In 2000, His Holiness the Dalai Lama made a landmark decision that called for the office of the Kalon Tripa to be elected directly by the people. No longer would the leader of the Tibetan people be appointed by His Holiness, or those elected to the Tibetan Parliament in exile. As His Holiness the Dalai Lama advances in age, the Tibetan community is reaching a critical time in its history. To lead them through this period, it is imperative that Tibetans have a dynamic leader with vision and proven leadership skills.
In order to elect the most suitable candidate to the position of Kalon Tripa, a selection process must be established whereby candidates can put their names forward and present their views. This should be done as early as possible, before the 2011 elections. In this way, voters would stand to be well-informed on the various candidates; familiar with whom they are, and the experience and ideas they offer. The Kalon Tripa Website seeks to facilitate this process by creating a forum in cyber-space where such candidates can present their respective platforms. It is hoped that providing this site would render the pre-election debate more accessible to all Tibetans, regardless of geographical location.
The Kalon Tripa Website’s objectives can be summarized as follows:
- Search for Excellence To create a means to express excellence The website hopes to help create a mechanism and process, whereby qualified individuals with proven leadership skills may become known to the Tibetan electorate.
- Diversity To promote a diversity of viewpoints The simplicity and accessibility of a virtual nomination platform will serve to encourage candidates to present viewpoints reflective of the diversity of opinions to be found in Tibetan society.
- Informed Choice To inform the Tibetan electorate Through the forum provided at www.kalontripa.org, candidates could more effectively communicate their perspective and vision, as well as address various issues of central importance to the Tibetan community. Access to more centralized information would also serve to increase the Tibetan citizen’s knowledge and understanding of the issues, and ultimately their participation. This enhanced ability of the voter to access information would result in a stronger position to make an informed decision.
- Participation & Youth Engagement To maximize participation and spark youth involvement Our goal is to help create momentum and generate excitement around the upcoming Kalon Tripa election. We hope to bring about a greater participation among the population at large; as well as engage youth in the political process, ranging from candidate nomination and endorsement to vote casting.
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