The 6th World Parliamentarians’ Convention debates the issue of Tibet
Csaba Sógor: ”Through the issue of Tibet, which is of interest to the entire world, we can also remind the world about the deficiencies in Europe in the field of minority protection.”
Under the patronage of the Canadian Federal Government and organized by the Tibetan Government in Exile and the International Network of Parliamentarians on Tibet (INPaT), the Sixth World Parliamentarians’ Convention on Tibet took place in Ottawa, Canada between the 27th and the 29th of April. The Gere Foundation, established by actor Richard Gere, contributed to the event. DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor was present at the event.
The first part of the convention was chaired by Richard Gere, who also serves as international president of INPaT. He considers that China’s political decisions not only affect neighboring countries by limiting their scope of action, but they also influence the policies in Asia and the entire world.
Among the speakers Indian air force specialist Jayadewa RANADE from the Centre for Air Power Service in New Delhi reminded the participants about the pace of growth of Chinese military and economic power: the country’s GDP has doubled every ten years. Even so, growing social tensions are not to be neglected, the specialist feels that social conflicts will soon halt economic development because China will transform from the manufacturer of the world to the excessive consumer of the world. Change will be brought by the inner dissatisfaction of the Chinese population, the unsustainable nature of the one-party system and the fight against corruption.
President of the Washington based National Endowment for Democracy,Carl GERSHMAN considers that China’s democratic future depends on Tibet. The analyst hopes that the implementation of the Burmese model and the disciplined transition process will start soon: this will be the moment when dialogue with the Tibetan leadership will start.
In his speech, Hungarian MEP from Transylvania Csaba Sógor declared that Burma can be an example not only for China, but for Eastern Europe as well. “The leaders of Burma have realized that that military dictatorship cannot lead to economic stability, so they agreed to give autonomy to the minorities for the sake of peace and development. The European Union can be an example for China only if we manage to solve all minority issues within the EU. Nevertheless, there are many countries in Europe that do not realize even the economic benefits of preserving and supporting minority cultures, not to mention issues of human and minority rights” – claimed the MEP.
The current, 14th Dalai Lama made major modernizing changes to the four-hundred year old tradition of the Tibetan political system, saying that Tibet should build on the well prepared members of the younger generation. “Tibet belongs to the Tibetans, it is not the property of the Dalai Lama, just like Canada belongs to the Canadians, not to a single political party” – he said. The political attributes of the Dalai Lama have been transferred to the Kalon Tripa, Dr. Lobsang SANGAY, who acts as prime minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile. Through the transfer of power legitimacy of democracy has been confirmed in Tibet, while the support of the Tibetan cause has been rendered possible even beyond the Dalai Lama. The prime minister called upon the parliamentarians present at the Convention to support the issue of Tibet in the spirit of the democratic values in their own constitutions because in this way they speak for the population of Asia and the entire world, considering the geographic location of Tibet.
On the second day of the Convention, Csaba Sógor highlighted the importance of the civil society. “When politics cannot achieve breakthroughs in minority protection, it is the role of civil society to keep the issue on the agenda” – said the MEP, who presented the example of the Csoma’s Room Foundation. The MEP said that this civil initiative not only restores the room of Sándor Kőrösi Csoma in Zangla through the aid of volunteers, but it also addresses the social issues of the Indian town, among other things by providing education for local children.
The participants of the Convention prepared an action plan in the fields of human rights, environmental issues, culture, religion and education and the responsibilities of the international community, and introduced these measures into the Ottawa Declaration adopted at the end of the event. DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor’s proposals were introduced in the chapter about culture, religion and education. “For us, Hungarians in Transylvania it is a great help to be able to say, through the issue of Tibet, which is of interest to the entire world, that there still are deficiencies in Europe in the field of minority protection” – said the Hungarian MEP from Transylvania in his speech.
The first part of the convention was chaired by Richard Gere, who also serves as international president of INPaT. He considers that China’s political decisions not only affect neighboring countries by limiting their scope of action, but they also influence the policies in Asia and the entire world.
Among the speakers Indian air force specialist Jayadewa RANADE from the Centre for Air Power Service in New Delhi reminded the participants about the pace of growth of Chinese military and economic power: the country’s GDP has doubled every ten years. Even so, growing social tensions are not to be neglected, the specialist feels that social conflicts will soon halt economic development because China will transform from the manufacturer of the world to the excessive consumer of the world. Change will be brought by the inner dissatisfaction of the Chinese population, the unsustainable nature of the one-party system and the fight against corruption.
President of the Washington based National Endowment for Democracy,Carl GERSHMAN considers that China’s democratic future depends on Tibet. The analyst hopes that the implementation of the Burmese model and the disciplined transition process will start soon: this will be the moment when dialogue with the Tibetan leadership will start.
In his speech, Hungarian MEP from Transylvania Csaba Sógor declared that Burma can be an example not only for China, but for Eastern Europe as well. “The leaders of Burma have realized that that military dictatorship cannot lead to economic stability, so they agreed to give autonomy to the minorities for the sake of peace and development. The European Union can be an example for China only if we manage to solve all minority issues within the EU. Nevertheless, there are many countries in Europe that do not realize even the economic benefits of preserving and supporting minority cultures, not to mention issues of human and minority rights” – claimed the MEP.
The current, 14th Dalai Lama made major modernizing changes to the four-hundred year old tradition of the Tibetan political system, saying that Tibet should build on the well prepared members of the younger generation. “Tibet belongs to the Tibetans, it is not the property of the Dalai Lama, just like Canada belongs to the Canadians, not to a single political party” – he said. The political attributes of the Dalai Lama have been transferred to the Kalon Tripa, Dr. Lobsang SANGAY, who acts as prime minister of the Tibetan Government in Exile. Through the transfer of power legitimacy of democracy has been confirmed in Tibet, while the support of the Tibetan cause has been rendered possible even beyond the Dalai Lama. The prime minister called upon the parliamentarians present at the Convention to support the issue of Tibet in the spirit of the democratic values in their own constitutions because in this way they speak for the population of Asia and the entire world, considering the geographic location of Tibet.
On the second day of the Convention, Csaba Sógor highlighted the importance of the civil society. “When politics cannot achieve breakthroughs in minority protection, it is the role of civil society to keep the issue on the agenda” – said the MEP, who presented the example of the Csoma’s Room Foundation. The MEP said that this civil initiative not only restores the room of Sándor Kőrösi Csoma in Zangla through the aid of volunteers, but it also addresses the social issues of the Indian town, among other things by providing education for local children.
The participants of the Convention prepared an action plan in the fields of human rights, environmental issues, culture, religion and education and the responsibilities of the international community, and introduced these measures into the Ottawa Declaration adopted at the end of the event. DAHR’s MEP Csaba Sógor’s proposals were introduced in the chapter about culture, religion and education. “For us, Hungarians in Transylvania it is a great help to be able to say, through the issue of Tibet, which is of interest to the entire world, that there still are deficiencies in Europe in the field of minority protection” – said the Hungarian MEP from Transylvania in his speech.
