Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise today to express my continuing concern about the current situation in Tibet. Before I do so, I would like to bring to the attention of my colleagues a recent statement made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on his political future. In his March 10 statement marking the 52nd anniversary of the Tibetan uprising, His Holiness announced his intention to propose amendments to the Charter for Tibetans in Exile, handing over his formal authority to an elected leader. Let me read a portion of his message to the Fourteenth Assembly of the Tibetan People's Deputies: The essence of a democratic system is, in short, the assumption of political responsibility by elected leaders for the popular good. In order for our process of democratization to be complete, the time has come for me to devolve my formal authority to such an elected leadership. I applaud His Holiness for this decision and I stand ready to do my part to help the Tibetan community in exile transition to a new political structure. I take great comfort in the knowledge that His Holiness will continue his role as spiritual leader to the Tibetan people and will work tirelessly to preserve the Tibetan culture both inside and outside of Tibet. I also support His Holiness' call for fact-finding delegations to Tibet, including representatives of international parliamentarians, to see for themselves the current situation on the ground.…”