|
Bhutan,
the tiny Himalayan kingdom has set a milestone embracing its
first general election on the last day of 2007. When Pakistan,
Burma and Nepal are bleeding on their ways to achieve a
democratic regime in their countries, Bhutan has shown a
different picture, where a monarch comes out for a democratic
set up in his kingdom. But the challenges of the new democratic
regime in Thimphu will lie in dealing with various national
concerns, more precisely resolving the Bhutanese refugee issue
that has been haunting the government for the last 17 years.
The
international media poured news of the Bhutan election as an
event to celebrate from the Asian continent. The landlocked
kingdom, surrounded by Tibet (now under Chinese territory) and
Indian states of
Sikkim,
West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh had gone for polls on
December 31 to form the National Council (upper house of
Parliament) of Bhutan. The Council has 20 directly elected
members from each Dzongkhags (representing a district). Five
eminent personalities from various fields like literature,
music, social service and other areas are to be nominated by the
King to form the 25-member upper house.
 |
The polling to
15 Dzongkhags (constituencies) of the country began at 8 am and
ended at 4 pm (Bhutan is 30 minutes ahead of India). Electors in
national dress, which is otherwise compulsory in public places
in Bhutan, joined the poll process to elect their preferred
candidates from over 40 non-political party candidates. The
election to the Dzongkhags of Haa, Gasa, Lhuentse, Trashiyangtse
and Thimphu was postponed due to 'non-availability of more than
one candidate in a constituency'. Polling is likely to take
place in those constituencies on January 29.
|
The winners in
the 15 Dzongkhags were declared promptly. Quoting the Chief
Election Commissioner (CEC) of Bhutan, 'Kuensel', the state run
weekly newspaper disclosed the name of the winners as Tshewang
Jurmin (from the constituencies of Bumthang), Tshewang Lhamu (Chhukha),
Sonam Dorji (Dagana), Naichu (Mongar), Ugyen Tshering (Paro),
Jigme Rinzin (Pemagatshel), Namgay Penjor (Punakha), Jigme
Wangchuk (Samdrup Jongkhar ), M K Rai (Samtse), Karma Donnen (Sarpang),
Sonam Kinga (Trashigang ), Jagar Dorji (Trongsa), Justin Gurung
(Tshirang), Sonam Yangchen (Wangduephodrang) and Pema Lhamo (Zhemgang).
The chief
election commissioner Dasho Kunzang Wangdi termed the exercise
as a triumphant attempt to transform their kingdom into a
democracy. "The citizens of Bhutan, who are 18 years or above
and possessing valid citizenship cards cast their votes. Bhutan
has 3,12,817 eligible voters," he informed us. Nearly 15,000
officials were engaged to conduct the process in more than 700
polling stations. Unlike India, there were no election posters
or noisy public rallies in the constituencies before the
election. The government declared the polling day as a public
holiday.
The security
was a major concern for the kingdom during the polls. The Bhutan
government sealed the border with India for 36 hours beginning
from 6 pm on December 30 to prevent unwanted elements from
outside. Bhutan police and the Royal Bhutan army were engaged
for security during the polls. The Electronic Voting Machines,
supported by
India,
were used in the poll process and observers from
India,
the US and a few other counties including a team of UNDP (based
in Thimphu) monitored the election.
Earlier the
election commission conducted two rounds of mock polls in April
and May last year. Four dummy parties with students as
candidates participated in the polls. The relevant rules of
elections were however strictly followed, where advanced voting
equipment was used to attract and educate the voters of the
kingdom. The turn out was of course low. The election
commission, of course, termed those as important and successful
attempts.
Currently there
are two political parties in BHutan. The People's Democratic
Party, headed by the former agriculture minister, Sangay Ngedup
has chosen a White Horse as its election symbol. Moreover, the
Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, led by the former home minister, Jigmi Y.
Thinley has accepted a pictorial design of three flying birds (Thrung
Thrung Karm) as its symbol. Earlier, the election commission
disqualified a third party named Bhutan People United Party (BPUP).
The BPUP lacks both maturity and the appropriate mix and
strength in terms of its membership since more than 80 per cent
of the members are school dropouts, or have no credible academic
qualifications, the commission declared.
The initiative
is depicted as a path breaking attempt for the Buddhist kingdom
to transform its nation from an absolute monarchy to a multi
party democracy. Significant enough, the transformation offer
came form the Dragon King Jigme Singye Wangchuk himself and that
too not because of any popular uprising. Moreover, in December
2006, King Jigme Singye abdicated the throne in favour of his
eldest son, the oxford educated Crown Prince Jigme Khesar
Namgyal Wangchuk. King Wangchuk has four wives, all of whom are
reportedly sisters. After the general election that paving way
for an elected Prime Minister (with a council of ministers) in
2008, the Bhutan king would become the ceremonial head of state,
where the parliament will possess the power to impeach even the
king by the support of two-thirds majority in the Assembly.
In a time when
the international communities are crying against the tyrannical
rule under the present regimes in Burma, Pakistan and the
pro-democratic activists have stepped up their voices in
Thailand, Nepal, Tibet (China) and also Bangladesh, the
development in Bhutan came as a pleasant surprise for various
democratic organizations and political analysts of the globe.
"But the new
Druk democracy will find it difficult to resolve the 100,000
Bhutanese refugee issue, who have been denied access to the poll
process," argued a Thimphu based journalist. Talking to this
writer from Thimphu, the experienced journalist, who wanted
anonymity, also suggested the regime in Thimphu would invite
more criticisms from intentional communities in the near future.
Mentionable
that the Bhutanese refugees (mostly Nepali-speaking) sheltered
in western Nepal are crying to go back their villages in
southern Bhutan. They were driven out after they protested the
passage of a law in the 1980s that arbitrarily cancelled their
citizenship. As many as a sixth of the Bhutanese population,
most of them living in the south of the country, fled Bhutan in
1990. They have been living in refugee camps in
Nepal
since that time, seeking to get back home.
The Nepal
government raised the issue with Bhutanese authorities in 15
rounds of talks, though it failed to convince Thimphu to allow
the refugees to go home. Not a single refugee has returned to
Bhutan. India, though recognised as Bhutan's friendliest
neighbor and biggest aid donor, has kept out of the dispute,
arguing that it was a bilateral matter between
Nepal
and Bhutan.
Even the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Antonio Guterres
admitted that 'it was difficult to see any immediate solution'
to the Bhutanese refugee issue. Antonio Guterres visited some of
the Nepal-based refugees few months back and incidentally it was
the first visit by a top-ranking UNHCR official to the camps
since they were established more than 15 years ago. After
interaction with hundreds of refugees in Goldhap camp, the UNHCR
official admitted that 'the refugees have a great will to go
back' to their home country.
Of course, the
UNHCR Representative in Nepal, was quoted by a Kathmandu based
news portal recently saying that 'UNHCR prefers to help refugees
go back to their home countries when they can do so in safety
and dignity, however, in this case, the only option currently
available is that for resettlement in a third country for those
refugees who wish to make this choice'.
Meanwhile,
media reports reveal that the US government has shown interest
to resettle approximately 60,000 refugees from the camps. "The
United States will begin accepting applications for the
resettlement of the refugees from Bhutan living in Nepal soon,"
quoting the US ambassador to Nepal, James Moriarty the Nepal
based media had reported. Ambassador James Moriarty had also
paid a recent visit to one of the Bhutanese refugee camps, where
those in exile were compelled to live with no possibility for
jobs and proper education for their growing children. Similarly,
Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand and
Norway have also come forward expressing their wish to take a
share of refugees for resettlement.
Speaking to
this writer from
New Delhi,
Suhas Chakma, the Asian Human Rights Center director, stressed
that the international community must be mindful of the
implications of any resettlement process without any written
commitment from Bhutan. It would be tantamount to supporting
ethnic cleansing policies by the Bhutan government. He warned
that if Bhutan can get away with 108,000 refugees, the situation
of the remaining ethnic Nepalis in southern Bhutan could be
untenable as they might also be forced to renounce their
citizenship or leave Bhutan.
Kuldeep Nayar,
a senior Indian journalist expressed his concern over the apathy
towards the Bhutanese refugees. He is optimistic that a
democratic Bhutan would resolve the issue amicably. However, the
veteran journalist has a point to the king of Bhutan, that if
'he is really taking honest steps for a democratic system in
Bhutan, he should call all those citizens of Bhutan who are
staying in refugee camps since last 17 years, back to the
country before the scheduled election in 2008'.
January 2008
The author is a
Guwahati based journalist and the editor of Natun Somoy. He can
be reached at
navathakuria@gmail.com
|
