New Delhi: One has to see whether the Dalai Lama will outlive communism or vice versa, Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration’s Penpa Tsering said on Tuesday, referring to China’s alleged assumption that the Tibetan issue will die with the spiritual leader.
He made the remarks during an interactive event hosted by the India Habitat Center here, when an audience member asked him about China’s assertion that they would decide the next Dalai Lama.
“The Chinese are not given the right; they are taking away the right to choose the next Dalai Lama… China wants to control everything,” Sikyong accused.
He recalled the words of the 14th and current Dalai Lama, who said in a book that his successor “will be born in the free world.”
Sikyong, head of the Tibetan government-in-exile, also strongly criticized China for its policies affecting Tibet.
The Central Tibetan Administration is headquartered in Dharmashala, Himachal Pradesh, where the current Dalai Lama, who turned 90 last year, also lives.
Tsering said the Dalai Lama is committed to living a long time, perhaps 130 years.
“If His Holiness the Dalai Lama dies, the Tibet issue will also die, and this is China’s assumption,” he said.
Sikyong explained that the process of selecting a successor begins when the Dalai Lama is “ready to leave,” and it does not start now.
“Therefore, I am sending this message to the Chinese. You, who are waiting for the Dalai Lama to die… and the Dalai Lama is bound to live long. Therefore, we will have to see whether communism will outlive His Holiness the Dalai Lama or whether His Holiness will outlive communism.”
Sikyong also said China has “never used tools” that can win the hearts and trust of Tibetans.
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