On March 10, 2011, from his home-in-exile in Dharamsala, India, His Holiness the Dalai Lama announced his intention to step down as the leader of the Tibetan Government in Exile. He will continue to hold his position as Tibet’s spiritual leader but will give over political rule to a younger, elected official.
The announcement came in a speech given to a crowd of 2,000 solemn monks and Tibetans, on the anniversary of Tibet’s unsuccessful 1959 uprising against Chinese rule. That uprising precipitated the Dalai Lama’s journey out of Tibet and into a life of exile.
His Holiness’ decision would give the elected Tibetan Prime Minister greater clout as the Chinese-controlled region seeks a peaceful autonomy within China. According to Reuters, political analysts think the decision will transform the government-in-exile into a more assertive, democratic political body, strengthening the international position of the movement for peace in Tibet.
“As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power,” His Holiness said. “Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect.”
Tibetans will vote later this month for a new prime minister. The hope is that elections will usher in a generation of young, powerful secular leaders. The current prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, told reporters it was not yet clear whether the parliament would accept the Dalai Lama’s resignation.
By divesting his political powers, the elderly Dalai Lama strengthens the ability of the Tibetan government-in-exile to continue uninterrupted after his death. China has said that the Dalai Lama has no right to choose his successor, but must follow the tradition of reincarnation.
China also insists that it has the power to approve all reincarnations of “living Buddhas,” or high-ranking religious figures in Tibetan Buddhism, and says it retains the right to sign off on the choice of the next Dalai Lama. If the next Dalai Lama is chosen as a child, it would be years before he or she could take office as a powerful adult leader. There is also the dangerous possibility of a split in the movement if China chooses one Dalai Lama and Tibet chooses another.
China has denounced His Holiness’ resignation as a “trick.” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said “The Dalai Lama uses religion as a disguise and he is a political exile who has been carrying out separatist activities for a long time. For years he has been expressing his intention to retire. We think these are tricks to deceive the international community.”
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