Dharamsala: The fourth day of the second session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile began with the presentation of the reports under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education by its Kalon Tharlam Dolma Changra and presentation of the Standing Committee’s reviewed report on the detailed 2020-21 annual report of the DoE by Parliamentarian Serta Tsultrim.
Motion for debate on DoE’s report was tabled by Parliamentarian Atong Rinchen Gyaltsen and supported by Serta Tsultrim, followed by Kalon Tharlam Dolma Changra presenting clarification to questions of the Standing Committee.
Kalon Tharlam Dolma duly provided clarifications to the matters raised in the house including shortage of Tibetan students in Tibetan schools, standardization of teachers’ salaries, facilitating Tibetan books to Himalayan monasteries, follow-up on the returnees of the Tibetan Scholarship Program, integration of Tibetan schools, implementation of Basic Education Policy, affiliation of Tibetan monastic schools, education loan for Tibetan students, concerns of the Tibetan students studying in JNU, and others. Likewise, Sikyong Penpa Tsering also provided necessary clarifications on some of the matters raised in the house.
The house proceeded with legislative procedure with the first and second reading of the amendment proposed on the salaries and allowance of the Sikyong and the Kalons under Article 26 of the Charter of Tibetans in exile, honorarium, and allowances for the members of the Tibetan Parliament under the Article 50 of the Charter of Tibetans in exile, and salaries and allowances of the Chief Justice Commissioner and the other two Justice Commissioners of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, Election Commissioner and Additional Election Commissioners of the Central Election Commission, Public Service Commissioner, and Auditor General under the Articles 65, 98, 104, and 109 of the Charter of Tibetans in exile.
The legislative amendment proposed by Parliamentarian Serta Tsultrim and supported by Geshe Atong Rinchen Gyaltsen paved way for its third reading with unanimity.
The session continued with the presentation of the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR)’s report by Kalon Norzin Dolma and the presentation of the Standing Committee’s reviewed report of DIIR by Parliamentarian Lhagyari Namgyal Dolkar. Parliamentarian Phurpa Dorjee Gyaldhong tabled the motion for debate on the above-mentioned reports of DIIR, while Parliamentarian Geshe Ngaba Gangri supported the motion.
Matters like internet security, information broadcasting, appointment of Chinese Liaison Officer in Tibet Information Office (Australia), and others were raised in the house which were clarified subsequently by the DIIR Kalon and informed the house of the campaigns organized by the offices of Tibet under DIIR against the Winter Beijing Olympic.
In today’s session, the Speaker also announced that the ad hoc ‘Nomination Committee’, constituted by the Chief Justice Commissioner, the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament, and the Sikyong of Central Tibetan Administration in accordance to the Article 63, clause 1 of the Charter of Tibetans in exile, has been unsuccessful in nominating candidates for the Chief Justice Commissioner as they were unable to find candidates who meet the requirements set for the post by the Charter.
