Daniel Ming

Tenzin Tethong, one of the three candidates for Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile

For the past five decades, the Dalai Lama has occupied a dual role as both the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people. That could change in the coming weeks. On Sunday, Tibetans around the world will head to the polls to elect a new Prime Minister.

One of the three candidates is a professor of Tibetan Studies at Stanford University.

Tenzin N. Tethong is an unlikely politician and potential powerbroker in Tibet’s long struggle for political autonomy.

His younger followers have nicknamed him “TNT” -- his initials.  A group called “Students4TNT” posted a YouTube video featuring the AC/DC hit of the same name. It’s an ironic nickname for the 63-year-old San Francisco resident, who in person is quiet and pensive.

But Tethong speaks forcefully about the Chinese government’s relationship with Tibet, his reverence for the Dalai Lama and the upcoming elections that could catapult him into a key position to help decide Tibet’s future. 

Mr. Tethong said he sees the potential power shift in the exile government as a key turning point for the Tibetan community.

“It’s a serious attempt to change Tibetan history or politics from a long time back,” he said in an interview with The Bay Citizen.

Even with the election, however, it is unclear whether power will actually transfer from the Dalai Lama to the new prime minister. Tibet first elected a prime minister in 2001, but the government’s charter vests the Dalai Lama with final authority.

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The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is recognized throughout the world as the face of the Tibetan movement and the key representative in negotiations between the Chinese government and the Tibetan people. Throughout his career, he has sought to democratize the Dharamsala-based government-in-exile.

He is now pushing for the Tibetan government-in-exile to amend its charter in order to give the Prime Minister real power over key issues, including Tibet’s evolving relationship with China.

On March 14^th, the Dalai Lama appealed to the parliament to relinquish him of political authority.

“No system of governance can ensure stability and progress if it depends solely on one person without the support and participation of the people in the political process,” he said in a statement. “One man rule is both anachronistic and undesirable.”

Mr. Tethong sees the Dalai Lama’s move as part of an attempt to shift Tibetan self-identity beyond the personality of one spiritual leader.

“He’s taking a very determined step to help the Tibetan people have an identity beyond himself,” said Mr. Tethong. “He’s trying to give the Tibetan people some profile of their own.”

But whether the parliament will move forward with the Dalai Lama’s proposal remains to be seen. On Tuesday the overwhelming majority of the Assembly of Tibetan People’s Deputies argued against his decision to give up the political role.

The Dalai Lama responded by saying that he will not reconsider his retirement.

“Rule by spiritual leaders or by kings, these are now out of date,” he told the AFP.

Sunday’s election is going forward with the idea that whoever is elected will take over the Dalai Lama’s political responsibilities.

One of the key questions on voters’ minds is how a new Prime Minister will deal with China.

Mr. Tethong said he would work to promote the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” approach if elected. That policy essentially seeks autonomy, rather than full independence, for Tibetans under the People’s Republic of China. 

Fellow candidate Lobsang Sangay, a Harvard scholar who is widely considered to be the frontrunner in Sunday’s election, also supports the “Middle Way,” along with the third candidate Tashi Wangdi, a Tibetan civil servant. 

Born in Lhasa and raised in India, Mr. Tethong has a long history of involvement with the Tibetan cause. In 1973, he was sent to New York by the government-in-exile to serve as the Dalai Lama’s representative. Mr. Tethong said he was chosen because of his fluency in English.

In 1979, he organized the Dalai Lama’s first visit to the United States. He has previously served in the government-in-exile, spending five years with the Congress of Tibetan Exiles in Dharamsala in the early 1990s.

More recently, Mr. Tethong has taught introductory courses in Tibetan history at Stanford. He says the experience of teaching American students has helped him to see the Tibetan struggle through a more global lens. 

“I have to try to develop a kind of critical or unbiased view of our own history or experience,” he said of preparing for classes. “It’s helped me to study and understand the Tibetan story in a wider context of what’s happening all over the world.”

The candidate cited the ongoing uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa as one such example. He was inspired by the success of democratic movements in countries like Egypt and Tunisia.

The developments, he says, are breaking down the assumption that there isn’t a strong core for democracy in religious or conservative societies like Tibet.

“People’s concerns and rights are being fought for, and they are succeeding,” he said.