DEMOCRACY’S NEWEST ADDRESS

BHUTAN’S transition to democracy is pregnant with the possibility of change. The manifesto of the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s, the party that recorded a landslide victory in the first ever parliamentary elections with 44 of the 47 the Lower House seats, is an indication of this potential.
While the manifestos of the two contending parties did sound similar and identical to most voters, the winners had certain marked distinctions. The new elected cabinet would give shape to the 10th Five Year Plan with emphasis on connectivity, healthcare, education and income generation. The DPT poll manifesto stressed on an accelerated economic growth based on participation of the private sector. Bureaucrats and businessmen in Bhutan say there had been occasional talk of private-public partnership but it really did not make much headway. The new government is expected to deliver on this count.
The DPT manifesto reads, “The King has always emphasised on a vibrant economy. We must capitalise on the opportunities provided by globalisation. We believe the private sector has now reached a stage when it can be called upon to take a lead role.”
A section of Bhutan’s youth is also aware of the opportunities this experiment is throwing up for them.
Jamba, 28, who graduated from a college in Shillong, is certain that the exposure with the transition is going to benefit his country. “We have been witness to the advantage of having a democratic environment by virtue of our years spent in India for studies. We know how it feels to have freedom of expression and choice.”
A large section of the Bhutanese society acknowledges that glitzy, fast developing Thimphu is not a true reflection of the country. Many remote, interior areas of Bhutan have not seen any development for years. No infrastructure has come up to increase accessibility, connectivity, health care and education.
“Money has always been spent in towns. But there is every likelihood that rural areas are going to get more attention from now on. So, the rulers in Bhutan would be held more accountable to the people,” says a civil servant in Bhutan.
Change in Bhutan is likely to be political as well. Says Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan Dasho K Wangdi: “The future will definitely be different. There’s going to be more players in the game. There is absolutely no bar on the number of political parties being set up. By the time this government ends its term of five years, there’s definitely going to be more parties joining the fray for the next term. But the Bhutanese National Constitution drafted on the eve of the polls allows multi-party participation in the poll process only in the preliminary rounds. In the final stage only two parties that emerge at the top in the “primaries” will contest for power, the others eliminated at that stage.
C. Dorji, a retired captain of the Royal Bhutanese Army of Heyjo village, however, feels that talk about the transition from monarchy to democracy is redundant as the King had always been very democratic. “All major activities of the royal government under His Majesty had been influenced by the principle of public good. It is because of him that the country had had such a law-abiding, peaceful society,” says Dorji.
But if things were good under the King, then where was the need for this transition? Pemba Gyaltshen, who deals in real-estate, hazards an answer. Gyaltshen’s wife is a civil servant. The transition has come as big surprise to Gyaltshen, even more than the way land prices have been appreciating in and around Thimphu. (Locals say even a decade and half ago, one decimal of land sold for Nu 10,000-15,000. Now, it costs above Nu 200,000. To set up even a very small enterprise in Thimphu, one has to buy a minimum of 13 decimals of land and thereby spend at least Nu 26 lakh.) Says Gyaltsen: “Not many of us were prepared for this change. Yet, it is good for the Bhutanese people because the mandate to go for an elected government has come from the King himself. The message from His Highness is clear to us. Take charge of your own affairs, the King told us through this polls.”
Honorary Consul of Netherlands Anne Marrie, who has spent three years in Bhutan, says, “It’s a great shift in terms of the general awareness of the people and in terms of their engagement in this new system. The beauty of the situation is that it has come from the Throne. It is really impressive that such a huge task of putting a whole new system under place could be achieved without any hitches. It’s a marvellous job that the Election Commission of Bhutan has done,” said Marrie.
Marrie’s Bhutanese friend, Karma of Taba village, could hardly control her excitement. “I am fully committed to any change that is taking us forward. We must make it a success and that’s why we are here,” she says.
Bhutan is democratic now and prepared for the world.

The Winner
Jigmi Y Thinley, 56
President, Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT)
Education: Did his schooling at Dr Graham’s Homes in Kalimpong and graduated from St. Stephen’s College, New Delhi (1974) before studying public administration at the Pennsylvania State University.
work profile: Thinley joined the Royal Government’s Home Ministry as a trainee and climbed his way up to become the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Bhutan in the in the United Nations from 1988-89. He has also served as secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and as the Foreign Minister in the Royal Cabinet. Thinley had twice been Prime Minister in the Royal cabinet. He is all set to become the Prime Minister for a record third term. This time, of course, with a massive mandate from the people.
On the eve of the polls, in an interview to the Kuensel, the official Bhutanese media, Thinley had said if elected, one of his first tasks would be “fixing the fractures that the Bhutanese society has suffered in course of the elections.”
“I do not see myself opening champagnes. I see myself getting down to business. It is a huge responsibility,” Thinley told the media on the eve of Bhutan’s first National Assembly polls. As president of the DPT, he is expected to lead the country’s first democratically elected parliament for the next five years with a 10-member cabinet.
The winning combination for the DPT in the election might have been the perfect mix of professionalism and experience. Like the leader, the winners in Thinley’s team include a large number of professionals, former bureaucrats and ministers. The central theme of the party during poll campaign had been the pursuit of Gross National Happiness—a campaign launched by the current monarch’s father, His Majesty King Jigme Singhye Wangchuk, years ago. The King had propagated the philosophy that for the Bhutanese people happiness was far more important than GDP. The DPT built up its campaign on the theme and swept the polls.

The rival
lyonpo sangey ngedup, 55
President, People Democratic Party (PDP)
Education: Dr. Graham’s Homes, Kalimpong.
work profile: Like his adversary, Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup has served His Majesty’s Royal cabinet for over 30 years in different capacities starting as a diplomat and going on to take charge of trade and industry, planning, health education and agriculture. He now becomes the first Leader of the Opposition in the Bhutanese Cabinet
His experience is vast. During a food shortage in 1975, he reportedly went on a survey on foot in Dagana where he was serving as a civil servant. He has toured the country extensively and has first hand knowledge of the ground realities.
The credit for setting up of the National Technical Training Authority, National Employment Board, Royal University of Bhutan and Health Trust Fund goes to him. He also launched land-management campaigns and spearheaded the good governance initiative and propagated ways to modernise farming enterprises. He propagated the theory of ‘Triple Gem Approach’ that advocated better coordination, better accessibility and better marketing of products of the Bhutanese farmers.
A member of the Royal family by marriage, his defeat is being cited as an example of how the elections in Bhutan have been free and fair.

POWER LINE
1907 Warlord Ugyen Wangchuck is chosen as hereditary ruler
1910 Bhutan sign treaty with British, ceding control over Bhutan’s foreign relations
1952 Reformist monarch Jigme Dorji Wangchuck succeeds to throne
1952 National assembly established
1968 First cabinet established
1971 Bhutan joins United Nations
1972 King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck dies and is succeeded by his son Jigme Singye Wangchuck
1974 First foreign tourists allowed in
1998 King cedes some powers to National Assembly, giving up role as head of government. The cabinet is now elected by assembly
1999 Limited television and Internet services allowed
2000 First Internet cafe opens in Thimphu
March 2005 A new constitution unveiled, envisages parliamentary democracy for Bhutan
December 2005 King Jigme Singye Wangchuck says he will abdicate in 2008, when democratic parliamentary elections are to be held. The crown prince will take over as monarch.
September 2006 Preparations start for its first elections to be held in 2008
December 2006 King Jigme Singye Wangchuk abdicates and 26-year-old Crown Prince Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck succeeds to the throne
April 2007 Mock elections are staged to familiarise voters with the process ahead of the polls
January and February 2008 A string of bomb blasts hits the country ahead of the March 24 elections. The attacks are blamed on groups fighting for the rights of ethnic Nepalis exiled in 1991
March 2008 Pro-monarchy Druk Phuensum Tshogpa wins 44 of the 47 seats in the country’s first parliamentary elections. Another pro-monarchy party, the People Democratic Party, wins the remaining seats