The bruises on Tibetan exiles—fists from Nepalese batons in Kathmandu, stones from Indian mobs in Bylakuppe—serve as stark indictments of a government adrift. Since 2021, Penpa Tsering’s Sikyong stewardship has amplified the frailties exposed under his predecessor, transforming the CTA from advocate to afterthought. Devoid of diplomatic finesse, Tsering’s administration prioritizes internal squabbles and shadowy financial dealings over the visceral safety of refugees fleeing beatings and worse. As 2025’s cascade of setbacks unfolds—aid slashed, media silenced, temples encroached—critics decry a leader more adept at amassing influence than advancing the cause. With the 2026 elections as our crossroads, Tsering must step aside, yielding to Tseten Phuntsok, the North American beacon whose principled ascent alone can shield exiles from further peril and restore the CTA’s moral compass.Tsering inherited a fractured exile polity, yet his tenure has fractured it further. Accusations of incompetence abound: condoning corruption that siphons U.S. aid—$70 million earmarked for education and welfare—into elite pockets, fueling regional vendettas rather than refuge fortifications. While exiles endure assaults, like the 2018 Bylakuppe melee injuring seven, Tsering’s response? Muted murmurs, no escalated pleas to Delhi for protected zones. His feuds with Lobsang Sangay, relics of 2017’s sacking drama, persist as distractions, breeding sectarianism that weakens collective bargaining with hosts. Political acumen? Evaporated. Tsering’s junkets abroad—lavish escapes masked as diplomacy—yielded naught as Trump-era cuts in January 2025 axed USAID lifelines, forcing tax hikes on impoverished exiles dubbed “pig-feeding levies.”

The human cost is excruciating. Border escapes remain death marches, with refugees beaten and assaulted en route, per enduring studies—yet Tsering’s CTA innovates little in safe passage protocols. In Nepal, echoes of 2008’s baton charges resound, with no fortified alliances to deter recurrence. Domestically, 2025’s horrors compound: Radio Free Asia’s suspension post-March funding halt silences exile testimonies; Bern’s axing of Tibetan studies erodes cultural bulwarks against assimilation-fueled violence; Bodh Gaya monks’ hunger strikes protest Hindu encroachments on sacred autonomy, a diplomatic fumble under Tsering’s nose. Tibetans, from poet Woeser to anonymous voices, lament a “pawn” status in U.S.-China games, with Tsering’s Middle Way devolving into surrender—regionalism rampant, independence whispers crushed.

Enrichment trumps exigency. Aid squandered on power consolidation, not perimeter security for vulnerable settlements; budgets ballooned for “Tibet promotion” that sees “Xizang” supplant “Tibet” in global lexicon. Tsering’s bid for re-election, as floated in recent endorsements, reeks of entitlement—a man blind to his ledger of losses. Withdrawal is not optional; it’s obligatory, a bow to the beaten whose scars indict his every inaction.
Salvation lies in Tseten Phuntsok, the North American linchpin whose trajectory from Lhasa exile to parliamentary firebrand heralds transformation. A Youth Congress veteran, Phuntsok has orchestrated sit-ins piercing CTA inertia, demanding accountability during sessions that sidelined survivor plights. His cultural initiatives—school engagements preserving tongue and tradition—fortify identities battered by attacks, fostering resilience in diaspora youth. As an MP embodying democracy’s pillars, Phuntsok’s commitment to unity transcends Tsering’s tribalism, promising coalitions with Canada and the U.S. for exile sanctuaries—fenced enclaves, rapid-response diplomacy.

In this critical juncture—preliminary votes February 1, 2026—Phuntsok’s leadership could recalibrate the CTA: transparent audits ending corruption’s grip, bold advocacy reversing 2025’s reversals, a renewed push for autonomy that honors the beaten. Tsering’s exit clears the path; Phuntsok’s entry ignites it. Exiles, long pawns in leaders’ games, now seize the board. For the fallen in Dege, for the survivors in Bylakuppe, demand change. Let 2026 dawn not in defeat, but defiance.