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Under the political system combining religion with politics and
despotic rule by feudal estate-holders in old Tibet, the Dalai Lama
was one of the leaders of the Gelug Sect of Tibetan Buddhism and
also head of the Tibetan local government. He held both political
and religious power. The official system of the former Tibetan local
government was a dual one of monk and lay officials. In the administrative
organs, there were both monk and lay officials, with the former
higher than the latter in rank. But there were monk officials in
some organizations. Monasteries enjoyed special jurisdiction in
handling political affairs. Abbots of the three major monasteries
(Gandan, Sera and Zhaibung) and the four large ones (Gundeling,
Dangyailing, Cemoinling and Cejoiling) participated in all "enlarged
meetings of officials" to discuss important events. Resolutions
adopted at the meetings became effective only when they bore the
stamps of the local government and the three major monasteries.
The Democratic Reform in 1959 put an end to the political system
of combining religious with political rule and introduced the new
political system of people's democracy. Under the Constitution of
the People's Republic of China, the Tibetan people, like the people
of various nationalities throughout the country, have become masters
of the country and enjoy full political rights provided for by the
law.
Citizens of the Tibet Autonomous Region who have reached the age
of 18 have the right to vote and to stand for election, regardless
of their ethnic status, race, sex, occupation, family background,
religious belief, education, property status, or length of residence.
They can directly vote for deputies to the people's congresses of
counties, districts, townships and towns. These deputies can in
turn elect deputies to the national, autonomous regional and municipal
people's congresses. The people exercise the power of managing the
state and local affairs through the people's congresses at all levels.
The political enthusiasm of the Tibetan people is high because they
have obtained the right to be masters of their own affairs. They
have actively exercised their rights. Statistics of Lhasa, Nagqu,
Xigaze, Nyingchi and Shannan on the elections for deputies to the
Fifth People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region in 1988 show
that 93.88 percent of the people there voted. To enable illiterates
to participate, beans were used in place of ballots in many places.
Voters placed beans in the bowls behind the back of the candidates
of their choice. Those with the most beans went into office. Currently,
deputies of the local ethnic minorities, with Tibetans as the main
force, account for over 95 percent of the total local deputies to
the people's congresses at the district and county levels and the
figure is over 82 percent for those to the People's Congress of
the Tibet Autonomous Region. Most of the current chairmen of the
Standing Committees of the people's congresses of the 75 counties
(cities and districts) in the autonomous region used to be serfs
or slaves in old Tibet.
The Tibetan Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative
Conference (CPPCC) was set up in Tibet in 1959 to ensure that people
of all social strata and of all walks of life can fully voice their
opinions and play their roles in social and political life. The
CPPCC, an organization of the broadest patriotic united front under
the leadership of the Communist Party of China, is an important
political organization conducting political consultation, implementing
mutual supervision and developing socialist democracy. Its role
has been brought into full play in Tibet. The CPPCC Tibetan Committee
has drawn on the participation of the people of all social strata
from Tibetan and other ethnic groups. Many of them were patriotic
monk and secular officials of the former local government of Tibet
and upper-class religious figures. They include Pagbalha Geleg Namgyai,
the Great Living Buddha of Qamdo Prefecture, who is now vice-chairman
of the CPPCC National Committee and vice-chairman of the Standing
Committee of the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region;
and Lhalu Cewang Doje, a former Tibetan noble man and a Galoin of
the Tibetan local government, who is currently vice-chairman of
the CPPCC Tibetan Committee. Through the political consultative
conferences, these people have participated in the discussion and
management of state affairs and helped the government in making
decisions. Their motions raised at past conferences have involved
ethnic groups, religion, culture and education, science and technology,
public health, agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry, urban and
rural construction and environmental protection. They have played
an important role in safeguarding the unification of the motherland,
strengthening national unity, opposing national separation, inheriting
and developing traditional national culture, speeding up development
of Tibetan economy, and promoting reform and opening up.
Tibet practices regional national autonomy in accordance with the
Constitution of the People's Republic of China. In March 1955, the
central government decided to set up the Preparatory Committee for
the Tibet Autonomous Region. In September 1965, the First Session
of the First People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region was
held in Lhasa and the establishment of the Tibet Autonomous Region
was officially announced. Most deputies of the Tibetan nationality
to the congress were emancipated serfs and slaves, as well as patriots
from the upper strata and religious figures. At the congress, Ngapoi
Nagwang Jigme was elected chairman of the People's Committee of
the Tibet Autonomous Region. Having smashed the yoke of the feudal
serfdom, the broad masses of serfs and slaves obtained political
and national equal rights.
The Law of the People's Republic of China Governing Regional National
Autonomy stipulates, "People's congresses in the areas of national
autonomy have the right to formulate regulations on the exercise
of autonomy or specific regulations in accordance with the political,
economic and cultural characteristics of the local nationalities."
In accordance with the rights bestowed by the Law Governing Regional
National Autonomy, the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous
Region has since 1965 formulated more than 60 local rules and regulations,
decrees, decisions and resolutions, involving political, economic,
cultural and educational aspects, which conform to the reality of
Tibet and maintain the interests of Tibetan people. They include
the Rules of Procedures of the People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous
Region, the Procedures on Formulating Local Laws and Regulations
for the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Measures for the Management
of Mining by Collective Mining Enterprises and Individuals in the
Tibet Autonomous Region, the Resolutions on Study, Use and Development
of the Tibetan Language in the Tibet Autonomous Region, the Regulations
of the Tibet Autonomous Region on the Protection and Management
of Cultural Relics, and the Accommodation Rules for the Implementation
of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China. The formulation
and implementation of these local rules and regulations have furnished
an important legal guarantee to the realization of democratic rights
for the Tibetan people and to the development of local social, economic
and cultural undertakings.
To enable the Tibetan people to better perform the right to manage
state and local affairs, the central government has attached great
weight to the training of cadres of Tibetan nationality. Currently,
there are 37,000 cadres of Tibetan nationality in the Tibet Autonomous
Region. All the main leading posts in the people's congresses, governments
and people's political consultative conferences at various levels
are filled by Tibetans. Cadres of Tibetan nationality account for
66.6 percent of the total in Tibet, 71.7 percent at the regional
level and 74.8 percent at the county level. Tibetan women were in
the lowest echelon of society in old Tibet. Today, many of them
hold leading posts, accounting for upwards of 30 percent of the
cadres in the autonomous region in 1986. At present, five have become
cadres at the regional level, 38 at the prefectural level and 232
at the county level. Most Tibetan cadres are emancipated serfs and
slaves. There are also some patriots from the upper class. Appropriate
arrangements have also been made even for those serf-owners and
their agents who participated in the rebellion, giving them the
chance to contribute to the state and people if they renounce their
reactionary stand and possess real skills.
In judicial activities, in addition to enjoying equal legal rights
with the people in other parts of the country, the Tibetan people
have also been granted special rights stipulated in the Law of the
People's Republic of China Governing Regional National Autonomy.
The People's Congress of the Tibet Autonomous Region stipulates,
"People's courts and procuratorates at various levels must guarantee
the right of Tibetan citizens to use their own national language
to enter a lawsuit. In cases involving the Tibetans, Tibetan language
should be used in doing procuratorial work and hearing cases, and
legal documents should be written in the Tibetan language." At present,
the main officials of the procuratorates and courts at all levels
in Tibet are Tibetan citizens.
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