Golden yoke and silken knot against Bhutan's democracy

13 July 2013 General election day.

The early 16^th century’s two fold law codes of Shabdung; spiritual and temporal, that the former as a silken knot gradually becoming tighter and tighter, and the later as a golden yoke that is growing heavier and heavier, is bearing its obvious results in Bhutan’s constitutional democracy today, being it incorporated in the constitution.

Despite the first five year democratic government machinery under the leadership of one of the most experienced aristocrat, the Prime Minister Jigme Yoeser Thinley, (April 2008 to May 2013) the true aspirations of the people fell unrecognised and continuously oppressed. Whether Naglong, Sarchop, Kheng or Lhotshamp; being a Bhutanese by birth and legal assimilation have the sanctimonious dignity based on the identity of the state and their own nomenclature as ‘Bhutanese’.  To keep this dignity upheld by the state is their true aspiration whatever the form of the government may be. For this, they all aspire to emerge to the world that they are peace loving entities and they belong to a sovereign state which would not shrink at any circumstances.

The fourth king His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuk failed in this regard, ie to uphold this sanctimonious dignity and rights of his citizens and to safe keep the security of the state.  The king gave up this responsibility and declared in 1993 to abdicate the throne if he fails to solve the Bhutanese refugee crisis that stranded more than a hundred thousand ethnic minority Lhotshampas in the UNHCR camps in Nepal. One year earlier to this, His majesty waived off the taxes in the six Southern districts, which eventually mean that he will not protect the citizens of these districts as well. The tax payers do hope in exchange the legal protection against any cataclysm and the tax collector is responsible to provide the necessary protection. Despite of this, there followed mass eviction, an ethnic cleansing that Amnesty described as ‘Forcible Exile’ This adverse attitude of the king towards the Lhosthampas slammed against every Bhutanese’ pride beyond recovery, however he was never taken in awe and also believed that he is impartial. Unfortunately this trend of discrimination continued. 

There is much posetive efforts required from the government to ease the issues pertaining to land registration, citizenship regulations, voter list registration, liecenses, release the prisoners who are imprisoned due to their voice regarding these issues and give recocgnition to regional languages. Upon this to resolve the refugee crisis needs the priority. The nation cannot remain lying the world all the time. Former prime minister Jigme Thinley continously lied saying that the government of Bhutan is willing to solve the refugee problems. He told like this when he was the prime minister under the absolute monarchy also. But he never took ay step forward to address this issue. Unless such isses are not addressed with posetive intentions, the progranda of the Gross National Happiness is simply nothing more than a proganda. Stress caused by the political manouver is one of the cause of unhappiness among the general public. They are used to in taking trouble at times of economic down turn and would still remain joyous to take the challanges but the politically motivated problems that should be solved through the dialogue among the politicians on the isses mentioned above are the aspirations of the Bhutanese people.

1st PM Jigme Y Thinley, 15 seats secured

The democratic government of Bhutan under Jigme Thinley deliberately ignored the issue of solving the refugee crisis and regain the good image of the state.  This is also a shame against the propounded state religion as Buddhist and giving a very bad example to the world in the context of getting rid of the ethnic minorities so that even in the normal democracy, they could never be able to rise up to form the government. Bhutanese in exile experiences today’s democracy of Bhutan as farce, partial and under tight control. 

The constitution in regard to election does not allow having more than one opposition in the government by stating that only the first and second highest scorer of votes in the primary election can contest in the general election. Therefore it is not fully a democratic unless all the contesting parties of the primary election have the right to contest in the final election too. Among the four parties registered, DPT, PDP, DNT and DCT one party failed to contest being not able to find the candidate for a remote district while the other party being third in rank in terms of the vote it received was not allowed to contest in the final election. This is a breach in the law and may rise as a bone of contempt in future.  

PM elect, Tshering Tobgay, 32 seats secured

Why the aspiring parties not come out with candidates for every district and constituencies is also due to a malicious conditions set to qualify as the candidate. Democracy is not meant only for the degree holders. The golden yoke is becoming heavier and heavier in this way. How would the winning party address the public who voted to the party or candidates that eventually did not participate in the general election? Who will address their aspirations and grievances?  Should such heavy yoke was not put on the democracy, votes could have gone to other parties too in the general election instead of 15 versus 32 among DPT and PDP and there could have been more than one political party as opposition in the forthcoming government. In that case there would have been balanced representation of all the voters. A balanced decission making in the parliament is possible when there are 3 or more contestants debating because between only two ie DPT and PDP members compromise could be drawn on their vested interest. Therefore a multi-party democracy is actually the aspirations of the people, not just a show of only two nominated parties. 

On the other hand the size of the state continued shrinking. The recent size of the country projected by the state statistic bureau is 38394 square kilometres. Initially this size is said to be 45000 Sq Km. A satisfactory explanations to the loss of the state area is not yet publicly given, however updates were released over the boundary discussions with China as rituals. The citizens neither could question the government nor do anything about this loss. They simply have to shrink themselves and suffer the blow against their pride on the state sovereignty. Some observers, even the state weekly, Kuensel echo of improving Bhutan’s relationship with China. Simultaneously this improvement, whether truly or not, is seen affecting Bhutan’s relations with India. 

Bhutan map showing DPT and PDP
scored constituencies

Whatever the relationship with India may appear, Bhutanese regime had to glorify it as the best in the world however it is always like walking on the tight rope. Bhutan cannot afford to step into self determination for realizing its subsistence independently if it continues living in the ghetto type.  The industries established in Bhutan’s belt whose products are exported only to India and the hydro power schemes that appear as if only India has the right to exploit in Bhutan, has become a tool to fade  the economy of Bhutan at any time India wants. While the election campaign was going on, India stopped the subsidy given to Bhutan’s fuel consumption. This triggered suspicion that the relation with India is jeopardized. This heightened further as the Indian Ambassador in Thimphu refrained to appear with explanation to the media until the opposition party PDP defeated the DPT of Jigme Thinley.

Bhutanese people are sober in the sense that even if their economic condition is poor they remain silent given the fact that every householder has at least 5 hectares of farming land as stated in the law. This is their social security and should remain satisfied with their own yield. However 90% of them are subsistence farmers, the rest city dwellers and those ousted from the right to this type of social security would be those to ventilate their dissatisfaction at times of problems. Yet having restricted the right to freedom of opinion and expression the true aspirations of the people does not rise up to the discussions level of the state. Dzongkha taken up strictly as the official communication medium even in the public debates where the local people could not understand and not recognising the local languages is a serious offence affecting the decision making of the people. Because of this there is no real feeling having democracy.

Bhutanese refugees brought to The Netherlands

In the social welfare sectors the first term of democratic government did as good as the absolute monarchy did in the past. So the DPT’s loss in the election is not much based on what it did in regard to economic welfare but what did not do in terms of the rights and freedoms of the people at large, particularly where theirs sanctimonious dignity and state image is concerned. That is why the public voted for the People’s Democratic Party- PDP to see if the government formed by this party would uphold their innate interest. To make clear of this point, none of the Bhutanese want to be known under the shade of racism on the account of the unresolved refugee issue. While rich countries like USA and The Netherlands and poor countries like New Zealand willingly showed sympathy to these strange Lhotshampas stranded in the UNHCR camps in Nepal and offered homes despite having their own congested population, why should Bhutan ignore its own ethnic minority citizen’s right to return to their own home in Bhutan? The size of The Netherlands is almost equal to Bhutan, yet the population is more than 16 million (16 778 025), whereas in Bhutan there are only 736, 417 people, less than 1 million population. Of this only 381,790 citizens registered to vote and 354627 individuals not got registered to vote is a base to suspect that discrimination continues despite the second term of democracy. Voters turn out may differ on the choices people could make because they would go to the poll stations only if they have trust on the party coming forth to contest, however the state reported to be 66.1% in the general election.

So it will be a shame if the Bhutan’s forthcoming government do not address such important issues. It will be blessing to the nation's image if it grants the rights of the exiled Bhutanese too to repatriate. Beside this the aspiration of the Bhutanese to enjoy the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the transparency in the state affairs will boost the nation and thereby bestow of democracy by His Majesty the king to rule the state by the leaders of their choice would bear the desired results that Bhutanese public yearned.  

Tashidelek to the public and the polity of Bhutan.