With the election of Donald Trump as president of United States, Tibetans have mixed feelings as to what he might do for their cause and whether they will get back their homeland.
“Trump is unpredictable. Even if Hillary Clinton were elected, she would have not been good for the Tibetan cause. They (Trump and Hillary) are both the same,” said Tseten Lungkara, past president of the Tibetan Alliance of Chicago, at a recent fundraiser dinner celebration of H. H. the Dalai Lama’s 82nd birthday.
Lungkara was pessimistic. “Tibetan problem will not be solved under Trump,” he said.
At the celebration, the portrait of Dalai Lama gifted by Sera Monastery monks in Karnataka was unveiled. TAC president Kelsang Draggo mentioned that H. H. the Dalai Lama had received more than 150 different awards and honorary doctorates including the Nobel Peace Prize and the U.S.
Congressional Gold Medal. Local friends of the community members came. “We remind our members that we lost our country, Draggo said.
With Trump promising a change for the American people, many are skeptical as to what he will do.
“Tibet is not on his (Trump’s) agenda,” Lungkara said. “He is only for Americans and not for all races to walk together. American prestige is at stake as he is the leader. This goes against Buddhist philosophy that says that all sentient beings are the same,” Lungkara added.
According to Buddhist philosophy, all sentient beings are equal as they have Buddha nature and hear the Buddha dharma.
“Bernie Sanders is more favored as a candidate by Tibetans,” Lungkara said. “Sanders did a lot for the Tibetan cause,” he added,
Sanders’ idealistic approach led him to support a bill in 2008 that condemns human rights abuses by Chinese government in Tibet that called for a dialog between China and Dalai Lama and the right of people of Tibet to speak of Dalai Lama and possess his photograph. Sanders was also responsible for the release of Tibetan prisoners like documentary film maker, director and producer Ngawang Choepel from Chengdu prison.
“Donald Trump does not like refugee people,” Pema Lhamo said. She thought that he could not solve the human rights issue of Tibetans.
Tenzin Youdan, who did marketing from Loyola University in Chicago, and works in sales, said that Donald Trump is against immigrants. She said the decrease in funding for Tibetan people by the U.S. government will affect Tibetans.
In Trump’s proposed budget for 2018, Tibetan programs were generally reduced and in one case, eliminated, according to an ICT press release. But thankfully, the House Bill recently recommended funding at the same levels as 2017 for allocation of funds to refugees in Tibet and Nepal at a level commensurate with prior years.
“We get a lot of grants from United States so that will be put in a dire situation if the funding is reduced… and we have to learn to figure out ways to preserve our culture in a foreign land,” Youdan added.
At the celebration, many Tibetans turned up and performed the circle dance and then disco till late at night.
Tibetans have sung and expressed their woes for many years. They have made paintings, written books, poems and articles, made films, and sang songs. The current prime minister Lobsang Sangay was featured in the #9 spot in the most watched songs of 2016 by the Tibetan community-in-exile in the song “Sangay is King” meaning “Lion is King”, sung by Samdup Dorjee Sammy. Whatever the situation in America, despite the lowering of Trump’s approval rating, Tibetans have still not lost hope.
HIMANI SANAGARAM
