Dalai Lama book offers ‘framework’ for after his death

The Dalai Lama on Tuesday published a book that he says is a “framework for the future of Tibet”, to guide compatriots in relations with Beijing after his death.

China – which says Tibet is an integral part of the country – has responded by saying the Dalai Lama “has no right to represent the Tibetan people”.

Many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a successor to the Dalai Lama when he dies, bolstering control over a land it poured troops into in 1950.

The book, ‘Voice for the Voiceless’, describes the Dalai Lama dealing with successive leaders of the People’s Republic of China on behalf of Tibet and its people.

“The right of the Tibetan people to be the custodians of their own homeland cannot be indefinitely denied, nor can their aspiration for freedom be crushed forever through oppression,” the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader writes.

“One clear lesson we know from history is this: If you keep people permanently unhappy, you cannot have a stable society.”
Asked about the book at a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Beijing’s foreign ministry dismissed the Dalai Lama as “a political exile who is engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion”.

The Dalai Lama’s lineage, status and title “have been determined by the central government for hundreds of years”, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.

“The reincarnations of living Buddhas, including the Dalai Lama, should abide by national laws and regulations, follow religious rituals [and be subject to] the approval of the central government,” she added.

Over centuries, Tibet has alternated between independence and being controlled by China, which says it “peacefully liberated” the rugged plateau and brought infrastructure and education.

Celebrating his 90th birthday in July, the Dalai Lama is among a fading few who can remember what their homeland was like before the failed 1959 uprising.

He fled to India that year, and said the book details the “persistent efforts” he has made over seven decades to “save my homeland and people”.

“Tibetans have spent nearly 75 years fighting for freedom,” he wrote in The Washington Post this month, ahead of the book’s publication. “Their struggle should continue beyond my lifetime.”

Talks between Beijing and Tibetan leaders have been frozen since 2010.

“Despite all the suffering and destruction, we still hold fast to the hope for a peaceful resolution of our struggle for freedom and dignity,” the Dalai Lama says in a statement about the book.

“From a 19-year-old negotiating with chairman Mao at the height of his powers in Beijing to my recent attempts to communicate with president Xi Jinping, I convey in this book the sincerity of our efforts.

“My hope is that the book will […] provide a framework for the future of Tibet even after I am gone.”

The Dalai Lama stepped down as his people’s political head in 2011, passing the baton of secular power to a government chosen democratically by about 130 000 Tibetans around the world.

Penpa Tsering, the sikyong or head of that government, has said it does not seek full independence for Tibet, but rather to pursue a long-standing ‘Middle Way’ policy seeking greater autonomy.

China calls the India-based Tibetan administration a “puppet government”.

But the Dalai Lama said any resolution had to involve talks in which each side can talk openly.

“One thing is for sure: no totalitarian regime, whether headed by an individual or a party, can last forever, because they abuse the very people they claim to speak for,” he added. – AFP