An Observer at a Tibetan Democratic Experience

The hall was packed on November 28, 2009 in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala, when a panel discussion on democracy was held, organized by the National Democratic Party of Tibet. I am in Dharamsala for a project in the Tibetan community related to the International Campaign for Tibet-D and so had the opportunity to observe this Tibetan democratic experience first hand.

Nine panelists discussed “The Significance of 2011 & The Status of Our Democracy” and more than 300 Tibetans entered into what became a lively debate on the next elections of the Kalon Tripa, the Tibetan Prime Minister, that is going to take place in 2011. Among the nine panelists were the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Dolma Gyari, and the Election Commissioner, Jamphel Choesang.

All panelists stressed the need for a high voter-turnout at the upcoming elections. Quite naturally, the discussions evolved around the right way to deal with the situation in Tibet. After three and a half hours of debate and Q&A from the floor, the discussion ended, although it seemed like many of the participants were ready to go on.

It was impressive to see this debate and hopefully there will be many more.

With this culture of interchanging views the Tibetan democracy is no doubt on the right track.