DHARAMSHALA: Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay and Mr. Penpa Tsering, Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, accompanied by Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, spoke to the Jonangpas who are appealing for the allotment of a membership seat in the Tibetan Parliament for Jonang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Speaking to the Jonangpas, Speaker Penpa Tsering urged them to exercise restraint while upholding due deference to the judgment passed by the Tibetan Parliament.
The motion to allow membership for Jonang tradition as a distinct religious sect failed in the Tibetan Parliament during a majority vote held in the 9th session of the 15th Tibetan Parliament.
Speaker Penpa Tsering further explained that time for discussion on the issue was allowed but none of the parliamentarians took the opportunity.
Speaker Penpa Tsering also advised the Jonangpas to utilise the democratic processes of lobbying and convince the Tibetan parliamentarians especially the members of the upcoming 16th Tibetan Parliament to resolve the issue, rather than staging a sit-in and disrupting the ongoing 10th session.
He also lamented the heckling of a particular member of parliament by few of them on 17 September that was completely uncalled for and added that the incident has reduced the support and solidarity of the Tibetan parliamentarians on the issue.
Meanwhile, Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay explained the importance of respecting the judgments made by democratic institutions of the Tibetan polity. He explained that as per the three pillars of democracy, the Tibetan Parliament legislate the laws, the Kashag executes them and the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission monitors the execution to ensure rule of law. The harmony of these three pillars determine the success of a democracy, he said.
On the issue of the creation of parliamentary seats for Jonang tradition, Sikyong urged them to uphold the majority judgment passed by the Tibetan Parliament.
As for the Kashag, Sikyong explained that the 14th Kashag follows the guideline set by the previous Kalon Tripa Prof. Samdhong Rinpoche regarding religious traditions, adding that the present Kashag treats Jonang as a major Tibetan Buddhist tradition as stipulated in the guideline.
For instance, during the special general meeting of Tibetans, the Kashag allotted special seat for them. Sikyong also reminded that during the conference of the Tibetan religious heads, the Kashag allotted them two seats assuring that the respect the Kashag accords to Jonang tradition is both in principle and in practice.
