THE DALAI Lama said yesterday he would step down as Tibet’s political leader, a move seen as transforming the government-in-exile into a more assertive and democratic body in the face of Chinese pressure.
By devolving his powers, the Dalai Lama would give the prime minister greater clout as the region seeks autonomy from China. Tibetans will vote for a new prime minister this month, with the elections seen as ushering in a generation of younger, secular leaders and strengthening the movement’s global standing.
“As early as the 1960s, I have repeatedly stressed that Tibetans need a leader, elected freely by the Tibetan people, to whom I can devolve power,” the Dalai Lama said in his annual speech marking 52 years since he fled Tibet after a failed uprising against the Chinese.
“Now, we have clearly reached the time to put this into effect,” he told a subdued crowd of 2,000 monks and Tibetans.
The Dalai Lama, whose announcement was widely expected, will remain Tibet’s spiritual leader and continue to advocate “meaningful autonomy” for Tibet from Dharamsala, where he has lived in exile since 1959.
The prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, told reporters today it was not clear if the parliament would accept the Dalai Lama’s resignation and warned of a constitutional deadlock.
China, which regards the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist responsible for stirring unrest in Tibet, denounced his resignation as a “trick”.
