Tibetan movement to continue after Dalai Lama's retirement: Rinpoche

Samdhong Rinpoche

(TOI)
DHARAMSHALA. The de facto Prime Minister of Tibet-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche said here on Friday that the ongoing Tibetan movement would continue even after the Dalai Lama's retirement from politics.
Speaking to the TOI, Rinpoche said that the transfer of the Dalai Lama's authority to an elected leader did not mean that the Tibetan movement would die and disappear. "It is a struggle for a nation," he said.
However, he said that there would be certain difficulties in the transition of the power. "The transition will not be easy and smooth. It will be a painstakingly long and difficult process" said Rinpoche.
The Dalai Lama after passing the power to the elected head would no longer discharge the responsibilities of appointing the Tibetan election commissioner, chief justices, auditor-general and dissolving the Parliament and cabinet. As of now, any bill passed by Tibetan Parliament-in-exile does not become a law without the approval of the Dalai Lama. Rinpoche said that it was a major cause of concern for Tibetans in and outside Tibet.
He said that the Dalai Lama's decision could affect the legitimacy of the exiled Tibetan government. But to fulfil the Dalai Lama's wish to relinquish the temporal responsibilities, he (Rinpoche) would issue a message to the coming session of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. He said all future course of action would depend on how intelligently the members of the legislative body formulated such a legislation.
He said that the exiled Tibetan cabinet called 'Kashag' would urge the members of the exiled parliament to consider this matter and decide accordingly. He however added that the transition process would not be executed immediately.
Samdhong Rinpoche said that a great number of Tibetans, collectively and individually, have been ardently supplicating the Dalai Lama not to take such a step.
Samdhong Rinpoche is to also relinquish his political post as Tibetans around the world would directly elect their next Prime Minister on March 20th for the third time in history. However, the new Prime Minister of exiled Tibetan government would not assume office until August of this year.