17th TPiE: uncertain end to internal meeting to resolve parliamentary deadlock
DHARAMSALA, 29 Sept: The elected members of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-exile (TPIE) today ended their internal meeting to resolve the parliamentary deadlock without announcing the resolution they have agreed upon.
After extending their internal meeting for an additional day, the Tibetan MPs left the Sikyong auditorium of the Central Tibetan Administration at its headquarters here in Gangchen Kyishong abruptly as the MPs at either end of the equation stood their ground and left without addressing the media.
The elected lawmakers began their two days internal meeting on 27th Sept. and on the evening of 28th Sept., they decided to extend the meeting for a day and decided to meet on Wednesday afternoon to resolve the stalemate.
The lawmakers have reportedly failed to achieve the backings of 2/3 of the 44 lawmakers gathered for the meet to reach to accept both the oath of office they have taken.
The development came as a rude surprise for the Tibetan netizens after they hoped the two sides will accept each other’s oath of office and move forward.
On 8 June, the members of the 17th TPIE took their oath of office in an unprecedented manner but couldn’t elect a new Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the house as Twenty-one MPs took their oath of office from the pro-tem Speaker Dawa Tsering who was administered the oath by the Chief Justice Commissioner who was removed by the TPIE in March while 22 MPs who held it unlawful took their oath in front of the Charter and a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Though the MPs have planned a press conference after the meet, it couldn’t materialise for unknown reasons.
As the parliament stalemate continues to drag on, the only viable solution now remains seeking HIs Holiness the Dalai Lama’s counsel as enshrined in Article 1of the Charter of the Tibetans-in-Exile.
Clause 2 of Article 1: Protector and symbol of Tibet and Tibetan people states that “As and when he sees it necessary, or whenever appealed to by the leadership, His Holiness the Dalai Lama is to provide suggestions on opinions of the Kashag or the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on important matters concerned with the Tibetan people, society, religion and politics.”
The unprecedented manner in which the members of the 17th TPIE took their oath of office was necessitated after the Chief Justice Commissioner and the two Justice Commissioners of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission impeached by the Tibetan parliament in March performed a u-turn and announced their resumption to offices nearly two months after accepting their impeachment though they called it illegitimate.
The CTA has been functioning without the parliament since the swear-in ceremony of Sikyong Penpa Tsering.
The standing committee of the 16th Tibetan parliament has to dissolve as all but 3 of its members resigned on 27 May after the Sikyong took the oath of office from Dagpo Sonam Norbu, the Chief Justice
