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» Chinese-Society-Articles » Reading: "Tibet -- The Roof Top Of The World -- Provides A Clear View Of China"
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| Tibet -- The Roof Top Of The World -- Provides A Clear View Of China |
By:
Tom Watkins |
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PUBLISHED: Sunday, April 6, 2008
Guest opinion Tibet -- The Roof Top Of The World -- Provides A Clear View Of China
By TOM WATKINS
Special to The Oakland Press
Standing on the roof top of the world, in Lhasa, Tibet only a few short weeks ago, I absorbed the tranquility of a special place.
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Since returning to Michigan, the roof has been blown off Tibet. The eruption of violence is a stunning show of defiance against 57 years of Chinese rule.
While in Lhasa my thoughts returned to my mom's old pressure cooker with the little weighted "jiggler" that allowed just enough steam to escape to keep the contraption from exploding. The tension and pressure from the China-Tibet politics has been hissing for decades.Ê
Chinese officials will tell you Tibet has historically been part of China. Their efforts are to bring the Tibetan people out of the dark ages and to enable them to benefit from the Chinese economic boom. The Tibetans will respond that the Chinese military overran their country and are occupying Tibet with the goal to dilute, if not eliminate, their cultural identity.
The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai Lama, has called what is transpiring today in Tibet as "cultural genocide." The Dalai Lama is determined to pursue the "Middle-Way" policy that "takes into account the benefits to all parties involved, rather than one party alone."
The Dali Lama is not demanding independence for Tibet, but rather that they have the autonomy promised to practice their religion and to maintain their cultural heritage. The Dalai Lama has threaten to resign should Tibetans continue to use violence in their protests.
Yet in China, with its one party rule, there is no such thing as the "loyal opposition" or middle way. Historically, like today, the emperor's legitimacy can only be assured when there is total and complete obedience between ruler and ruled. Any dissent is disharmonious and is viewed as the beginning of loss of control that the communist leaders fear most.
It should be noted that China's President Hu Jintao was Party Secretary in Tibet and put down the last Tibetan rebellion in 1989. There are nowÊmore Han Chinese in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) than there are Tibetans.
I have been fascinated by all things Chinese for more than four decades. I have been disgusted and in awe as I have watched this communist country overcome the horrors of Mao and the Cultural Revolution while his successor, Deng Xiaoping, opened China to the world, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty.
In May 1989, I stood in Tiananmen Square with the Chinese students who were calling for greater freedom and democracy. I will never forget the young student, standing among hundreds of thousands of his contemporaries asking me, "Describe democracy, describe freedom?"
I wrote an article in 1990 where I said: "China's achievement gained through the last decade of reform is remarkable and universally acknowledged, especially when put in a historical perspective. We should expect a country that is struggling to overcome the horrors of the Cultural Revolution to be convulsive as it transforms itself, but it should not be repulsive and repressive.
I feel very strongly that what the Chinese government did on June 4, 1989 to its own people was repulsive. It is something that I, nor the world, should ever forget or forgive. Yet, I believe as strongly that we should not abandon the cultural, academic and professional exchanges that have flourished since the reopening of China. It is through the open exchange of ideas that democracy and change flourish.
If we do not stay involved with the people of China, the young man who asked me in Tiananmen Square to "Describe democracy, describe freedom" will never have his question answered. Those sentiments remain today.
Like in 1989, I am fearful for the young Tibetans I met and left behind on Beijing Street in front of the Potala Palace. As a freedom-loving nation, we must continue to speak out about the oppression of the Tibetan people and call on the leaders of China to show restraint and open dialog with the Tibetan leaders to resolve their differences peacefully.
Many have called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. I concur with the Dalai Lama that this would be ill advised.
Let's continue to engage China at all levels while putting a spotlight on the concerns of the Tibetans along with other issues such as fair trade, the genocide in Darfur and other human rights violations.
From the Olympic view, a spotlight will shine on all things Chinese: the good, the bad and the ugly. It is through the lens of engagement that change will take place. If not, the pressure cooker will certainly blow.
Tom Watkins of Northville is a business and education consultant. He served as Michigan's State Superintendent of Schools, 2001-2005 and Mental Health Director, 1986-90. He can be reached at: tdwatkins@aol.com. |
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