The
Indian Government adopted the right approach in reacting to
the recent rioting in Lhasa and other towns and strongly resisted
pressures from within and outside the country to condemn China
for not granting the promised autonomy to the Tibetan people.
It would be in India's interest if conditions were created
inside Tibet Autonomous region to enable the Dalai Lama and
his followers, living in Dharamsala and other towns, to return
to their homeland and live in peace and harmony as Chinese
citizens. For various reasons that has not happened and, therefore,
New Delhi has no option other than restraining the Tibetans
in exile, who sometimes give expression to their frustration
over denial of their autonomy demand. In the process it has
faced criticism from the opposition, including the Bharatiya
Janata Party, which staged a walkout in Parliament over the
Government's alleged inaction. In fact, New Delhi went further
than expected while expressing distress at the "unsettled
situation and violence in Lhasa".
It
expressed the hope that all those involved would work to improve
the situation and called on Beijing to remove the cause of
such trouble in Tibet through dialogue. It could do no more,
considering the active secessionist movements in the North-eastern
part of the country, to urge China to sort out the problem
peacefully on a permanent basis. China sees the Dalai Lama
as a constant irritant to its efforts to win over the Tibetan
people and integrate them fully. Having realized the impracticality
of demanding independence, the Tibetan spiritual and temporal
leader has been forced to moderate his stand and accept autonomy
in which the political, spiritual and religious rights of
the Buddhists are adequately protected. But, China says it
will have nothing to do with him because he is intent on "splitting
the motherland. Some observers feel that China is convinced
that the Dalai Lama has become irrelevant to the present situation
in the region and its strategy is to wait for his passing
from the scene and them install a pliable successor. Having
been troubled by a secessionist movement of Muslim Uighurs
in XINJIANG, China is dead set against tolerating any movement
aimed at disturbing the present relationship between the centre
and the autonomous provinces and challenge the political system.
This has once again been reiterated in Beijing's determination
to "resolutely crush the Tibetan independence forces".
The
lack of trust between the Dalai and Beijing runs so deep that
there appears little room for compromise. The situation gets
more complicated with the statements by Nancy Pelosy, Gordon
Brown, Condoleezza Rice and others, which tend to internationalize
the issue and amount to "interference in China's internal
affairs". Despite Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's statement that
the door of dialogue is still open to the Dalai Lama, provided
he accepts Tibet and Taiwan as integral parts of the country,
subsequent developments do not hold out much hope of the two
sides engaging in discussions to end the trouble. The Chinese
argument is that granting the Dalai's autonomy demand will
open the pandora's box of similar demands by other ethnic
minorities and lead to China's disintegration. President Hu
Jintao, however, tacitly acknowledges dissatisfaction among
the Tibetans, but insists this can be removed through appropriate
administrative and political measures.
He
told legislators from Tibet on the sidelines of the last session
of the National People's Congress, that the stability and
safety of Tibet is vital to the stability and safety of China.
He asked them to improve their performance as regards "religious
groups and ethnic minorities in order to maintain social harmony
and stability in the region". He, thereby, acknowledges the
need of the representatives putting in more hard work to attend
to the grievances of the Tibetans. The Dalai Lama has complained
of curtailment of the people's religious freedoms and practices,
erosion of their linguistic and ethnic identity and fruits
of development not reaching the local people. Tibetans have
been observing the anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising
on March 10 every year, but this year's protests and demonstrations
surpassed all previous levels and had distinct anti-Han Chinese
overtones.
There
was trouble also in the Lab rang monastery in Gensu province,
Kirti Nonastery in Sichuan province and Rangwo monastery in
Qinghai province. Tibet's traditional boundaries stretch into
these provinces. In most places the main targets of mob attack
were symbols of state power and government owned property,
besides shops run by Han Chinese, who have descended on Tibet
in the wake of economic development and infrastructure expansion.
The protests were an embarrassment for a country anxious to
project its image of harmony with its peaceful rise, having
made heavy investments in cash and prestige in the Olympic
Games. It has also brought the realisation that denunciation
of the Dalai Lama has not succeeded in extirpating his influence
among the Tibetans. The Dalai Lama has welcomed President
Hu Jintao's "harmonious society" call which he says, must
be paced through freedom, justice and equality -- a society
that in turn necessitates elimination of Han chauvinism and
local nationalism. It is clash between the two which often
erupts in disorder and violence.
The
Chinese Constitution guarantees regional autonomy to minority
nationalities, but the complaint is that these are not fully
observed in practice. It fails to serve the purpose of preserving
and protecting the distinct identity, culture and language
of the minority communities, which may ultimately be submerged
in the sea of Han Chinese. The argument advanced for single
administration for the entire Tibetan region is that the Tibetans
must have the opportunity to fully maintain their distinctive
cultural and religious identity. It is generally observed,
as in India, that the local people often feel left out of
the accelerated process of development and lament the erosion
of their cultural traditions and values. Such is, partly,
the case also in Tibet, which has witnessed remarkable economic
development manifested in new factories, residential houses
and business establishments and shopping areas. Tibet's GDP
grew 14 per cent last year, personal incomes rose by 13 per
cent in rural areas and 24.5 per cent in urban areas, but
the complaint often heard that the main beneficiaries are
outsiders.
With
the opening up of business opportunities, Han Chinese from
other parts of the country have set up establishments and
also control the levers of political and administrative power.
The Beijing-Lhasa train will bring tremendous economic benefits
to Tibet, but it is also bringing more Han Chinese into the
region and many of them stay behind and settle down in business
and other forms of employment. There may be reasons for their
lagging behind in the race of opportunity and prosperity,
including lack of proper education and skills, but it is an
irritant nonetheless. Political and economic liberalization
must go hand in hand and not only one to the exclusion of
the other. The chances of resuming the dialogue between the
Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government do not seem bright at
the moment. The last sixth round took place from June 29 to
July 3, 2007 in Shanghai and Nanjing between the Dalai Lama's
special envoy Lodi Gyatsu Gyari and Chinese vice-ministers
Weiqun and Sither. The discussions were "candid and frank"
with both sides expressing in strong terms their divergent
positions and views on a number of issues.
Mr.
Gyari later said the dialogue process had reached a "critical
stage" admitting that the Chinese side may not find it easy
to respond to the Dalai's proposal quickly. It is becoming
clear that China is unwilling to make any concessions over
the autonomy issue, though it would be advisable to keep him
engaged. No successor will command such veneration. After
his death, his "middle way" approach may not find acceptance
with his followers and the autonomy movement may pass into
the hands of volatile elements who may be prone to outside
influences. China, perhaps, thinks that the overwhelming impact
of economic development and prosperity that it will bring
in will neutralize the autonomy demand. That may well be,
but the Tibetans are so deep rooted in religion and traditions
that these need protection in the interest of inter-ethnic
and social and political harmony. All inclusive growth should
cover also the Tibetans living in the vast countryside and
in Lhasa's huge old quarter Beijing's effort to spread economic
development evenly throughout China should not leave out Tibet.
"Harmonious society" should protect Tibetan religious freedom
which poses no threat to anyone. It needs concerted efforts
at the political and administrative levels to win the affection
of the Tibetans and to prevent outsiders meddling in Tibet.
MK Dhar, NPA |
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