership
has only added to the lack of clarity of purpose and the uncertainty of vision
that resulted in more than 1.2 million deaths with no dialogue of substance.
This is the down side of having a timid pacifist leadership in a world driven
by pure politics and power where hope based on going down on knees and
expecting result from the goodwill of the enemy is not only naïve but pitiable
and laughable. There is nothing wrong in hoping per se but it must be based on
strengthening our struggle. In terms of feasibility, both are tough since they
have to come from the same big evil called China. The most dramatic
illustration came in 2011 when both the head of the state and “TGIE’ were
dissolved with a single stroke. Appeasement is the enemy of growth, life and
independence. Unfortunately, appeasement has been the hallmark of the middle
way policy. It is not that independence doers do not believe in dialogue but we
believe it must be done from a position of strength, not weakness.
The fact that China showed some interest in the dialogue in
the 70s was due to the militancy in Mustang that was; however small scale it
was, posing a threat to the Chinese interests and position. The current mantra
of dialogue, understanding and mutual cooperation from Dharamsala is all
beautiful words with no legs. It has been practically one sided and it will
remain so for Chinese neither see any reason nor feel any pressure to enter in
to a serious substantial dialogue. Nonetheless, they find it useful to carry on
the facade of dialogue to ward off international criticism and play for time.
Unfortunately with eyes wide shut we take it as a victory to play into their
hands. Why? If any one can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the motive of
the key figures in “TGIE” is tainted with personal monetary or political
interests, do so now with solid evidence and I for one stand behind your
position.
As we move forward, a fundamental question before us is the
proper role of the “TGIE” in our political life. The Katri Sangay appears to
believe that “TGIE” can do a lot better job by just creating some international
awareness through his year round travels than actually supporting his people
gasping and struggling for independence by initiating the carving of
independence on the rock of Tibetan charter as the ultimate political goal and
travel from there. I disagree. Dharamsala has become an impediment, if not an
all out cahoots with CCP, to the realization of independence. Extracting the overreaching hand of “TGIE”
will not be easy. Ignorant, faith driven and political cronies in “TGIE” will
fight every step of the way. But it is not a battle from which we can shrink.
We must restore the independence goal and “TGIE” through a
secular bicameral two party system which, in addition to serving democratic
justice to its people, will also help to cripple every Chinese moves that is if
Rangzen Party wins the elections and runs the government in 2016. “TGIE” has
become bloated to the point of embarrassment. It needs to be carried back and
redirected. Instead of implying and stifling independence activists as violent,
it must encourage the growth of independence movement and the people who give
up everything to realize it.
Autonomy is not working. Middle way policy is a failure. The
toothless dog of middle way has failed miserably to deliver the pork of
autonomy on the table. Why? In addition to being toothless, it is chasing an
imagined boar in its fanciest dream! No wonder this thrice removed from reality
is bearing no fruit at all. My entire life experience convinces me that with a
leadership that fundamentally understands independence, and with the honor,
intelligence, courage, commitment of the Tibetan people, we will right the
wrongs, fight the evils in Tibet and regain independence and restore the
promise of the future with a government of the Tibetans, for the Tibetans and
by the Tibetans in the form of secular bicameral two party system in a
democratic republic of Tibet!
I believe in Tibet. We have always been a land of
exceptional leaders and creation. We produced Nyatri Tsenpo, Tsongtsen, Thumi
Sambota, Thangtong Gyalpo, Gedun Chompe, Andruk Gompo, and Milarepa who flew
from Dhingrey to Everest top, where even eagles dared not fly to, without a
machine attached to his body! We created tsampa, bhakthu, sho, chupa and
woordho! We even protected the nature and the wildlife with an enlightening
ancient system of regulations that even modern environmentalists learn from
with awe and envy. With a single letter we brought the Chinese emperor to his
knees offering Songtsen their hottest princess to play with! These reflect our
singular capacity for growth, dignity and life.
Nor is it an accident that the productivity of most of the
moral teachings of Tibetan Buddhism minus the unprovable belief system laced
with superstitions remains unparalleled worldwide among people with intellect
and openness. Yet it is also responsible for the death of the martial spirit of
our people within the immediate control of the aristocrats who at their best
cared more about wine, women and music than the continuation of the martial
spirit of the Yarlung warriors, and at their worst including the clergy
infighting for hereditary powers that required the absolute subjugation of the
masses from Kongpo to Ngari over which their control remained permanent since
time immemorial.
To this day since 2008 I have hardly heard of protests in
Kongpo, Tsang, Ngari and Toe. Any clue as to why? Fight for independence is not
the responsibility of just Dhomey, Dhotoe and U alone but of all of us tsampa
eaters from every other valley in Tibet. However, the dynamism of our community
as a whole is renowned around the world in that we the stateless people thus
far have survived as a virtual nation thanks to the courageous effort of Andruk
Gompo inside Tibet and intelligent effort of the Dalai Lama in exile. We should
build upon our strengths, not burden them with rationalizations and dependence
on the venom to cure the heart of our nation. My salute goes to the Tibetans in
Lhasa and several valleys around it, many areas in Dhotoe, many regions in Dhomey
especially Ngaba town-the nerve center of protests and self-immolations. We
have no right to force people to protest but when they do in whatever way they
chose to do, my heart goes to them. Independence is not free nor is it an
instant coffee. However, their sacrifice keeps the flame of independence
burning against a powerful evil wind which fails to extinguish it.
There’s much that needs to be done and done quickly to put
Tibet back on the right path. I will share a Dhasa café idea that has so far failed
to hit the ground but focuses on several areas where groundbreaking reform is
urgently needed: secularization, two-party systematization, restoration of
“TGIE”, and independence as our ultimate political goal however strewn with
hardships the path of our struggle might be. The current structure of
“choka-cholug” government is a blockade to a pure representative democracy and
therefore such an undemocratic system of voting and election must be wiped out
by 2015 or there about when the next election campaign kicks off. Change in all
of these areas would be important and beneficial for the future. Taken
together, they hold the potential to reignite our sense of purpose in exile and
to burst independence revolution in every nook and corner of Tibet in every
shape and form possible. So much is at stake: nothing less than the
independence of our great country.
Independence; No more! No less!
NOTE--The author is a
Tibetan American who formerly served with the US Armed Forces as an active duty
member. He can be reached at milarangzen@gmail.com.
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Wow a good detail writing! I was able to sink throught the writer's view.
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