By Lobsang Tenchoe

An extraordinary display of political amnesia- that was my immediate thought while watching the house stretch, pull and twist Article 56 of the Charter of the Tibetans in exile on 18th September. The episode followed the Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) point of order against a private member’s bill calling for the continuation of the Tibetan independence struggle. The bill was introduced by Parliamentarian Sangay Dorjee and supported by Parliamentarian Gagya Gyaltsen Choekyi, while the Speaker, Dolma Tsering Teykhang, duly accepted the point of order.

What transpired in the second session of the 18th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile (TPiE) was not merely a matter of parliamentary procedure. It raised broader questions about consistency, precedent and the interpretation of Article 56 by the two most senior political figures in the House.

“If the CTA’s pol...