BHUTANESE HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF THEIR NEW PARLIAMENT

By Francoise Pommaret and - - Reprint | | Print |

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BHUTAN, Apr 29 2008 (IPS) - Expectations are high among the people of Bhutan for the new government to deliver on its promises, especially once the new Constitution is adopted in early May when the parliament convenes, writes Francoise Pommaret, Bhutan\’s honourary consul in Paris and director of National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Paris and advisor to the Institute of Language and Culture Studies (ILCS), Royal University of Bhutan. Despite initial misgivings about their country\’s shift from absolute to constitutional monarchy, citizens are waiting to see if the new government will be able to safeguard Bhutan\’s stability and independence. Foremost among their concerns is for the government of Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley to assure them that corruption will not become as rampant as in other countries in the region. The prime minister\’s Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party won 44 of 47 parliamentary seats in the March 24 elections. The issues facing Bhutan are to be addressed within the framework of the Gross National Happiness (GNH) concept, included in Bhutan\’s Five-Year Development Plan of 2008-2013 and based on the idea that economic and material development alone do not provide happiness to people. Rather, the GNH emphasises environmental preservation, good governance, preservation of religious and moral values, and sustainable development.

Despite initial misgivings about their country’s shift from absolute to constitutional monarchy, citizens are waiting to see if the new government will be able to safeguard Bhutan’s stability and independence. Foremost among their concerns is for the government of Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thinley to assure them that corruption will not become as rampant as in other countries in the region. The prime minister’s Bhutan Peace and Prosperity Party won 44 of 47 parliamentary seats in the March 24 elections.

As for their immediate needs, the Bhutanese want more job opportunities, infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, and electricity in rural areas. Bhutan, with a population of about 650,000, lies in the eastern Himalayas and borders India and China. In spite of its small size, it prides itself on having always retained its independence. It has never been colonised by foreign powers.

Bhutan’s first ever democratic elections are the brainchild of the King Jigme Singye Wangchuck IV, who reigned from 1972 to 2006 before abdicating the throne in favour of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.

Social, economic, and political change in Bhutan has always come from the country’s monarchs, who have always enjoyed a close relationship with the people. For the Bhutanese, the monarchs have been a source of strength and stability. Indeed when King Jigme Singye Wangchuck decided it was time for the country to adopt a democratic form of governance, the people reacted negatively. But it is this same respect and love for their monarchs that resulted in the 80 percent voter turnout on election day.

The legitimacy of Bhutan’s kings derives from the people’s acceptance and not from force or coercion, as repeatedly noted by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. An institutional safeguard allows the national assembly to remove the King if it does not agree with his actions.

Bhutan’s situation cannot be compared with Nepal, which has a completely different socio-economic fabric. Nepal’s institutional changes were brought about by violent grassroots movements triggered by the monarch’s inability to reform the institutions and the perception of Nepal’s traditional political parties as ineffective.

Apart from their belief in the monarchy, the Bhutanese share a strong sense of identity and pride in their country which guides their actions. Until the 1960s, Bhutan’s isolation from the outside world allowed it to preserve its traditions and values and to learn from the mistakes of developing countries in terms of environmental protection, for instance.

One of the most pressing challenges the new government will face is the alleviation of poverty in the eastern and south central regions of the country. Sixty percent of the population still live off the land, and 24 percent are below the poverty line. The lack of access to cultural products because of poor road networks, outdated agricultural practices, ignorance of market forces, and cumbersome administrative procedures are just some of the causes.

Around 70 percent of the country is still forest — arable land comprises only 7.7 percent – as a result of strict forestry laws. Ideally, this is good for the environment, but with a ban on hunting, the rural population has to continuously confront crop devastation from the growing population of wild animals.

Meanwhile, in urban areas, there is a lack of cheap housing as costs spiral higher and higher. Low-income city dwellers have to pay 60 percent of their earnings on rent. In addition, youth unemployment is high.

The government’s efforts in health and education, while successful, have also resulted in a discrepancy between people’s employment qualifications and the job market. Young people who finish secondary school but do not qualify for college or university are still reluctant to take blue-collar jobs. While the issue has been addressed in recent years with vocational schools and information campaigns to change this mindset, it remains a serious problem.

Prostitution and drug addiction are also on the rise, in part, experts believe, because of the opening up of the country to the outside world after centuries of isolation. There are 124 HIV positive individuals in the country, due mainly to unsafe sex practices. HIV/AIDS has been a major concern for the government since the 1990s and there is now a vigorous awareness campaign in schools and on all media in Bhutan. Condoms are distributed freely as well. Two Bhutanese non-government organisations – Youth Development Fund and RENEW – are also involved in dealing with the problem of prostitution, domestic violence, and drug use.

Despite these challenges, observers say that the Bhutanese still retain very strong values and a keen sense of responsibility, coupled with an openness to new ideas that benefit the society and country. Although the King is not the head of the government any more, he still holds considerable moral power.

The above issues are to be addressed within the framework of the Gross National Happiness (GNH) concept, included in Bhutan’s Five- Year Development Plan of 2008-2013. Proposed by King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the late 1980s, the GNH is based on the idea that economic and material development alone do not provide happiness and contentment to people. Rather, emphasis is put on the GNH’s ”four pillars”: environmental preservation, good governance, preservation of religious and moral values, and sustainable development.

A 2006 University of Leicester ”World Map of Happiness” ranked this tiny Himalayan kingdom 8th – one of only two Asian countries in the Top 10, the other being Brunei. Meanwhile, Bhutan is currently 133 in the Human Development Index (HDI), with a 2007 per capital GDP of USD 1400. (END/COPYRIGHT IPS)