Tibetan legislators shrug off Dalai Lama's 'political show'
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Tibetan legislators shrugged off the Dalai Lama's talk of "retirement" Thursday, saying it was merely his another lie, trick and "political show" that would not exert any impact on the stability of Tibet.
The 75-year-old Dalai Lama claimed Thursday in India that he would give up his political role in the Tibetan "government-in-exile" and shift that power to an "elected leader."
"Like past, that is merely another political show of Dalai Lama who attempts to arouse the attention of the international community and mould public opinion," said Qiangba Puncog, chairman of the Standing Committee of Tibet Autonomous Regional People's Congress, while attending the annual parliamentary session in Beijing.
"But that will not exert any impact on the stability of Tibet," he said.
Qiangba Puncog said the so-called Tibetan "government-in-exile" is an illegal political organization that has not been recognized by any country in the world.
"Whatever moves they take -- Dalai Lama's 'retirement' or electing a successor, they will be all illegal and will not be recognized," he said.
He said the Dalai Lama has talked about his "retirement" or "semi-retirement" on many occasions over recent years.
"No matter whether he retires or not, his political attempt will not change. His speech is to declare publicly that he will not give up his attempt to sabotage unity and split China using any methods," he said.
On March 10, 1959, the Dalai Lama and some of the serf owners instigated an armed rebellion to postpone a democratic reform which was aimmed at abolishing the thousand-year-old serf system in Tibet.
Serfs, who accounted for more than 90 percent of the population of old Tibet, were treated as private property by their owners, including the family of the Dalai Lama, the paramount leader of Tibet. The latter owned some 80 percent of production materials -- farm land, pastures and livestock.
