Fiftieth Anniversary of Democratic Reform in Tibet

Part Four

　　Conclusion

　　Over the past 50 years, Tibet has experienced tremendous changes from darkness to brightness, from poverty to prosperity, from autocracy to democracy, and from self-seclusion to opening up. At present, Tibet is in its best period of development in history as it enjoys economic development, social progress, cultural prosperity, improved living conditions, ethnic solidarity and good government and its people live in harmony.

　　History has convincingly proved that instituting the democratic reform in Tibet that covers an area of more than 1.2 million square kilometers and abolishing the centuries-old feudal serfdom of theocracy to emancipate one million serfs and slaves is of great significance not only in the history of China’s human rights development, but also in the world’s anti-slavery history. This is a great page in the progress of human civilization that will shine throughout the ages. Without the democratic reform, there would have been no emancipation of the laborers constituting 95 percent of the Tibetan population, no considerable social progress and human rights development in Tibet, and no happy life for people of all ethnic groups in Tibet today.

　　History has convincingly proved that the 14th Dalai Lama and his political cliqueare the chief representatives of old Tibet’s theocratic feudal serfdom and a tiny number of serf-owners and monopolized with vested interests old Tibet’s political, economic and cultural resources. There are fundamental conflicts of interests between them and the Tibetan laboring people who constitute the overwhelming majority of the Tibetan population, and there are irreconcilable and profound conflicts between them and the need for social progress in Tibet as well as the rules for the development of human society. This means that the Dalai clique is destined to oppose the democratic reform, that they will not quit the stage of history and give up their privileges of their own accord, and that they will not concede defeat. Fifty years ago, the Dalai clique staged an armed rebellion aimed at separating Tibet from the motherland so as to maintain the theocratic feudal serfdom and preserve their privileges forever. Since fleeing overseas 50 years ago, they have never stopped trying to restore the system of theocratic feudal serfdom. With the support of anti-China forces in the West, they set up and maintained a so-called “Tibetan government-in-exile” with the 14th Dalai Lama as the theocratic leader, and have never ceased their separatist activities to sabotage the steady development of Tibet. They turn black into white in an attempt to mislead the international community, pretending to be speaking on behalf of the “Tibetan people.” They whitewash old Tibetan society of feudal serfdom under theocracy as some sort of “Shangri-la,” denigrating the implementation of the democratic reform to promote social progress as “destruction of culture and religion” and “infringement of human rights.” This shows how they hate to see the abolition of the theocratic feudal serfdom, the loss of the serf-owners’ privileges, the Tibetans and people of other ethnic groups becoming their own masters under the socialist democratic system, and leading a happy and peaceful life; and how they long to restore the feudal serfdom of theocracy that has been swept into the dustbin of history so as to regain the “paradise” under the rule of feudal serf-owners. This also shows that our essential difference from and fight with the Dalai clique are not merely over the question of autonomy. This is a struggle between progress and retrogression, and between unity and separation.

　　History has convincingly proved that abolishing serfdom, liberating serfs and slaves, safeguarding national unity and opposing ethnic separation are a progressive and just cause for protecting human rights and state sovereignty. Looking back upon history, we can see that the American government once started a four-year-long civil war against the secessionist South to abolish slavery, costing over US$ 15 billion and suffering more than 1.1 million casualties and other incalculable losses. President Abraham Lincoln was crowned with eternal glory for leading the war, and is still extolled by the American people today, as well as by other people all around the globe. When the Dalai clique staged the large-scale armed rebellion to retain the theocratic feudal serfdom and split the country, the Chinese government took actions to quell it for the sake of defending national unity and emancipating Tibetan serfs and slaves. The historical significance of this righteous action is entirely comparable to the emancipation of the slaves in the American civil war. Yet anti-China forces in the West simply ignore these historical facts and confuse right and wrong by exalting the 14th Dalai Lama - the chief representative of the theocratic feudal serfdom and the Tibetan serf-owners -  as a “guardian of human rights,” “peace envoy,” and “spiritual leader,” and accusing the Chinese government that abolished feudal serfdom and emancipated serfs and slaves of “trespassing on human rights.” This is totally absurd, and provokes deep thought. In fact, the so-called “Tibet issue” was the outcome of the attempts of imperialists to carve up China in the modern history of China, as a part of their conspiracy to turn China into their colony or semi-colony. The armed rebellion staged by the Dalai clique to split the country in 1959 was supported and instigated by imperialist forces. Ever since the Dalai clique went into exile, Western anti-China forces have never ceased their instigation and training of the Dalai clique to support their split and sabotage activities. It is thus clear that the so-called “Tibet issue” is by no means an ethnic, religious and human rights issue; rather, it is an attempt of Western anti-China forces to restrain, split, and demonize China.

　　History has also convincingly proved that there is no way to restore the old order, and there is no future for separatist attempts. The times need to advance, and society needs to make progress; this is a historical trend that no one can resist. The people of all ethnic groups in China, including the Tibetans, will safeguard national unity and sovereignty, take the socialist path with Chinese characteristics under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, hold on to the system of regional ethnic autonomy, promote modernization of Tibet, and build a new, united and democratic Tibet with a prosperous, culturally advanced and harmonious society. This is the will of the people that will never be shaken. There is no way for the Dalai clique to uphold Tibetan independence, neither will it succeed in its attempt to seek semi-independence or covert independence under the banner of “a high degree of autonomy.” Whatever pretexts the Dalai clique uses to try to turn back the wheel of history and restore feudal serfdom, the Tibetan people and people of other ethnic groups in Tibet who personally experienced the misery under the serfdom system and the happy life in Tibet today will never allow it. The Dalai clique’s attempts are doomed to failure. The only way out for the 14th Dalai Lama is to stop advocating Tibetan independence and its attempt to restore the old system, to admit that Tibet is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, to disband the so-called “Tibetan government-in-exile” and to stop all his activities aimed at splitting the country. The 14th Dalai Lama must thoroughly reflect upon and fundamentally correct his political position and behavior. The central government will always keep the door open for the 14th Dalai Lama to return to a patriotic stand.