The 15th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile concluded its 11th and final session on April 1 with both the Speaker Penpa Tsering and Prime Minister (Sikyong) Lobsang Sangay strongly urging all Tibetans to work towards promoting and practicing unity, cooperation and harmony among the various sections of the Tibetan community.
Speaker Penpa Tsering appealed to everyone to respect the verdict passed by Parliament, which is based on democractic principles. Expressing his solidarity with Tibetans inside Tibet, he said, “I take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment and responsibility towards the tens of thousands of Tibetan brothers and sisters inside Tibet. I solemnly urge everyone to sustain the spirit and momentum of our struggle, upholding the values and morals of our culture.”
Both the Speaker and Prime Minister requested all Tibetans to leave the election hustle behind and put their common effort into working towards the greater goal.
The outgoing Speaker Penpa Tsering said now the election is over, “Irrespective of your affiliation to your candidate, it is now essential that we must be united in supporting the new administration.”
Lobsang Sangay, who will reportedly become Sikyong (Prime Minister) once again for another term, also said “Past is past and now it is important for us to learn from our mistakes in order to avoid it in the future. We must be a beacon of hope for those inside Tibet”.
Parliament approved a budget of INR 224 Crore for the expenditure of the Central Tibetan Administration and its offices around the world for the fiscal year 2016 – 2017.
Members of the 14th Kashag, led by Sikyong Lobsang Sangay and Speaker Penpa Tsering observed a ceremony to pay respect and gratitude to Nechung Choegyal, the state oracle of the Tibet, and the deity Tsering Chenga (Tashi Tseringma), as a mark of tribute to the oracles for their guidance and counsel in the successful completion of the current Kashag and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile.
Nechung Choegyal is reported to have followed up his earlier warning about internal problems that could cause disharmony and disunity amongst Tibetans by saying that many people in the Tibetan exile society have gained in material possession but are neglecting, abandoning, and ignoring the spiritual realm. He also said to have made it clear he was not pleased with the present leadership and said they should apologise to His Holiness the Dalai Lama for their actions during the recent election.
Historically, the Nechung oracle is known to have played a role in assisting government decision-makings and providing securities for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet.
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