Bhutan has become the world’s newest democracy. It has successfully conducted its first-ever election to Parliament. Voter turnout was large. Over 80 per cent of the voters showed up at polling booths to exercise their franchise. Many trekked hundreds of kilometres to cast their votes. This enthusiasm is indeed encouraging and bodes well for the future of democracy in the country. However, democracy continues to be monarchy-driven.
Unlike in Nepal, where mass movements ushered in democracy, in Bhutan it is the King who proposed elections in the kingdom and urged the people to exercise their franchise. Many voted because their king had asked them to.
The electoral contest was between two parties, both loyal to the monarchy. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) or Bhutan United Party has emerged victorious winning 44 of the 47 seats in the lower house. It has won a massive mandate. The DPT bears a huge responsibility. It will have to provide good governance if the people are to believe in democracy. There are lessons that Bhutanese politicians can draw from Nepal’s experience. Bitter infighting and unprincipled politics eroded popular support for democracy in that country. In the eyes of the public, democracy came to be equated with instability. Bhutan’s parliamentarians must avoid going the Nepalese way. They must take steps to ensure that the foundation for democracy in the country is strong. How they conduct themselves will determine the future of democracy in the Himalayan kingdom. Bhutan’s new rulers should address poverty if people are to be believe in a democratic future.
Bhutan’s embrace of democracy will remain tenuous so long as it remains exclusive in defining Bhutanese identity and citizenship. Bhutanese national identity has been defined in terms of the Buddhist majority, excluding those who are Hindu and of Nepali origin. Almost a sixth of the country’s population consists of people of ethnic Nepali origin and these people have been denied citizenship and voting rights. Many are languishing in refugee camps in Nepal and Bhutan has refused to take them back. Some among the disenfranchised are opting for armed struggle to address their grievances. A few militant outfits have emerged and they have carried out bomb blasts in recent months. But militancy is still in an incipient stage and can be tackled if Bhutan’s new parliament takes steps to confer citizenship on the ethnic Nepali people.
