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.

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