ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT FORUMTibet’s Development through Personal Progressby Tsewang NamgyalWednesday, 22 April 2009
Introduction The
world is currently in one of its worst recession in the last 50 years.
International trade is forecast to fall by more than 13% in 2009 and
the world’s economy is expected to reduce by 2.7%. All this means loss
of millions of jobs. The key questions in world leaders minds (if not
many of ours) are how deep is this recession, how long will it last and
what is going to be the changed political economic landscape once
normalcy returns? History has shown that every downturn opens up
opportunities. This period opens up a unique window for every Tibetan
to empower ourselves both intellectually and financially.This
is important because it would increase our chance of success to come to
a political agreement but more importantly will allow us to have the
strength to implement it. This is ultimately both to Tibet and Peoples’
Republic of China’s (“China”) benefit. If not, the subsequent
violations of the agreement we are working hard to finalize will be the
cause of the next phase of our conflict. We should be mindful that an
important lesson of the Seventeen Article Agreement that our government
officials were forced to sign on May 23, 1951, was that it was
violated. Here I would like to humbly share some thoughts on how we can
empower ourselves in case aspects of it would be of some use. (i) Anticipated HyperinflationThere
is a school of thought that indicates high probability of inflation (if
not hyper) with the United States $787 billion stimulus package. The
reason is with the printing of billions of dollars it would depreciate
the US dollar. This in turn would lead to other exporting countries
like China to weaken their own currency to make their exports more
competitive. All this would lead to inflation. This in turn would mean
increase of commodity prices such as food. The pain of inflation will
in particular be felt by people on fixed and low income. I note at the
time I write this article the United States is facing a deflationary
period and the stock market has been on the rise. It is
speculated that one of the reasons for the recent large purchase of
copper by China is to act as an inflation hedge. A friend of mine, who
is in the commodity business, mentioned that their strategy is to buy
food growing land around the world. The logic is when inflation comes
into effect; the cost of commodities will increase. With food growing
land they will have a natural hedge and will be able to profit from it.
In other words, as cost of food and other commodities goes up, their
revenues will also increase. How does this apply to our
community? Many Tibetans depend on their livelihood on fixed income and
small time trades. We also have a sizeable farming community but this
is quickly decreasing both in Tibet and India. Many Tibetans prefer to
lease their land out and look for other career opportunities. It is
critical to let our family and relatives who are in farming to
reconsider before they sell or lease their land since they may under
value these assets. At least in the near term, farming appears to be a
more reliable source of income than other trades. This
diversification of having agricultural as an important component of our
economy is beneficial both at an individual and at a macro level.
Besides the economic factor, a strong agriculture sector will promote
the health of our population. History has shown that equal (if not
more) indigenous populations under occupation have died due to
starvation and disease than guns. Farming is not only a healthy out
door occupation and food is something that one can eat unlike most
other produce. (ii) Mining in TibetAccording to
an article in Fortune (February 21 2007), “In 1999 more than 1000
researchers divided into 24 separate regiments and fanned out across
the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, geologically mapping an area the size of
California, Texas and Montana for the first time ever. Their findings:
16 major new deposits of copper, iron, lead, zinc and other minerals
worth an estimated $128 billion, according to articles published last
week on the website of the China Tibet Information Center, a
government-run portal.” It is now argued by many that one of the
Chinese government’s key objectives of building the $4 billion railway
project to Lhasa was aimed in tapping Tibet’s natural resources. Past
demonstrations by Tibetan organizations on investments in this sector
may have delayed large-scale investments in the region and bought
valuable time for Tibetans to understand this sector. The current
financial crises and reduction in demand has greatly put pressure on
metal prices compared to early part of 2008. This decrease in price may
also have some effect in slowing developments. However, as China gains
more experience in the mining sector and is more capitalized it would
be difficult to have much effect in the future. What can we
do? I believe there is not much we can do to stop the large size
natural resource developments in Tibet. It is true mining has its
problem in particular water pollution if not developed properly.
However, the political and economic factors appear to be too strong
even if instead of Tibet we were dealing with any other Chinese
province. Metal analysts anticipate that the world will require about
200,000 tons of copper each year for the next ten years. Even in
developed countries such as the United States that are sensitive about
the environment are forced to open up for development
(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123956992993011751.html). Besides I
believe since we ourselves are users of metals it would be little
hypocritical to call for a total boycott of the sector. The realistic
goal I believe should be on how the extraction would have (i) minimal
negative impact on Tibet’s environment and (ii) how Tibetans can
benefit from it. Having said the above, this is not an
encouragement of large scale resource extraction. I believe unless we
discuss what is already happening it would not allow us to think of
proactively and find practical solutions to the problem. In addition, I
believe at a practical level and to hedge our bets activist
organization should continue to remain engaged. I believe in the event
of large scale investments protests could give more leverage to
Tibetans and make investors more mindful of local impact. However, I
believe it is important that we slowly change this debate from less of
a Tibet and China issue but into a good versus bad project. If we
politicize it or have an extreme goals this will give more leverage to
shady business investors who are able to use the Tibet political card
to stamp out criticism. If we are able to make this into a human issue,
I believe we will be better able to form strategic alliances with
Chinese environmental organizations, get better media sympathy
especially within China, mitigate environmental risks and bring more
real benefits to the local Tibetan population. There is
currently an extraordinary opportunity for young Tibetans who want to
become wealthy and also do good to study, get experience in the mining
sector (through work and buying shares in it) and join reputable mining
companies. Not all mining companies are the same. There are many
reputable mining firms that abide and meet stringent regulatory
standards. There are also many reputable International Banks who abide
by the Equator Principle guidelines
(http://www.equator-principles.com). As Tibetans, our value
addition is our knowledge of the land and people. Once the projects are
developed we will lose this competitive angle and will have less
ability to change the nature of the developments. I am not aware of
even one Tibetan who has worked or experience in a large natural
resource company while we sit on reserves worth billions. I do
understand there are few Tibetans in Tibet who work in mom and pop
mining firms. Mining is a very complicated business and unless one has
experience in it, this would be difficult to give real concrete
suggestions on project structure that would bring benefit to the
effected people. For those Tibetans who have interest in the
mining sector, there is a number of mining consulting firms whose sites
share information related to the trends in the sector and offer
industry training programs. Here I would like to recommend two:
http://www.ame.com.au and http://www.dolbear.com/ for those who may
have interest. (iii) Hydropower in TibetIn
November 2008, China’s State Council announced a stimulus package of
$586 billion. Much of this is planned to be spent on infrastructure
developments. It is likely that large portions of this would be used
toward financing “China’s Western Development” strategy including
exploiting Tibet’s hydro potential. As we know, many of the
major rivers in Asia flow from the Tibetan cultural areas including the
Brahmaputra, Mekong, Yangtze and Mekong. This has been viewed by China
as a way to meet its power requirements and fresh water source for the
interior. To put things into perspective the size of this potential one
only needs to look at Tibet’s southern neighbor – Bhutan. The country’s
largest revenue earner is its sale of electricity
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsq65VhiYhE).The size of the
projects considered under development in Tibet is even larger than
those in Bhutan. Bhutan’s largest hydro plant is the 1020 MW Tala
Hydroelectric Project Authority. The biggest of the planned projects in
Tibet is the Yarlung Tsangpo Hydroelectric and Water Diversion Project
that is expected to generate 40,000 MW
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yarlung_Tsangpo_Canyon). According to
Wikipedia, “The size of the dam in the Tsangpo gorge would exceed that
of Three Gorges Dam …It is feared that there will be displacement of
local populations, destruction of ecosystems, and an impact for
downstream people in India and Bangladesh… Analysts think that the
livelihood of up to 100 million people could be at stake and therefore
voice fears that the completion of the water diversion component of the
project could spark an Indo-Chinese water war if no proper management
is taking place.” Independent studies have shown that large
dams are in particularly harmful to downstream communities with rivers
running dry, hurt fish population and could be catastrophic in the
event of earthquakes (http://www.dams.org/). However, run of the river
dams have proven to be a good renewable source of electricity.As
projects continue to be developed in Tibet, here again it would be
important while we protest the negative aspects of the developments we
should also consider the opportunities this opens in particular for
young Tibetans. The reason why I believe young Tibetans should look at
this as a career opportunity is that this would allow one to have a
deeper understanding of it and potentially shape the direction of the
development. The alternative is that we will have no control of it at
all and in the future it will be even more difficult to penetrate in
the sector. Probably more than mining, hydro electricity development
has the potential to have the largest impact on the Tibetan population
and generating regional tension. (iv) RetrainIn
this modern globalized economy one needs to continuously learn new
skills or update otherwise one will lose one’s competitive edge. Many
Tibetans in Tibet are currently in professions like subsistence
agriculture and nomadism. Occasionally we equate this as part of our
cultural preservation. I believe this attitude needs to change just as
we do not consider sticking to selling sweaters in exile. Of course
this is not to endorse the Chinese government’s policies to force
Tibetan farmers to grow certain types of crops or use this pretext to
forcefully resettle Tibetan nomads. However, I believe if there are
NGOs who are qualified and sensitive to our community we should support
their efforts to help our people adapt to the changing economy. I
believe it is in particular important to teach our subsistence farmers
and nomads on occupations where they can best leverage their skills
sets or do better in what they are currently doing.For example
with the degradation of Tibetan grasslands and increase in population
there is much pressure on grazing land. Friends who live in the region
mentioned that Tibetan nomads even kill each other in disputes over
grasslands. There maybe opportunities for NGOs and socially conscious
entrepreneurs to develop sectors such as eco tourism which would be a
natural fit for Tibetan nomads who know the land and will be great
guides to tourists. Such shifts in occupations for interested nomads
should be welcomed or at least different options should be offered.
Similarly our farmers can be given sales advice to get a higher premium
for their products in the towns, improved farming technique to increase
produce or make value added products for exports. In the early
1900s if one was a skilled maker of carriages probably if one stuck to
ones forefather profession one will be having a difficult time making a
living. With the recession and globalization it is becoming even more
important to adapt and retool oneself. Adaptation will prevent us from
becoming marginalized and give more confidence in dealing with
immigrants. (v) TGIETGIE is the backbone of our
freedom movement. Future success of Tibet’s freedom struggle will
depend much on the organization’s ability to continue to attract the
best minds. Through my father, I have seen the personal challenges that
our officials have to endure. Even though my father had a relative
senior position in TGIE and relatives/friends abroad that supported
him, I remember he was very frugal of his personal expenses. My mother
helped supplement the family income through spending parts of some
years selling sweaters in the streets of India. She mentioned that my
father was very mindful of what he ate to make sure that when we came
for our vacations we had a good time. From here it is easy for me to
imagine the material difficulties of families those who are relatively
junior to him and do not have the family support network.As a
community, there is a subtle glorification of poverty for those who
serve as symbol of dedication. I believe we slowly need to change that
culture. This effort of ours is not a religious exercise where we
necessarily need to sacrifice or feel the pain. If our public servants
(including all our activists and supporters), without abusing their
power or corrupt means, is trying to take care of themselves or their
family we should assist them. Less our public servants are worried
about their personal needs or their obligations to their family the
better they will be able to serve the Tibetan people. In
short, if we can create a culture where our entire public servants
serve out of appreciation for the opportunity and our community
genuinely honors them for their service this would create a very
healthy environment. If we drive them all to poverty this would both
reduce their effectiveness and in the future make it more difficult to
attract new talents. Related to this I believe in order to
maximize the returns of our efforts it is important to constantly think
how we can minimize our cost. One way I believe this can be done by
each individual focusing on where they can bring most value in terms of
(i) expertise (ii) time (iii) money or (iv) a combination. Many a times
our focus tends to be on time and money contribution. However, we
should be mindful that without expertise it could be a fruitless
effort. The reason why I mention this is that I feel occasionally young
Tibetans who have experience maybe overlooked or they may not volunteer
due to lack of time. It would be important to think of ways we can
still benefit from their knowledge and value their contribution. Many a
times experts lack of time and money is because they have spent much of
it in order to become experts. In sum, I believe if we all focus on our
respective areas and our leadership tactically leverages them we will
be able to maximize our returns. (vi) Development of the Private SectorIn
the area of economic development in Tibet or exile I believe this can
best be achieved through private efforts with support from NGOs and the
government. Private Sector must be encouraged to take the lead. I am
aware that we do not have much control over Chinese government
policies. However, we or NGOs need to reward and help successful
ethical Tibetan entrepreneurs or social conscious investors to become
successful profitable ventures. I understand from my contacts in Tibet
that during this period of recession China is trying to develop/win
goodwill in the Tibet areas. In addition, we also need to
facilitate healthy competition among our entrepreneurs so that they
will continue to improve on products, price and community benefits.
Most important we must empower the private sector to create jobs and
bring up the rest of the community. I believe only through this we will
be able to create an economically sustainable Tibetan society. If we
become an economy that is dependent on government subsidies and non
profit type run businesses this would hinder our entrepreneurial
spirit, discourage innovation and reduce hardwork. I am
mindful that I propose a capitalistic economic model. This is a model
which creates an instinctive apprehension in our community due to our
influence of Buddhism and socialist ideology. Personally, although I
propose a regulated capitalistic model for our community, probably I
would not be considered a capitalist myself. For me there is no
monetary gain to spend much time thinking, analyzing, sharing my
thoughts and occasionally sticking out my neck (both in the Tibet and
China world) in my opinion pieces. However, I believe one must focus on
results. Capitalism through the development of the private
sector has proved most effective in the world to bring people out of
poverty by creation of jobs. Through the focus on profits it has also
brought efficiency. Yes it has also created social and environmental
problems. Communism and socialism has proven to be equally disastrous.
Having said that I believe in education and healthcare sector results
appear to indicate that the public sector is more efficient and fair. (vii) Understanding ChinaTibet
and China are linked both in fate and our geographic proximity. We do
not have much of a choice. There are many in our community who view the
economic and political rise of China as a threat but I feel we should
view it positively. Firstly as our teachers remind us it is good for
our minds to rejoice at the success of others. Secondly, China’s
difficult period during the Mao era did not give Tibetans any more
freedom (if not less) than the current situation. Thirdly, there is
much opportunity for us to leverage on the rise of China’s economy. If
we view this pessimistically we will not see the opportunities. TGIE
has made and continues to encourage our community to reach out to the
Chinese population. In order to benefit from China and execute TGIE’s
objective it is critical we understand China better. Having said that I
believe SFT and other organizations tactical actions to target China’s
brand image for their occupation is a smart move. This dualistic
approach of wishing China well but also criticizing her mistakes is an
important tactic. True friendships can only be built on honesty
otherwise it is not friendship. I know within our community
there are many China experts who have a much better appreciation for
the region than me. For those who are not, personally I found besides
reading books (in particular China, A New History by Fairbank, John K.
and Merle Goldman) and traveling to the region, listening to personal
stories of Chinese friends very helpful. One story in
particular sticks out in my mind is a friend I met at school. His
father-in-law happened to be one of the PLA Officers who was part of
one of the first groups that entered Tibet. My friend said that unlike
his wife’s family his father was more critical of the Chinese
government policies. He mentioned that his father had once jokingly
mentioned to his friends when USSR and China was close that the
Russians had really not much to give the Chinese people except ice. One
of these putative friends reported this comment to the authorities, and
my friend’s father was arrested. Shortly after his release he died. My
friend’s aunt quickly adopted my friend, and changed his family name.
If she had not done so, he would not have had the opportunity complete
his education in China.Through my Chinese friends I have been
mindful that besides Mao’s leadership in the brutal occupation of
Tibet, he was also involved in the (i) the Great Leap Forward launched
in 1958 through formation of large communes, (ii) the Anti-Rightist
Movement launched at the end of the Hundred Flowers movement in July
1957 and (iii) the Cultural Revolution launched in 1966. To
expand a little further the Great Leap Forward is reported to have
created the world’s largest famine in human history killing tens of
millions of people through starvation. In the Anti Rightist Movement it
is believed over 500,000 Chinese people were persecuted. The Cultural
Revolution destroyed much of China and Tibet priceless monuments,
destroyed a number of important texts and killed thousand of living
national treasures. Until I heard the stories of my Chinese friends it
was difficult to truly comprehend the suffering they endured because
the numbers by itself after sometime does not appear to carry much
weight. (viii) Closing the gapIn the spirit of
intellectual empowerment, I believe one area we tend to overlook is
learning from each other (even among relatives). A casual conversation,
with a cousin who spent his early life in Tibet helped drive this most
into me. My cousin had moved to India in the 1980s and then left for
the United States around the same time as myself. Soon after he got his
US citizenship he decided to go back and see his immediate family
members who are based around Lhasa. Since he had not been back for a
number of years he bought many presents to take back. I asked him out
of all the presents what he felt his younger relatives would appreciate
the most. He responded by saying binoculars. I was surprised by his
answer because I assumed the response would be more thick jackets or
brand name sneakers. On further inquiring my cousin mentioned
that when he lived in Tibet he herded yaks. He said he used to take the
animals out into the hills and it was common practice of the villagers
to let the animals loose in the hills. He said in the evenings they
herded the animals and took them back home. My cousin recalled that
many a times his animals roamed into distant hills. He remembers
looking for the stray yak and sometimes climbing hills to find that
this was not his animal. He said now with the binoculars they will not
have to waste their energy. Similarly, there are a number of
Tibetans in Tibet who appear to have a misunderstanding on Tibetans in
exile. There is one intellectual Tibetan lady who confided in me that
she believed the Chinese government propaganda that TGIE officials were
living large due to the generosity of the West. When I explained to her
the dedication of the TGIE officials she expressed much surprise. She
later suggested to me that we need to bring awareness about this
especially to young Tibetans in Tibet.When I travel to Tibet,
many recognize my accent as someone from exile. Tibetans in Tibet and
those in exile share many things in common like our respect for His
Holiness but our different experiences have naturally shaped our
viewpoints. Through simple talking and listening I believe there is
much we can learn from each other. Reducing the gap in our knowledge
would better allow us to serve Tibet and benefit from the region. If
not in the future this could create future misunderstanding and
problems. Conclusion His Holiness and our
teachers often remind us on the preciousness of human life. Karma
bought us together and will soon separate us all. We are aware that the
possibility in our next life that we will be fortunate to be reborn a
human being is very slim. The chance that we will be born a Tibetan,
exposed to our teachings, is even more unlikely. It is clear from the
ephemeral nature of our existence the importance to lead a meaningful
life. As Tibetans, we all have a moral obligation to help protect our
rich cultural heritage.Our elders and teachers have also given
us the opportunity and resources to learn from the outside world. They
would not have done this if they felt our culture provided all the
answers. Their goal, I believe, is that we can get the best of both
worlds and contribute further to our community’s development and enrich
the world at large. History has shown that indigenous communities that
were not able to adapt when applicable, organize and take calculated
risks perished. An empowered Tibetan population grounded in one’s
culture I believe will allow us to gain the respect of China and the
world at large. Through mutual respect, I believe one day we will be
not only able to negotiate a just agreement with the Chinese government
but more importantly execute it. –The above piece is
reproduced from Phayul website.The author is an MBA graduate (Beta
Gamma Sigma Honor Society member) from the Thunderbird School of Global
Management and currently works in the Investment Banking field in New
York City. Besides his regular work, Tsewang has traveled extensively
throughout the three provinces of Tibet and provided consulting and
voluntary services to a number of Tibetan organizations. He can be
reached at [email protected] column is an open
discussion forum for Tibet related issues and the views expressed here
does not reflect those of the Central Tibetan Administration.
|
|
