Dharamshala — Amid confusion and misunderstanding over replacing the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to North America based in Washington DC, Kalon Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, the officiating President of the officiating President of the Central Tibetan Administration has clarified that the Kashag unanimously decided to replace the Representative based in Washington DC.
Dharamshala — Amid confusion over replacing the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in North America based in Washington DC, Kalon Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, the officiating President of the officiating President of the Central Tibetan Administration has clarified that the Kashag unanimously decided to replace the Representative based in Washington DC.
Ven Gelek Yuthok, who spoke Thursday at a press conference at his official chambers in the Department of Religion and Culture, saying: "The Kashag has expressed its dissatisfaction with the way the current Representative has conducted his responsibility since assumption of office." He has also said that "as per the practice the details of the three advisories would not be disclosed today".
Responding to a further question at the November 9 press briefing, Education Minister Ven Gelek Yuthok said that Kashag's announcement on replacing the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Administration in North America based in Washington D, was "misunderstood" by some sections in media.
"Following requests from Media for need for clarification on this matter, and some speculations in the public domain about the change of North America Representative based in Washington DC, I would like to underline some key points in connection with the issue that will hopefully shed some light on the development," he said, during the brief interaction with members of the press.
"The Kashag has expressed its dissatisfaction with the way the current Representative has conducted his responsibility since assumption of office. In fact, in July this year, the Kashag has sent the last advisory mentioning the need for improvements in the ways and manners of his service and performance," he said.
"Till date, the Kashag has sent three advisories. The first two advisories were sent through the Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) under which all the Offices of Tibet operates. So, it is not through one letter that communicated Kashag's dissatisfaction to the Representative," he added. He further added
"The Office of Tibet based in Washington DC is one of the most important offices of the Central Tibetan Administration and consequently, the Representative heading that office must adhere to the rules of the right conduct and meet our expectations and trust" he said.
Kalon further added that based on above facts, the Kashag held successive discussions regarding the matter and considering the importance of the office in Washington DC, the Kashag unanimously decided to replace the Representative based in Washington DC.
"Finally, like his appointment as the Representative in August last year, this time also we followed exactly the same norms and procedure to replace him as per the provisions of the Tibetan Charter including Chapter 1 Article 1(3)," said Kalon Yuthok.
"While we recognise his role as the speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile and appointed him with high expectations and placed great trust in him but in this role as the representative, unfortunately it was not viable. We wish him well in his future endeavors," he said.
"The decision to appoint Kalon Ngodup Tsering as the new Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to North America is final. We have full confidence that our colleague Kalon Ngodup will perform to the best of his abilities. So we want to wish him all the best in this important undertaking and ask Tibetans in North America to fully cooperate and support him in his efforts to work for the cause of Tibet and the Tibetan people," Kalon concluded.
The Office represents His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Central Tibetan Administration in North America. Its major responsibilities include mobilizing support from the US and Canadian governments in the U.S. Congress and Canadian Parliament, educating the U.S. and Canadian public on Tibet and the CTA, coordinating and preparing the visits of His Holiness in North America, maintaining relations with & providing services to the North American Tibetan Diaspora and strengthening and enhancing relationships with Tibetan Buddhist Dharma Centers.
