By Stanzin Dawa
10-10-2006

The Devil's Advocate

“The Great Political Debate” the title of the interview taken by the Editor of Ladags Melong, Sunetro Ghosal (in the August 2006 issue) of the President, District Congress Leh, Tsering Samphel and the CEC LAHDC Leh, Tsering Dorjay. My Dear Sunetro, although I respect both Tsering Samphel and Tsering Dorjay but I don’t find any greatness in their interview, it looks so cheap, egoistic, party oriented rather a force to weaken the collective movement and integrity of Ladakh. I think the title should be appropriately “The Cheap Political Debate” instead of “The Great Political Debate.”

Retrospectively-Tsering Samphel Congress President
Sunetro; why did you break away from the LUTF? “…In the last two years, the LUTF has not raised the issue with any national leaders who have visited Ladakh…” said TS. Here first question comes to my mind is; why LUTF should wait for national leaders to come to Ladakh? My secondary question is more specific to Mr. Samphel, What do you mean by LUTF? Is it only confining to the President Tsering Dorjay and his executives or all the people who were involved in the construction of the LUTF including your self, sir.

Similarly tomorrow; if the executive committee of the local district Congress fails to live up to the expectations of the people. What would you do? Will you form a new political party or change the existing executive committee with more competent people? If you argue that Tsering Dorjay and his executives of the LUTF were failed to raise the UT issue; than you should have suggested to elect a new body after all it was a democratic body, if I am not wrong. Critical analysis of your interview reveals that your involvement with LUTF was mostly confined to the construction and deconstruction of the body not in between. In fact if I am not wrong you were the principal architect of the LUTF with a promising vision of translating the long cherish Ladakh’s dream for UT into a reality.

All the political parties in Leh either out of hopes or fears had willing or unwillingly dissolved their political parties and unanimously join the LUTF. Personally I consider you as the politically most enlightened and articulate leader in Ladakh but here with due respect I don’t agree with your views. I think your responsibility doesn’t end with the formation of the LUTF; the real challenge is to make it function. Why you have succumbed to the pressure of Thupstan Chhewang to transform LUTF into a political party? Is Thupstan Chhewang that powerful or you were not strong and united enough to resist the pressure; incase if the pressure was there. Or the real reason is confidential!!!

I do agree with you that democracy should not be the monopoly of a single party. Are you not aware of this when you have appealed to all the political parties in Leh to dissolve and form LUTF? If your vision were not clear than your entire process of bringing Ladakh to a common platform was a futile exercise with some wasted political interest of the individuals, not necessarily you. Were you making a castle in the air in the name of LUTF? “…We need the backing of a national party to achieve UT status and for our day to day activities…”said TS. Here you are contradicting with your own initiative and effort to form LUTF. “We also have better access to the decision makers in J&K and in Delhi…” said TS. Here again I do agree with you that’s its easier to access with the power center either its state or centre government, but the significant question is how far you were successful in raising the UT issue when your access is not only easier but faster also. We may deny the truth but we cannot avoid it, the truth is that we have seen some positive development in Ladakh because of local Congress leader’s good say at least in the state politics if not in the centre.

“…MP Thupstan Chhewang has never raised the UT issue in the Parliament…” said TS. If this criticism is valid than we would love to know the secret of our Honorable Member of Parliament Mr. Thupstan Chhewang’s silent in the parliament for not raising the issue. At least in the Indian Parliament silence is not gold, unless you are ignorant about the issue. But Mr. Thupstan is one of the modern educated leaders familiar with local and national political situation. “The welfare of Ladakh lies with the Congress and its people do not associate with any other party. All our great leaders (like Bakula Rinpoche) have been from the Congress. It is only with the Congress that Ladakh will prosper…” said TS. What makes you to give such a statement? Is it not dictatorship or over glorification of Congress?

I have immense respect and regards for the contributions and accomplishments of His Holiness Bakula Rinpoche; but why we should compel people to follow him? We are living in a democratic country; people should go with their own aspirations. The role of a leader is not to produce followers but to produce better leaders and people. I am sure even Bakula Rinpoche would not appreciate if we blindly follow him, the situations is different today. Today we have more leaders but almost no followers, today we are either, Congress pa or LUTF pa, Leh pa or Kargil pa, Shanma pa or Stodpa pa, Bhoti or Khachay and we have very limited or no Ladakhis in the real sense. Congress ruled in Ladakh for decades together, of course it has contributed for the growth and development of Ladakh in many respects. But one of the significant contributions of the political parties in Ladakh irrespective of Congress, NC, LUTF, or BJP is fragmenting the traditionally coexisting Ladakhi society in the name of politics.

“The LUTF used money, monks, muscle, lies and fraud to sweep the last elections. They exploited sectarian divisions and even intoxicated youth with alcohol in their efforts to win…” said TS. I am sure to some extent any Ladakhi would agree on this account but I am very much sure that it was not the first time in the history of Ladakh, all these forces has been time and again used and misused in the past during the different election periods. At the same time it would be difficult to accept that Congress has not used or misused such forces. It may vary in degrees, is it Mr. Samphel? Being not visible doesn’t mean not existing. If Congress can give a voluntarily public statement that it will never ever use any money, muscles, monks and addicted substances in any of the elections in Ladakh in the near future, people welcome and appreciate it such commitment. Of course Congress cannot challenge that it has never used such forces in the past. If you are using or misusing the similar forces than I don’t think there is any stand to criticize others.

Retrospectively- Tsering Dorjay Chief Executive Councillor LAHDC
"It was an effort by people like Rigzin Spalbar, Rigzin Jora and Tsering Samphel to sideline Thupstan Chhewang…”said TD. Why they want to sideline Mr. Thupstan Chhewang? What are their reasons and motive behind sidelining him? Is it in the interest of Ladakh or in their-own interest? According to Mr. Samphel the major resentment was your lack of effort to initiate for a strategic dialogue with the national leaders. Sir, May we know please; how you have raised the UT issue during your tenure as the President of the LUTF? What were the major developments and accomplishments? Precisely what were your efforts to bring Kargil on the Board? As Mr. Samphel criticized you on this account; May we know the truth?

I am happy that you have spoken the truth by saying “If we fight amongst ourselves, the UT issue is bound to suffer and get diluted…” said TD. Do you have any plan of action to harmoniously unite the leaders and people of Ladakh? Are you willing to work whole heartedly while giving respect to the differences? It’s true that people have given the verdict to LUTF, but what matter is to what extent you were successful in fulfilling their aspirations including the UT goal. Sir, May we know when the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi or other ministers are coming to Ladakh, so that LUTF can raise the issue? “UT will not be achieved merely through the support and patronage of a national party” said TD. We would love to know, how we can achieve UT status for Ladakh. Almost every Ladakhi is confused even little frustrated on this line. Do you have a strategic plan of action to achieve the UT status for Ladakh?

“Unity will be preserved only if they return to the LUTF…” said TD. I personally feel it is a very dangerous statement. If they don’t return to LUTF you mean that unity in Leh-Ladakh would never be restored? One single institution cannot and must not have the monopoly to determine the unity of a region either its LBA, LMA, Congress, NC or LUTF, if it happens than its neither good for the democracy nor for the people. “We are free to speak our minds and follow our own policies…” said TD. Although I respect you as one of the most down to earth leader but here with due respect I don’t agree with you. I think your freedom should not be that free to decide the unity of Ladakh by joining or not joining the LUTF, it’s indeed autocratic, at least from my perspective. “If Thupstan Chhewang was autocratic, why did they follow his leadership from the LBA to LUTF, before turning against him? During the MP election, Rigzin Jora and Tsering Samphel were singing high praises for the same Thupstan Chhewang…” said TD.

Here I remember the Buddha’s quote “There is nothing permanent in this world except the change itself” Interestingly America has adopted and adapted this principle in a very shrewd and cleaver way to make their policies based on “US has got neither permanent friends nor permanent enemies, but permanent interest the interest of the US.” The interest of the US keep changes like the interest of our leaders, who knows tomorrow Tsering Samphel and Rigzin Jora will again sing the glory of Thupstan Chhewang vice versa or you will be singing the song of Rigzin Jora and Tsering Samphel’s glory by bidding good bye to Thupstan Chhewang vice versa, or May we wish that all the leaders should collectively sing a chorus for peace, progress and unity of Ladakh. This bullying business will carry on as long as we run after the individual interest while sidelining the larger interest of Ladakh. Every single child in Ladakh knows the interest of Ladakh lies in unity between and within the leaders and people. It’s not too late to nurture the seed of friendship, trust, unity and progress before its gets infested with pests of violence, hatred and depression. My Dear Leaders, Can we dream of a united and resilient Ladakh with or without, Congress, LUTF, NC, LBA, LMA, even our long cherish dream UT?

For a united Ladakh
stanzindawa@gmail.com
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