By Tendar Tsering
I know every exile Tibetan whose family is inside Tibet is fearing to death praying that the next news of self-immolation from Tibet won't be a member of his or her family, and all of us are literally shedding tears whenever an immolation news reaches exile. Still we have this tendency of quarreling each other based on our ideological differences and provinces, and criticizing our leaders in the name of freedom of speech. If we have really came to exile with the hope of returning back and if we really have the desire to restore our dignity and freedom in Tibet, this is the prime time to join our brothers and sisters back in Tibet. We don't have to flame the fire nor have to join them setting on the fire but we must know merely minor candle light vigils and small solidarity protests in front of the Embassies of the world won't be enough, not even enough to console the families of our self-immolators.
No one knows exactly who is playing the card, but the wind of RFA controversy blow us hard enough to realize that the controversy between independence and autonomy is at the brim to divide our society despite the vibration of unity from the ongoing chain of self-immolations in Tibet. Forgetting ideological differences and fulfilling the wishes of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be the best tribute to the courageous martyrs who are setting themselves on fire in Tibet, and it will be the best solution to rekindle our strength in struggling for a free Tibet. It is not too late. It is just high time to forego these ideological differences, at least in solidarity with the Tibetans inside Tibet.
I know every exile Tibetan whose family is inside Tibet is fearing to death praying that the next news of self-immolation from Tibet won't be a member of his or her family, and all of us are literally shedding tears whenever an immolation news reaches exile. Still we have this tendency of quarreling each other based on our ideological differences and provinces, and criticizing our leaders in the name of freedom of speech. If we have really came to exile with the hope of returning back and if we really have the desire to restore our dignity and freedom in Tibet, this is the prime time to join our brothers and sisters back in Tibet. We don't have to flame the fire nor have to join them setting on the fire but we must know merely minor candle light vigils and small solidarity protests in front of the Embassies of the world won't be enough, not even enough to console the families of our self-immolators.
Beijing is very opportunistic and very diplomatic. It never fails to cease opportunities to divide our society. Despite the wave of self-immolations, and many more in line, and mob of Tibetan monks, youngsters and students in streets, standing brave against the armed Chinese armies, Beijing is confident to mar the ongoing Tibetan revolution without fulfilling the demands of the Tibetan people inside Tibet. Hope they are wrong but leaders in Beijing are positive to use the age old tactic of 'divide and rule'. Beijing calculates to end the Tibetan protests by threatening, tightening securities and deploying more armies into the Tibetan regions. As they are famous for tricks and double games. They are tricking us by building more bars and restaurants, hotels and brothels.
While they are clamping down some monasteries in the north, they are building and rebuilding some other monasteries in the eastern side of Tibet. They say that they are giving religious freedom and taking care of the monasteries in Tibet. But in fact, they are playing tricks and double games. China is aware that our community is fragile to be divided not only based on political ideologies but on religious issues. Show casing and televising that they are renovating the monasteries and giving pensions to the monks, they are dividing the Tibetan community based on religious ideologies. By accusing the Dalai Lama for banning the controversial deity 'Dorje Sicugten', Beijing is building Dorje Shugten monasteries while shutting down the rest of the Tibetan monasteries. Encouraging to oppose the Dalai Lama and exile Tibetans, they are again giving special farming schemes to the Dorje Shugten followers.
After knowing all these things, if we still keep criticizing and blaming each other for not doing some thing effective to end the current tragedy in Tibet or for failing to negotiate with the Beijing government, it would be like paving way for Beijing to weaken our strength by playing the theory of divide and rule.
It is pious and sensible to rightfully stand up for a fellowTibetan but without knowing who is culprit and who is victim, blindly barking in the corridor is no more than an empty vessel. And criticizing our government, just because a US congressman was attacking our political leaders is impious and irresponsible. It is high time for us to believe in our leaders and in our government. Sadly or not, some of us are very loyal to the Dalai Lama, but not to the leaders that he genuinely urges us to be under. Hope we are not playing the double games!
As our famous Beijing based blogger Woeser rightfully said "RFA is responsible for the dismissal of RFA editor Ngapo Jigme, not the CTA," the reporters and sub-editors at RFA are responsible to disclose the name of the culprit to the public. And if Ngapo Jigme is the real victim who needs to be welcomed back to the office, again it is the irreversible responsibility of the staff members of the RFA Tibetan section. Right after Jigme's dismiss, the staff members at RFA have submitted a letter to the RFA director stating their full support to Ngapo Jigme, and urging the director to bring Jigme back to the office with much dignity. Even in the letter, the staff members have vehemently mentioned that they stand 'one' with Ngapo. If they really know that their editor is the victim and if they really stand 'one', with the editor, they all must threaten the RFA director to resign at once if their editor is rightfully not brought back to the office with dignity as deserved.
if there is no one behind the US congressman to pump him, and if he really believes injustice to anyone is threat to justice anywhere, let him take time to investigate and he will be coming out with the culprit in his hand to be stoned in the pubic air.
Editor's NOTE-- Tendar Tsering is a journalist based in Dharamshala, India.
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Well said. The quibbling and in-fighting has to stop; it is only serving to advance the Chinese position and confuse those supporting Tibetans.
ReplyDeleteExactly Karen
DeleteTendar, loved your piece! Excellent, thought provoking!! I so wish that people stop playing around with their so called "ideologies" and hush them aside and stand up as one big team!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
Thup je che Sam
DeleteVery well said...
ReplyDeleteWow, well written article, indeed perfect timing. This is called Journalist! Job well done Tendar! Today in the name of idealogy, with US or some foreign countries passport, dollars in the bank, some unfortunate educated folks think that they can buy and rule the world! So wrong. We are Tibetans and we can't compare our CTA with any well developed countries in the world. Criticism is fine but there is limit to it, we have to realize our strengths and weaknesses, one just can't rant like other free citizens do.
ReplyDeleteIf we do not unite and work together now under His Holiness, it will be too late. It will be a WIN WIN situation if we put all our strength together for a greater cause. I wish to see all our Orgs. form a united protest or plan to resolve our issues rather than each org. organizing action here and there and loose the track.
Finally, folks who rant too munch online, you will loose your image and identity soon in the society and end up with nothing. So, change your bullshit idealogy or keep your opinion to yourself. It only brings division in our society.
I do not want to hear one thing more about RFA no matter for or against. Thanks for your writing thought.
ReplyDeleteTo show respect to hh or anyone else' contribution to our cause is the right thing to do but to follow him blindly under the pretext of unity is the most irresponsible thing that a good citizen can do. Any Tibetan issue is every tibetan's concern. Support the truth and screw the injustice. Free thinking and freedom of speech come before unity if sheepish mentality needs to be uprooted from our collective responsibility because it is considered unhealthy and unproductive in the growth of democracy. We are not born to fulfill the wishes of a certain individual because he or she happens to be a good human being. Follow facts, reason and evidence in the right context. Introduction of secular party system whether multi or bi will silence the speculations on what the majority of the tibetans want to struggle for , independence or autonomy.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteExactly, rfa tib section has to be clear with providing the exact details of the dismissal of ngapo jigme and has to brush off the rumours that cta is acting behind the curtains which cta denies.So there must be strict investigation and to bring out the real scenario as in this crucial period where strings of self immolations continues,one must introspect that this is not the exact time to put our head into this matter.It will be betterment for all the concerned people or heads to solve this at the earliest rather than spreading FALSE allegations and rumours in the society...In short(my personal opinion) "JUSTICE HAS BEEN DENIED" and
ReplyDeleteshould be duly brought into notice as dismissing without reason is totally against so called democracy thus it should look for the betterment of all as whole...
Migs97
The main substance I found here is - "they all must threaten the RFA director to resign at once if their editor is rightfully not brought back to the office with dignity as deserved". RFA statff needs to clear this mess so public don't have to go through headache duiring this critical political time of Tibet. Just submitting a signed letter for ONE is not enough for this, they have to ACT in ONE by resigning all together.
ReplyDeleteFor me the main substance that i found here is to fulfill the wishes of HH the Dalai Lama, and we must know that he is still head of our CTA though we have an elected leader. We respect and have faith in HH what ever he does or decide, so we should respect his government also. It would be hard for many non Tibetans to digest, but its a different case with the majority of Tibetans as HH is considered to be the god.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is an internal threat among Tibetans.
ReplyDeleteBetter not have this issue over take the main political focus! As Tsering clearly stated in his writing above, I would say put this issue completely out of your struggle ASAP.
Please stop miseducating the public. We have enough people like JN misinforming the western Tibet supporters, and attacking the new CTA leadership in the name of Rangzen. Please stop using Rangzen name, start doing something in the name of Rangzen Warriors. Else, you guys are being Rangzen Worriers, not Rangzen Warriors.
ReplyDeleteThanks for contributing some common sense thinking on the RFA 'issue'.
ReplyDeleteya i really appreciate your observatory thoghts reflecting through this milky article......
ReplyDelete