Dharamshala: Early last month before Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama left for a speaking tour in the US and Europe the Prof. Samdong Rinpoche, the prime minister of the Tibetan government in exile ,expressed that he wanted to resign from his post. His Holiness declined the Prime Minister’s request.Prof. Samdong Rinpoche is serving his second term as prime minister after being reelected in 2006, elections to choose the next prime minister are scheduled to occur in 2011. A source in the Tibetan said, government-in-exile “The Rinpoche requested the Dalai Lama to accept his offer to quit office and initiate the process to elect the next prime minister. However, his holiness turned down the request on the plea that it would send a wrong signal to the world community.”
The prime minister, said: “The move to quit the office was just to provide an opportunity to any young Tibetan leader to take on responsibly.”
Defending his request the prime minister said “It is wrong to say that I offered to step down due to difference of opinion (among cabinet colleagues). I wanted to give any young leader a chance to take charge of the sacrosanct post. I moved the proposal (to advance the election for the prime minister’s office) but it did not get unanimously approval. So it was dropped,” the Rinpoche told IANS.
Samdong Rinpoce serves as the second in charge, behind His Holiness the Dalai Lama, of the Tibetan government in exile. The government itself is not recognized as legitimate by any other government, but it has jurisdiction over the nearly 100,000 Tibetan exiles live in India.
