News & articles

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. Read more>>>>

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Bhutan's way of ethnic cleansing

Violation of the rights of one person spilled out to all the minorities

Forced out of the Bhutan’s cabinet, exiled, extradited unofficially, imprisoned for life, and again, forced out of the country! This is the ordeal of Mr Tek Nath Rizal, the unrecognised Nelson Mandela of Bhutan.  >>>> read more>>>

Nanda Gautam

23/7/ 2008 01:00

Published in Exponto Magazine, Amsterdam. 

ex Ponto Magazine nr. 3/4

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From forcible exile to forced migration.

Bhutanese ethnic Lhotshampa minorities

Bhutanese refugees arriving Netherlands to resettle permanently

Nanda Gautam: A stranger from an unfamiliar country is coming to live near you. Neither you nor he can deny this destiny. Over the last few years, the Dutch government has been trying to reduce the rate of asylum requests to the Netherlands and has been sending asylum seekers back to their home countries against their will. But exiled Bhutanese nationals are being welcomed to the Netherlands, although what they want is help to go back home. Those who are currently living in the Netherlands are asking themselves whether it's an extended exile or a new home. Nanda Gautam gives an insight into a forcibly exiled minority from a country we in the West are told is the happiest nation in the world.  >>>>>read more>>>>>>

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This system of forming the government polity was introduced during the monarchical system under the suzerainty of His Majesty the King Jigme Singye Wangchuk. The king although devoluted his power in August 1998, the constitutional monarchy began only in the year 2008 after the written constitution was promulgated. During that period the king, apparently trained a set of bureaucrats who headed the government as the rotating prime ministers. They are at this moment, through the political parties the most influential ones to get the parliamentary seats.   read more>>>No coalition in Bhutan's democracy?

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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. Read more>>>
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In Belgie, Nepalese asielzoekers bekleed als Bhutaanse kunnen zijn?

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Rassenpolitiek versus duurzaamheid
Bhutan is ongeveer even groot als Nederland. De bevolking van omstreeks 600.000 mensen leeft op traditionele wijze. De mensenrechtensituatie van Bhutan wordt gekleurd door etnische spanningen tussen de Ngalong en andere etnische groepen, met name Nepalezen die al sinds begin deze eeuw als gevolg van de Britse migratiepolitiek in het zuiden van Bhutan wonen. Ongeveer 100.000 etnisch Nepalezen afkomstig uit Bhutan leven sinds begin negentiger jaren in Nepal in vluchtelingenkampen. Lees meer >>>
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20th April 2013 bid farewell to the first five years of democratic government of Bhutan led by the prime minister Jigme Yoeser Thinlay.

Loenchen Thinlay was also the prime minister during the absolute monarchy when the fourth king His Majesty Jigme Syngye Wangchuk installed the rule of the prime ministership as a rehearsal from August 1998 to 2008. 

On this day the opposition party, People's Democratic Party also dissolved from the government and moves ahead to contest in the second general election to be held on 23rd April 2013. 

The Prime Minister, National Assembly Speaker, Cabinet Ministers, Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgay,  received a farewell audience with His Majesty the King. Then they all went to the Kuenray in Tashichhodzong for prayers for their success in the forthcoming term. 

Earlier on 5th February 2013 the king granted audience to all the district administrators; Dzongdas, and asked them to go back to their villages and represent him, the king. “You will have to go to back your villages as my representatives, and encourage the people to participate fully in the democratic process and make the 2013 elections successful,” His Majesty said.

One day earlier the king granted audience to the 6th batch of 'Desuups'. This batch of 125 force were all school teachers. The king told them that Desuung means gaurding the nation. Bhutanese government has again begun preparing an adhoc millitary force besides a huge number of military forces namely the Royal Bhutan Army, Royal Body/Bhutan Guards and Royal Bhutan Police- RBA, RBG and RBP. In additon Bhutan also continues to host Indian Millitary Team- IMTRAT. 

Earlier when the movement for democracy was begun by the Lotshampas in 1990 these military forces were used to marshal in the Southern villages to evict the Lhotshampa minority citizens. At the same time the government inducted militia training for the young people of Drukpa origin, a similar traing now being given to what they call Desuung. They were taught to use the fire arms and aid the millitary. After the evicting more than a 100 000 minorities this training system was stopped, however they continued in the villages to harass the people. On this basis, it is suspicious of the fact behind training a separate batches of what is called Desuung armed forces besides the state millitary. 

6th Desuung batch with the king

It could be possible that the same method of ethnic cleansing that took palce during the last decade of previous century may repeat under the so called democratic government of Bhutan in future to wipe out all the remaining Lhosthampa minority citizens of Bhutan. Otherwise the need for such Dessung apparantly to put more salt the appetite of the millitary is not known for any worthy need of the nation. When the school teachers are trained to use millitary art there could be some hidden agenda of the king of Bhutan to what direction the nation is taking interest. Surely for the weaker section of the ethnic composition it could be quite fearful too.



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April 23, 2013 marks the general election in the Kingdom of Bhutan. 20 Councillors, one each from twenty districts will be elected on this day.

The king, whether the fourth king Jigme Singye or his son the present king Jigme Khesar owe still the great deal of power to elcet 5 Councillors on the behalf of the monarchy. It is not known outside who will be elected and how by these two kings.

The ruling party of Jigme Yoeser Thinlay Druk Puensum Tshogpa is comfortably lobbying for its second winning, where has its oppositon Bhutan Democratic Party is creaping up to contest equally. Its leader, the king's in-law, Sangay Ngedup shy away when he lost the expected seats in the 2008 election. Only three seats it woned was later grew to controversy.

Meanwhile 5 parties will be contesting the upcoming election. The three new parties are Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT), Bhutan Kuen-Ngyam Party (BKNP) and Druk Chirwang Tshogpa (DCT). Two of the three are headed by female, an encouraging change in woman's political emancipation.

All these parties claim that their political ideology is social democracy and Gross National Happiness.  The policy manifestos include balanced regional economic development, equitable social development, good governance, capitalism, voice of voiceless, devolution of power, nurturing Indo-Bhutan friendship, fight against crony capitalism and inclusive economic growth.  It seems the parties are stating whatever words that would appease the current political culture.Surprising they hardly speak of the human rights and freedoms, the right of the minorities and the refugee issues.
  
A country with less than 700,000 populations has almost 20% of the total population living outside in exile.   In exile too there are three political parties, namely BPP, BNDP and DNC, which have campaigned for the change in Bhutan since the early 1990s.  More than 30,000 Bhutanese refugees are still in the UNHCR organized camps in East Nepal awaiting repatriation. Bhutanese so called democratic government has always denied their repatriation.

The emerging political scenario in Bhutan appears at best, still under controll by the state interest. The state interest is to have upper hand of the oligarchy and uphold the values of Drukpa culture alone however the there are many ethnic groups with different culture and aspirations.
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The second historical election in Bhutan is coming soon, although the dates are not announced. The Dutch media professionals are ahead in preparing the Bhutanese journalists on how to report the forthcoming election. They began training in December 2012 at The Radio Netherlands World Service where a training center is also envisaged.

A local portal in Hilversum  highlighted the news that the Dutch are busy with the Bhutanese media counterparts to train them how to report the election news. Bhutanese journalists do know however how to report and how avoid reporting the news events following their own national culture. Although they may learn a lot about the use of the new technology, its use practically would de restricted by the norms of editing and reporting set by the media corporations like Bhutan Broadcasting Service and Kuensel. This can be attributed by the fact that about 80 000 Bhutanese mainly the ethnic Lhotshampas were denied the right to adult franchise in the first election of 2008 and that was not reported yet by the Bhutanese media. This trend of exclusive assertion is likely to follow in the forthcoming election because non of the parties are raising this issue of subdued adult franchise in Bhutan.

This year many Dutch journalists are likely to visit Bhutan during the election, but yet hopes are very dismal to hear the balanced news coming out of the country. If they do report all the sides of the election, particularly the discrimination factors against the Lhotshampas, then it could be their last visit for reporting in Bhutan.