Tibet on the boil

IT MAY not be roses, roses all the way up the Mount Everest. China fears that with Free Tibet campaigns gathering momentum around the world after the violent protests in Lhasa last Friday, carrying the Olympic torch up the mountain can end up being an uphill task for Beijing. For the time being, Nepal has kept China’s request to block the access to Mount Everest in order to prevent Tibetan protesters from spoiling the Olympic party in the mountains next month. In the meantime, Chinese authorities have deployed a massive number of military personnel in the Tibetan capital in what could be regarded as a virtual lock-down of the city. Curfew has been imposed on several parts of the city as well. While the international community has called for restraint on part of the Chinese government, mainland officials are castigating the Dalai Lama, holding him responsible for the violence in the Tibetan capital that, as per unofficial estimates, killed more than 100 protesters. The violence has laid bare the growing racial tension in the region and the people’s resentment against China’s alleged apathy towards Tibet’s economic development even as the Chinese government touts such projects as the newly opened railway network to show its sincere efforts in contributing to Tibet’s growth.
Coercion or the use of brutal force to quell protests may not be an ideal option to address the Tibet issue that has once again caught the world’s attention. With the Games only a few months away, China may want to project a ‘harmonious society’, but coercing monks into giving up their peaceful demonstrations could send out wrong signals to global powers. Apparently, US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Hollywood star Richard Gere are expected to visit the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to express their solidarity with the Tibetan government in exile and campaigners against Chinese rule of Tibet. Tibetan protesters apparently want to use the Olympic Games to turn the spotlight once again on their long-standing demand for Tibet’s independence from China. But the Dalai Lama told the media yesterday that he would prefer to walk the “middle ground”, seeking autonomy, and not independence, for Tibet. Declaring his support for the Games despite the tensions in Lhasa, he said while Tibet could rely on China for its material prosperity, the Chinese authorities should allow Tibetans to freely pursue their cultural and religious practices. A symbiotic relationship that offers mutual benefits seems to be the need of the hour for both the parties. Instead of hardening positions, efforts should be made to resume a peaceful dialogue to address the grievances.




Continuing struggle

THERE seems to be something for everybody in the Iranian parliamentary elections. Hard-line allies of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will apparently retain control of the assembly, but his conservative critics also appear to be making a strong showing that could undermine his domination of the Parliament. And reformists also claimed successes, despite the barring of large numbers of their candidates from the race. Control of Parliament is almost certain to remain with the conservatives. Although the economy is shaky and inflation is disturbingly high, there seems to be little serious opposition to them. It will be a Parliament less likely to challenge the government on matters of foreign and economic policy. Conservative self-confidence might indicate even less chance of compromise over Iran’s nuclear program. For most people in Iran, the economy is much more important than their government’s nuclear program. But Ahmadinejad’s political opponents blame him for the three rounds of sanctions imposed by the United Nations on Iran for its nuclear program. As for the reformists, who under President Khatami held substantial power only three years ago, they were supposedly in retreat, if not victims of a positive rout in the elections after many of their candidates were disqualified. But reformists could succeed in expanding their bloc of around 40 lawmakers in the outgoing Parliament, thus landing a blow on hard-line attempts to bury the movement, which calls for reducing the power of clerics and opening up to the West. It was previously thought the election would likely hurt the chances of the reformists putting forward a contender with any hope of winning the next presidential elections. It appears that thought is no longer the case. This election will probably produce a Parliament more loyal, if not to the president, then certainly to the supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who holds the final word on all state issues and who in turn lends his support to Ahmadinejad.
The outcome of the polls might help indicate Ahmadinejad’s prospects for re-election in April 2009. The reasonably strong showing among Ahmadinejad’s critics means he could be given a rougher ride as he prepares to run for re-election in a year’s time. Many of those who put their hopes in Ahmadinejad in the presidential elections nearly three years ago are disillusioned, particularly over his handling of the economy. But the parliamentary vote has not become a referendum on his rule. Ahmadinejad’s allies are on track to grab the largest share of the 290-member Parliament. But what the results could do is encourage a conservative challenge to Ahmadinejad in presidential elections. This is Iran’s eighth parliamentary elections since the 1979 revolution. During all these years, the reformists — who want both closer ties with the West and an end to the intrusive controls over people’s lives — have battled it out with the conservatives who want to keep to the strict norms. The parliamentary elections ensure that the same struggle will continue.

—Arab News