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Far-Flung Elections
After the changes made in 1990, the Eleventh Parliament became a full-fledged parliamentary body, with effective power over the executive. Its had 46 members with 10 Deputies from each of the three Tibetan cholkas of U-Tsang, Dotoe and Dhome, two from each of the principal Buddhist sects and the old traditional Bon faith of Tibet. Two Deputies were elected from Tibetan settlements in Europe and one from North America. Three eminent Tibetans were nominated by the Dalai Lama, including the Chairman, Professor Samdhong Rinpoche, Director of the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath.
Since the community-in-exile has no political parties, candidates for the elections, overseen by the Tibetan Election Commission, are put forward by their constituencies somewhat along the lines of American primaries. Those getting more than a certain number of votes are eligible to enter the final contest for an Parliament seat. This was the first time that such a large number of seats were being filled from the far flung community-in-exile. There are 130 settlements and communities located in different parts of India, Nepal and Bhutan, plus groups in the West. Ensuring that everyone participated in the elections was not easy. The settlements are spread all over India and Nepal. The biggest are in south India, where the exiles have done well in spite of the climate and living conditions being very different from what they were used to. Many exiles were settled in the plains of central India but special efforts were made to relocate them to colder, mountainous areas, more akin to Tibet.
Land was found with the help of State Governments and the Government of India contributed generously to the cost rehabilitation. The settlements are administered by Settlements Officers who are mainly appointed by the Government-in-exile. Each officer is responsible for a cluster of villages. Each village in the cluster elects a camp leader who keeps in touch with the Settlement Officers, thus forming the base of the democratic pyramid. The camp leaders also suggest candidates for election to the Parliament. Literacy is high because of the continued emphasis on proving good schools. For the first time, the Eleventh Parliament elected the seven Kalons constituting the Kashag (Cabinet).
It is the responsibility of the members of the Kashag to jointly take all policy decisions concerning the community-in-exile as well as to keep the question of Tibet alive. The Charter of the Tibetans-in-Exile stipulates that the Kashag should have eight members. The Chair is elected by the Kashag from among its members, while the remaining seven head the seven departments. The Kalons now supervise the work of all departments.
The Department of Religion and Culture seeks to preserve and promote Tibetan cultural and religious institutions that have been endangered in Tibet. It also gives back up services to the over 200 monasteries and nunneries established in exile. In addition to the monasteries and nunneries, there are five cultural centres for the study of both spiritual and secular traditions of Tibet under it. The Department of Home is responsible for the rehabilitation of Tibetans in exile, looking after the agricultural settlements, cluster units, agro-industries, handicraft societies and carpet-weaving cooperatives.
The Department of Finance formulates the annual budget which is laid before the Parliament; it also ensures the viability of the many widely dispersed income-generating small-scale projects that contribute to the budget. The Department of Education has the responsibility of providing support for the educational and welfare needs of 87 schools with over 27,000 students. The primary responsibility of the Department of Security is to ensure the security of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. It also runs a Research Unit which monitors developments in Tibet and China. Additionally, the Reception Centre looks after the growing number of new refugees arriving from Tibet.
The Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) educates the Tibetans and International public opinion about the political, human rights and environmental conditions in Tibet. It also liaises with the International media and the Tibet Support Groups throughout the world. Also under the DIIR are the twelve Representative Officers, which act as the foreign missions. The Department of Health ensures medical and health care assistance to every settlement through the primary health care centres and hospitals under it.
In addition to these departments, three independent commissions reaffirm the democratic status of the Government-in-exile. These are: the Election Commission, which supervises the expanded elections very efficiently; the Public Service Commission which oversees the recruitment, training, appointment and promotion of the nearly 400 civil servants who serve the administration; and the Audit Commission which is responsible for auditing the accounts of all departments and Tibetan public institutions.
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