The Dalai Lama announced today
that in the coming days he will resign from his political post as head
of the Tibetan government in exile.
The decision had been rumoured for
some time, but he is now set to propose amendments so the Tibetan people
can be governed by a “freely elected leader. "
It is not yet certain,
however, that the government - which meets next March 14 - will accept
the decision of the Ocean of Wisdom.
For some time the Dalai Lama has wanted to retire from politics
and to devote himself solely to his role as spiritual head of Tibetan
Buddhism. He also hopes to return to China, from where he fled in 1959
after a revolt against the occupying Chinese was violently repressed.
Beijing has often accused the Dalai Lama of being an astute politician
who tries to divide the country even using terrorism to achieve
independence for Tibet.
In fact, the Dalai Lama has arrived at calling
for only a "cultural autonomy" of Tibet, to save its culture and
religion from "genocide."
The decision comes as the Dalai Lama and Tibetans are preparing
to elect a new prime minister through elections, unknown to China.
In his speech today on the anniversary of the uprising of 1959,
he praised China as an “emerging world power "and its enormous"
economic development ".
He said it "has a high potential to contribute
to human progress and world peace. But to do this China must earn the
respect and confidence of the international community. To have that
respect, China's leaders must develop a greater transparency, their
actions must match their words. For this to happen, we need freedom of
expression and press freedom".