A Critique of TYC – Credibilty is Vital

Almost every time I hear a speech given by a representative of the Tibetan Youth Congress or read a news article as I did today (Tibet Post) quoting a TYC member I get riled. From today’s November 15, 2011, Tibet Post an article quoted Dhundrop Lhadhar, the Vice President of the TYC as saying….

It has been 61 years since the aborted uprising of 1959, which lead the Dalai Lama and his faithful people to flee Tibet and arrive in Dharamshala, which has since served as their place of refuge.

Saying that it’s been 61 years since the 1959 uprising is..well mathematically impossible. If you want the world to take you seriously then build ethos, also known as credibility. First of all get your dates straight. Know what you’re talking about, get your facts straight, know your history and for the sake of all Tibetans do some in-depth research on what it takes to build a viable campaign for freedom. Start with geopolitics as a framework for your understanding and then move on to study Gandhi, and ML King and as a further suggestion check out Gene Sharp’s volumes on the politics of non-violent action, he’s a bit of a genius in this realm.

Secondly, related to the dates please, please get this right. I’ve heard Tibetan’s saying during impassioned speeches, 52 years of occupation, 61 years, and all in this year of 2011. The occupation began the minute PLA soldiers stepped foot on Tibetan soil on October 7, 1950, so don’t under any circumstances let them off the hook for one minute. It was their intent then and in the months leading up that day to occupy Tibet for their very own. So the occupation began 61 years ago. And it wasn’t long after the Chinese made their way to Lhasa which was long before 1959. For some reason many Tibetans seem to think that Lhasa was free of Chinese troupes prior to 1959 which is not the case. Additionally the signing of the 17-Point agreement on May 23, 1951 signaled for China the success of their Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. Tsering Shakya’s book The Dragon in the Land of Snows, is chock full of dates and in-depth information on the events leading up to and after the initial invasion and serves as an excellent resource for this information, and it’s published in Tibetan.

The Tibet Post article also has this quote from Lhadhar saying in reference to the immolations, “These extreme actions indicate a renewed grassroots pledge calling for all Tibetans to stand united to collectively end Beijing’s draconian rule”……..”a painful cry from across the mountains to accelerate efforts to restore Tibet’s independence”.

While this sentiment is aimed at pulling Tibetans together it misses the fact that there is indeed a very visible contradiction within the Tibetan diaspora. This contradiction stems from HHDL’s Middle Way plan which in November of 2008 was upheld by the Tibetan community in a vote that reflected their split in ideology. The problem is that the community is itself divided on these two paths of Autonomy under China or all out Independence. How can a community stand united in anything when there is this strong divide? This is not a small matter and in fact can make or break a movement. Yes people can disagree and that’s normal, but this divide is akin to having a split personality. There is no way to gain traction for a Free Tibet when the leaders or representatives of the exiled people of Tibet are holding to the Middle Way. These are the people who are the recognized voice of Tibetans across the globe. They are speaking for Tibetans and unfortunately seem not to be truly representative of the overall population.

When Lobsang Sangay meets with members of U.S. Senate or any other political leaders and he is advocating for dialogues with China, but outside on the streets groups of Tibetans are yelling Free Tibet and holding signs saying China Lies, this looks ridiculous! There is not a shred of credibility from the viewpoint of any world leader. And it is exactly why China can legitimately say that the Dalai Lama lies and is a splittist. They hear him saying one thing, but see his people saying and doing the polar opposite.

I have said several times on this blog that Tibetans need to regroup, restrategize their forward movement and come together in a cohesive voice. The international community will not back a split personality. No way. You can march in the streets till your feet fall off and that is all very noble and important, and there has to be more to the strategy. Most of the time Tibetans are preaching to the choir, meaning they are protesting with and to each other, my question is how are you involving non-Tibetans in your immediate community?

How are you partnering with the communities you live in to gain increased support? What is your message and how is it being delivered? A true grassroots movement starts with people not government and in most cases it aims to change government. Start with changing the platform of the CTA on Tibet’s status. If the majority of Tibetans want freedom and independence then the CTA should be in alignment with that desire regardless of what His Holiness thinks. The Dalai Lama handed over the reins of political office to ‘the people’, so take the reins and change the accepted position from Autonomy to Independence. Shake things up. Then you can move forward united. Just make sure you get the dates and facts right.