sábado, 26 de marzo de 2011

Goodbye to Dalai Lama



Tibetan Parliament in exile formed a commission for the transfer of political power in the hands of the Dalai Lama, in a sign that his retirement will be approved despite opposition from lawmakers. The Dalai Lama 75 years, the global face of the Tibetan movement in exile, Tibetan surprised many by announcing he would give political power.

The move comes a day after 83,000 exiled tibetans around the world voted to elect a new leader. Two of the main rivals had suggested going beyond the position of "moderate" Dalai Lama, the policy for some autonomy to negotiate with China.

"We have established a small committee to see how to deal with the devolution of power. The commission will meet this afternoon and the honorable president has ordered parliament to deliver a report," said Samdhong Rinpoche, prime minister of Tibetan government in exile.

Many lawmakers are in fear reduce the presence of the Dalai Lama, whose smile has attracted renowned stars of Hollywood and generated international attention to the Tibetan movement based in the Indian city of Dharamsala.

Tenzin Gyatso, the Dalai Lama number 14 who described himself as "semi-retired" and has been demanding reform for decades, has rejected calls to stay in his position, stressing the importance of having a democratically elected leader to shore movement.

He will continue his role as spiritual leader of Tibet.

Tibetans fear China will use the controversial issue of the succession of the Dalai Lama to divide the movement, with a new Dalai Lama appointed by the exiles and the other for Beijing after his death.

The three candidates are all younger than the Dalai Lama, and will face voters frustrated young people based in countries like the U.S., where the Tibetan cause is often seen simply as a battle between good and evil, instead of genuine political process that many veterans face in Dharamsala.