[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 119 (Monday, August 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INAUGURATION OF LOBSANG SANGAY, NEW TIBETAN PRIME MINISTER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 1, 2011

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on August 8, 2011, in Dharamsala, India, 
the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile, 
Tibetans from around the world will gather for a historic occasion, the 
inauguration of their democratically elected Prime Minister (Kalon 
Tripa).
  On March 20, 2011, tens of thousands of Tibetans living in countries 
around the world went to the polling booths to elect their next prime 
minister and parliament of the Central Tibetan Administration. 
Thousands of Tibetan-Americans across the United States also 
participated in these historic elections, including from my home state 
of Massachusetts.
  In April, Dr. Lobsang Sangay was declared the winner. He has Bay 
State roots. Raised as a stateless Tibetan refugee in India, his 
parents saved to get him an education. Through the U.S.-funded Tibetan 
Scholarship Program, he entered studies at Harvard University. He got a 
law degree there and stayed on as a research fellow for many years.
  The 43-year-old Lobsang Sangay takes over as chief executive of the 
Central Tibet Administration at a critical point, as much of the 
political responsibilities for the Tibetan community in exile now 
reside on his shoulders. In March 2011, the Dalai Lama announced his 
decision to devolve his political authority to the elected leadership. 
These changes were ratified by the Tibetan parliament in May.
  At a time when autocrats around the world are clinging to power, the 
Dalai Lama's voluntary effort to give up power is remarkable. It is the 
culmination of a decades-long process of nurturing the development of 
democratic institutions in the Tibetan exile community. This stands in 
stark contrast to the reality that neither Tibetans in Tibet, nor 
anyone in China, are allowed fundamental democratic freedoms or free 
elections. What the Tibetans have accomplished is worthy of our 
attention and respect.
  I had the chance to meet Lobsang Sangay when he came to Capitol Hill 
in July 2011, during the Dalai Lama's visit to Washington. I look 
forward to his return to discuss ways the United States can help 
Tibetans in their endeavor to find a solution for the Tibet issue.
  On the occasion of the inauguration of the next Kalon Tripa, Dr. 
Lobsang Sangay, I send my warm wishes to the Tibetan people and 
congratulate them on their democratic achievements.

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