Impudence in Bhutan’s national election 2013

The kingdom of Bhutan is attributed as democratic, but in reality the election conduct on 23 April 2013 reflects in some areas contradictory to the democratic norms.

The election in all the twenty districts was to elect 20 representatives for the National Council through the ballot cast by the public. For these twenty seats there were 850 polling stations and 43 electoral constituencies.

 

Dagapela, Tintaley, originally belong to Khatiwora
now forcibly taken by the govt and built its office

Out of 379,819 registered voters in the 20 Dzongkhags 171,544 voters exercised

their franchise. That means 147,577 of them cast their votes in person on the Electronic Voting Machines in the 850 Polling Stations and 23967 voters through the Postal Ballots. So only 45.17 percent of the registered voters voted this year. Out to those found eligible to vote, 208,275 people boycotted the vote. This then 54.83% of the population did not appreciate the manner the candidates for the council were put forward and the way voting was conducted. The election petition extends to 8^th May 2013 but it is unlikely that any one would come up with the appeal for redress of the impudence of election, either out of fear of conceit and harassment or mistrust of the procedures to be taken against their petition. The current population of Bhutan according to the government statistic is 733, 366. Out of this, less than half of the population got registered to vote has some mall functioning in the democratic system of Bhutan. Is it true those 353,547 Bhutanese individuals under aged for their voting rights? Or Most of them out of racial discrimination or other forms of human rights violations they are not registered to vote? This is an enormous discrepancy that neither the Bhutanese media nor the political parties uncovered and informed the public. The less the voters are, the less the chances are for the political parties to garner the majority of support and thus the government formed of the candidates not elected or represented by half the population of the country is not truly going to be democratic. There is some breach in the making behind the curtain.

Goshi school, still occupied by the state millitary

However 67 candidates contested on the Election Day for the National Council from which the top recipients of the votes from each of the 20 districts are elected as the Councillors, the king is to elect 5 more Councillors that makes 25 councillors for the upper house of the parliament. In this second term of election only 2 Lhotshampas got elected, Dhan Bahadur Magar from Sarpang and Kamal Bahadur Gurung for Tsirang. This means the majority of the population in the six Southern districts are gradually overwhelmed by the ethnic Ngalong elites, which was previously populated by the Lhostampas minority. The election commission has laid down the rules for the general public and the political parties to elect the councillors. But the same commission has not divulged publicly the rules pertaining to the election or selection of those five councillors by the king. How many aspiring candidates can contest to appease the king and how can they qualify for that contest is unknown to the public.

The National Referendum Act, 4:35 and 36 states voting at a National Referendum shall be in the same manner as for Parliamentary and Local Government Elections except that voters vote by marking or stamping either “Yes” or “No” against the issue on the ballot paper. If Electronic Voting Machines are used the voters shall press the “Yes” button for an affirmative vote and “No” button to reject the issue being referred. Does this rule also apply to the king to vote for the 5 Councillors or is He above the law to put forward anyone loyal to him?  If the voting rules discriminate between the hierarchies, the public cannot owe their confidence on the candidates the person in high esteem would chose the Councillors who would be the parts of the government polity. This imbalance in the polity of democratic Bhutan does not differ then that of the previous absolute monarchy. So then the political environment is not going to change to better even though the country entered into the 2^nd elected government this year. Politically motivated stress among the public is the most callous and  fatal environment in Bhutan that continued all the time in history. This is one of the factors that have been a cancer to the government’s philosophy of Gross National Happiness which is deliberately not addressed although they say the good government is one of its pillars. The electoral conduct on the Election Day also reflects the continuity given to this stressful environment. An incident hereof in Dagana is note worthy that may have relevance to other districts too.

Sonam Dorji from Kana Gewog won for the second time the seat in the National Council. 7989 people voted ‘Yes’ for him, while he has no contestant, so the voters have no choice then to press ‘yes’ in the voting machine because the result will be the same even if they choose to say ‘no’ against him. Dagana has two constituencies; one at Drujegang and another at Lamol Dzingkha Tashidin. Only one constituency in Drujegang populated mostly by the Drukpas exercised the right to elect their representative; Sona Dorji. Why there was no contestant from the other constituency, where mostly Lhotshampas are pupulated is obscure yet. Although 1774 voters did not prefer Sonam to represent they were given no right to elect one they would like to. This is undemocratic. One aspiring candidate form the Lotshampa origin contesting was put down just before the election through a zomdu or public meeting. The details why he missed this are still obscure and none of the media or political parties is raising this issue yet. Because of such impudence the Councillors elected by a fewer number of population will be enacting and reviewing the state laws that will surely draw apathy and political unrest.

The election commission used some inflexible rules to put forward any one willing to contest in the election by prescribing that, one must be a graduate by education. The commission did not provide an option if any constituency in case does not have any one graduated candidate. This barred the local genius, priesthood educated informally and monks to contest in the election. That is why the present set of newly elected Counsellors are young, below the age of 50. The government guided by such an imbalance team is likely to destabilize the state and if that occurs the public will suffer and the elites will gain their interest. Thus the 2^nd National Council election of Bhutan was not absolutely democratic. The expectation to find a solution to Bhutanese refugees living in the UNHCR camps in Nepal will be out of question in the tenure of this coming government. The political parties in exile are apparantly fast asleep and did not voice to contest in that election either.

The Bhutanese refugees in Nepal with their percentages from Bhhtan's 6 districts.

Having analysed from another part of the hemisphere and expressing from this private blog may appear insignificant and every controversial issues may not appear adequately illustrated. Yet, having lived in the democratic Nederland for a decade, my only wish is that let all the people of my country of birth, Bhutan, enjoy the right to freedom and democracy as much as we could do here and let His Majesty the King of Bhutan be respected for his conduct as much as we do without any awe to our Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.

It is the good conduct that matters for respect and honour not merely the birth in the esteem family. In the Netherlands as soon as one reaches the age maturity to vote and have the Dutch citizenship acquired either by birth or by naturalization after living here for five years, one automatically gets registered as an eligible voter. The voter card comes home by post. It is then that citizen's free choice whether to go to the polling station or not. This is the way that the rights of the citizens are respected without provoking them to demand it. In contrary how are so many Bhutanese not got registered to vote and what mechanism is used to filter them from their right to register or vote is an evidence of undemocratic functioning. Is the democratic government still trying to accuse falsely that there are many illigal immigrants in the same way monarchy did earlier and forcibly exiled about 20% of its citizens? These loopholes draw no confidence on the rulers however one may flatter with flowery words. Democracy must not be under controll of a few in power. It is the right and aspiration of the citizens only.