Report: Dalai Lama Says a Democratic Tibet Would Not Need Another Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama said that a "democratic Tibet" may not need a Dalai Lama, according to a June 20 report in the Hindustan Times, a major Indian daily newspaper. The Tibetan religious leader explained that if he dies in exile "there will be another Dalai Lama," but "if we cease to be a refugee community and can live in democratic Tibet, then I don't think there should be a successor to me after I die."

The Dalai Lama's premise is that if the political role historically filled by the Dalai Lama can be replaced by a democratically elected Tibetan leader, there would be no further need for the position. But most Tibetans revere the Dalai Lama as their religious leader and as a political figure, and when he speaks about the end of the line of Dalai Lamas, it raises concern in the Tibetan community.

The Dalai Lama turns 70 in July 2005. Some observers believe that Chinese leaders are waiting for him to die, and that the Chinese government intends to manage the selection of a new Dalai Lama. The 1995 installation of Gyaltsen Norbu as the Panchen Lama is a model for this set of policy choices. The State Council declared the Dalai Lama's recognition of Gedun Choekyi Nyima as the Panchen Lama to be "illegal and invalid" (report) and supervised the selection of Gyaltsen Norbu. The Chinese government demands that Tibetans accept Gyaltsen Norbu as legitimate and punishes Tibetans who show support for Gedun Choekyi Nyima.

If Chinese officials were to force Tibetans to accept a Dalai Lama that the Chinese government approved, tensions in Tibetan areas of China could worsen and last for decades, according to some analysts. The Dalai Lama's suggestion that he could be the last Dalai Lama if dialogue with China's leadership is productive may be an effort to forestall such a negative outcome. Additional information about the dialogue between the Dalai Lama's envoys and Chinese officials is available in the CECC 2004 Annual Report.