Tibet has been in the news for two weeks now so I thought I should probably write a post about it. I’ve abstained from it thus far because it’s hard to write intelligently about what is undoubtedly a complicated situation with which I’m not very familiar and I’ve already had an argument with my wife over it. As someone with liberal views, it’s no surprise that I broadly sympathize with the Tibetans’ cause. I believe firmly in the principles of democracy and self-determination and strongly feel that no population should be forced to be ruled by what is essentially an undemocratic and unrepresentative government. Whatever progress China has made in the past few decades, there is no doubt that China is not a democracy and its government does not rule with the mandate of its people.
On the other hand, the historical evidence is that before communist China essentially annexed Tibet in the 1950s, Tibet suffered under an even more brutal dictatorial regime under the Dalai Lamas who ruled the country as priest-kings, so it’s arguable that the PRC has actually improved the quality of life for the average Tibetan by taking over their country, even if they don’t like to admit. In the same vein, the current troubles in Tibet is not a popular uprising against the PRC government but appears to consist of riots and acts of violence against the Han population in Tibet. There is no excuse for the disgruntled Tibetans’ taking out their frustrations on civilians even if it’s unclear what else it is they could do to gain international sympathy for their plight.
An outright declaration of independence for Tibet and the installation of a truly democratic regime seems unimaginable at this point. It’s clear that no change in the status quo is possible without the support of China, and without any experience as a democracy, it’s uncertain what kind of a government Tibet could end up with. The current Dalai Lama seems to be a reasonable and intelligent person and would undoubtedly be revered by Tibetans should he be allowed to return to his country, but he can only live for so long. Even the Dalai Lama himself and many other Tibetans have repeatedly stressed that it is not all out independence that they are asking for.
What they do want is a greater say in how things are run in their country, an end to the PRC’s policy of forcibly assimilating the Tibetans into becoming Han Chinese through an active repression of their language, their religion and their culture and equal opportunity in getting government jobs in Tibet. The PRC denies these policies, but why then all the secrecy and banning of foreign journalists from Tibet? All of these are reasonable demands. It is, in my opinion, also reasonable that countries, groups and organizations who support the Tibetans’ plight apply pressure to the PRC in any way that they can, short of violence, and that includes boycotting the Olympics or organizing prominent protests during Olympic-related events if they feel that it will make a difference. Unlike Russia under Putin, China does care a lot about its image abroad and it must be held to account with no holds barred by those to whom human rights still have some meaning.
What irks me most about this whole sorry episode however is the vicious response by Chinese bloggers towards the riots. The most common refrain is that the crackdown is justified because Tibet is historically part of China and that the West has been brainwashed by the Dalai Lama and his supporters if they believe that there is any basis in Tibet being a country separate from China. I contend that it is they who have been brainwashed. Regardless of who has held political power over it, Tibet is different enough from the rest of China that it has always been able to maintain a distinctive identity of its own and in any case, history does not justify depriving anyone of their basic rights. The state controlled media in China has worked hard to make “democracy” a dirty word, but allowing the people to decide for themselves who they want to rule them makes such basic sense that it is hard to imagine how indoctrinated someone must be to be able to not see it.
Recently Malaysians have been given the occasion to rejoice in the greatest ever electoral defeat of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, widely perceived by the people as being racist, corrupt and incompetent. This is because we have a functioning democracy, however imperfect it is. There is no excuse for denying anyone that same chance to choose.