Dharamsala: New Parliament Members Ms. Tsering Dolma from Dotoe province and Ms. Sonam Wangmo from Domey province took the oath of office to replace Parliamentarians Mr. Lobsang Dhakpa and Mr. Gyari Thar respectively, after their resignation from the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE), today.
Deputy Speaker Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok administered the oath of office to the new Parliament members in accordance with Article 57, clause (I) (II) and Article 47 of the Charter of Tibetans-in-Exile.
The replacement of the Parliamentarians was made from a reserve waiting list maintained by the Central Tibetan Election Commission for the concerned constituency on the basis of the required minimum number of votes won by the candidates who did not make it to the Parliament during the last general election in 2016 and who had the highest number of votes among those in the existing reserve list.
In the presence of the standing committee members of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and Parliamentary Secretariat staff members, the brief swearing-in ceremony for the two Members of the Parliament was held at 10: 00 am at the Parliament hall.
The swearing-in ceremony started with the offering of Tibetan traditional scarfs to the portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, followed by oath administration of the two new Parliament Members, serving of dresil (sweet rice) and butter tea. The Deputy Speaker in his address congratulated and greeted the newly sworn-in Parliamentarians on behalf of all the Standing Committee members and all the Tibetans. The Deputy Speaker yet again expressed his wish to work with them for the remaining term of the 16th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile. Appreciating the two MPs, the Deputy Speaker said, “The two Parliament Members, despite the prevailing pandemic and restriction imposed due to it, undertook all the risk to come here. With the term of this Parliament soon to be over, it is an opportunity for all to work for the best of our cause.”
Even though the last Tibetan Democracy Day on 2nd September 2020 was celebrated in a brief ceremony due to covid restriction but what more important is to conclude the 16th TPiE in great terms, which would be the true preservation of democracy added the Deputy Speaker.
The Deputy Speaker further emphasized on not disappointing His Holiness the Dalai Lama and on fulfilling aspirations of the Tibetans living both inside and outside of Tibet. Reaffirming his commitment of working for the cause the Deputy Speaker said, “I have served as a Parliament Member from Utsang province for almost 15 years with the additional responsibility of the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament for 5 Year with full dedication and as per the oath taken by me.”
The Deputy Speaker added, “As announced earlier the additional session will be held on 20th of this month unless the current pandemic worsens and new restrictions are not imposed,” and emphasized taking collective effort for the common cause of Tibet. He also prayed for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and made committment of fulfilling aspirations of His Holiness. He also advised all the Tibetans to accumulate collective merit for the Tibetans.
The ceremony then proceeded with the presentation of Tibetan traditional scarves to congratulate the new MPs by the Standing Committee members. Parliamentarians Tsering Dolma and Sonam Wangmo then sought guidance from the Deputy Speaker at his chamber. They were also handed over the official documents and publications by the Deputy Speaker.
Parliamentarian Tsering Dolma was born on 26 May 1978 in Shillong, Meghalaya. After completing her schooling at the Central School for Tibetan Darjeeling, the Parliament Member completed her bachelor’s degree from North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU). Tsering Dolma has served as a member, executive committee member, & secretary of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC), and also as a member & secretary of the Regional Tibetan Women Association.
The Parliament Member has whole-heartedly participated in numerous government and nongovernmental campaigns, especially in the political campaign organized by the Kashag and Parliament in 2013. Likewise, she also took responsibility for the regional election commission at Shillong as a Dotoe member and as a member of the region’s Chushi Gangdruk. Currently, the MP is serving as the Chair of the Local Tibetan Assembly in Shillong.
Parliamentarian Sonam Wangmo was born on 18 August 1972 to father Thaklung Gendhun Lama and mother Tsering Tso in Dhondupling Tibetan Settlement in Dehradun. After completing her school education at Raja Ram Mohan Roy Academy School in Dehradun, the MP completed her bachelor’s degree from DAV (PG) College in Dehradun and a certificate program of teaching English in 2019 from IGNOU. Likewise, she did her diploma in accounts and commuters from ‘Diploma in Accountancy from Account Age’ and currently employed at the Administration Department of the Unison World School.
In order to serve the Tibetan people, the Parliamentarian made her contribution in teaching English at the Dhondupling settlement school for four years. She also served as a member of the Domey executive committee of Dehradun from 1997 to 2002 as well as a member of the Local Tibetan Assembly. The MP has been a member of the regional election commission and its Chair for 5 years. From 2003 to 2006, she served as a member of the Central Domey Association (Finance Head) and as the secretary of the Central Domey Association from 2006 to 2009. She has also been the director of the Domey Agu Pema Art Association.
