When we look back at the year just gone by, the most memorable image that stays on our minds is the moment when His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo greeted His Majesty the King on National Day. Their Majesties bowed to each other, their Royal Scarves lowered in the traditional gesture of respect. There could not have been a more powerful symbol of a kingdom in transition.
Writers of history will document the Fire Female Hog Year as the end of an era, 100 years of a remarkably successful Monarchy. Older Bhutanese looked back at a period of peace and prosperity with great emotion. On December 17 His Majesty the King, on behalf of the Bhutanese people, offered his appreciation to his father, the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, for 34 years of service, which “have brought about a strong, prosperous nation”.
It also marks the birth of a new Bhutan. With a new King at the helm, the younger generation are looking at a new beginning. His Majesty pledged to fulfill the Fourth Druk Gyalpo’s vision for a nation founded on the philosophy of Gross National Happiness and the principles and ideals of Democracy.
It was a year of dramatic transition.
In June the Bhutanese clergy, government officials, and representatives of the people gathered around the Golden Throne to offer their sacred pledge to His Majesty the fifth Druk Gyalpo. They offered their prayers for the health and long life of His Majesty the King, for His Majesty the Fourth King, for peace and prosperity in the country, and for the well being of the Bhutanese people.
Then the 55-year-old National Assembly was dissolved.
In July, seven senior ministers of the cabinet resigned to look for new destinies, along with dozens of civil servants who decided to seek political careers. A caretaker government was formed with Lyonpo Kinzang Dorji taking over as the caretaker prime minister, following the last session of the Lhengye Zhungtshog on July 26.
The ministers formed the core of two political parties that began campaigning across the country. The People’s Democratic Party was the first political party to officially register with the Election Commission of Bhutan, on September 1. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa party was registered on October 2. The country saw intense political activity as the politicians adopted a variety of strategies to win voters in a process that the Election Commission of Bhutan called “familiarization” tours.
Bhutan elected the 20 members of the National Council in November and December.
His Holiness the Je Khenpo went on a 54-day tour in the eastern and central dzongkhags in March. He conducted a 15-day Wang-Lung-Thri (blessing, oral transmission and admonition) ceremony in Zhemgang, Tshewang (blessing for long life) to about 10,000 devotees in Tsirang on October 12. His Holiness presided over the Badza Guru Dungdrup in Gyalpoizhing in March, conducted the Moenlam Chenmo (great prayer ceremony) in Trashiyangtse and Pema Gatshel. His Holiness also conducted a Thri ceremony in Punakha in January last year.
International relations
Bhutan and India ratified the India-Bhutan Friendship Treaty, which was signed in February, 2007. Leaders of both countries hailed a relationship that reached new heights. His Majesty the fourth Druk Gyalpo had pointed out that the kingdom’s friendship with India was one of the reasons that significant political transformation would be a success. In August, Indo Bhutan economic cooperation received a major boost when the former foreign ministers of the two countries, Pranab Mukherjee and Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, signed the 1095 MW Punatshangchhu-1 project. The Nu 35,148.10 million project is a stride for Bhutan on its journey towards economic self reliance.
Bhutan also received many international visitors in 2007. In October, on the invitation of His Majesty the King, Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Orange and Princess Maxima of The Netherlands visited Bhutan from October 28-31. Earlier in June, His Majesty the King granted an audience to Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn Mahidol of Thailand at the Dechenchholing palace.
The bilateral process by Bhutan and Nepal to place about 100,000 refugees living in UNHCR-run camps in eastern Nepal into four categories has stalled. Meanwhile, the U.S. government offered to resettle at least 60,000 of them in the United States. The U.S. government, the government of Nepal, UNHCR, and other agencies have formally begun the process of resettling refugees and the first refugees are expected to leave for the U.S. in January, 2008. However, the political leadership around the camps is trying to disrupt the resettlement process.
Challenges
In December, 30 people, who had joined the Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) based in Nepal, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to nine years for conspiring to carry out subversive activities against Bhutan.
In January, four bomb blasts rocked the nation, not causing damage and injury, but waking up society to new security dangers that may lie ahead. A blast was repeated last week, reminding the Bhutanese people that they are not far away from the turbulence that has been a part of life in the south Asian region for many years.
Priorities
In October, speaking to more than 1,000 university graduates, His Majesty the King outlined his priorities for the country and the people. He said that there were three things that influenced his decisions and that he always kept in mind when working: peace, security and prosperity for Bhutan now and in the future; achievement of the goals of Gross National Happiness; and building a vibrant democracy.
His Majesty told the nation that the path to Gross National Happiness was economic development. In a significant initiative to boost economic development, the Druk Holding and Investments (DHI) was created with the primary objective of safeguarding national wealth for all times to come. DHI was formed with an initial grouping of 14 companies in sectors such as hydropower, banking, minerals and natural resources, where the government has full or partial stake. It has a total value of Nu 19,000 billion (US$ 500 million approx.)
In a major move initiated from the Golden Throne, His Majesty the King issued a kasho (decree) to the 87th session of the National Assembly, instructing the government and related agencies to study the mining of sand and stone to “keep prices affordable, ensure equitable allocation, and ensure that the revenue from sand and stone further benefits the people and nation through its utilisation by the government”. Subsequently, mining of sand and stone was nationalized under the newly formed Natural Resources Development Corporation.
In the Royal Kasho, His Majesty said that “his hope was that every single citizen will have the opportunity to own a home of his or her own and become an equal partner in, and beneficiary of, the nation’s progress and growth …”
In January, the government renamed the planning commissioned as the GNH commission so that Bhutan’s development will be viewed and planned in a GNH perspective. As the year came to a close, Gross National Happiness represented the continuity of the national priorities that will take the kingdom into another year, this time the beginning of the lunar cycle, the Year of the Rat.
Security
The year of the hog saw a number of bomb blasts all aimed at derailing Bhutan’s peaceful transition to a democracy.
Four bombs blasted within two hours in four dzongkhags, a week before the second round of the National Council election. The first blast went off in Samste dzongkhag: the second, in Thimphu town, the third blast occurred near the gate of the Tala Guest House in Gedu, Chukha dzongkhag and the fourth at 2:10 pm in Dagapela, Dagana. A second explosive device, which did not go off, was found in the same area.
The Royal Bhutan Police said that one of the three militant organizations based in Nepal, the Bhutan Tiger Force, the Bhutan Maoist Party, and the Communist Party of Bhutan, was suspected to be behind these bomb blasts.
Almost two weeks later, another bomb went off in Samtse on February 3, the second in the dzongkhag. A militant camp was uncovered in Tsirang and a student carrying grenades was also arrested in January.
Earlier, in May 2007, thirty people, including three students, who had joined the Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) based in Jhapa, Nepal, had been apprehended by the Royal Bhutan Police in Samtse.
Police said the 30 people were engaged in seditious meetings to recruit more people and collect donations to finance subversive activities. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from five to nine years for conspiring to carry out subversive activities against Bhutan.
In the same month, a bomb, which exploded in Phuentsholing town, damaged the engine and the front of a parked Bhutan Post bus.
In April, the Royal Bhutan Police in Phuentsholing found an explosive device on the railings of a culvert bridge, about two kilometres from Phuentsholing town. Police also found a hand-written note placed near the explosive device, which had the names of two organisations, the Bhutan Tiger Force and the Bhutan Revolutionary Youth Organisation, claiming responsibility for planting the device.
In August, police prevented a potential explosion after the Indian intelligence sources alerted the Royal Bhutan Police of an explosive device in a five-storey building opposite Kuenga Hotel in Phuentsholing on August 10.
To enhance security along the Indo-Bhutan border to check infiltration of Indian insurgent groups and anti-social elements into Bhutanese territory, the 17th border districts coordination meeting (BDCM) was held in the capital in November between Bhutanese officials and a delegation from the Indian state of West Bengal.
In the same month, the fifth border district coordination meeting (BDCM) between high level officials of the Assam state government and Bhutan was held in Sarpang. The delegates agreed to intensify patrolling along the Indo-Bhutan border to check infiltration of Indian insurgent groups and anti-social elements into Bhutanese territory.
Crime
Drugs and drug-related incidents top the crime list in 2007 and at least one person died of drug overdose every month. Phuentsholing recorded the highest number of deaths from drug overdose with five cases, including a young couple.
More than 1,060 Relipen tablets and 240 stripes of Nitrosin (N10) tablets were seized in 2007 by police at various check posts. In December, for the first time, following a tip-off, Thimphu police arrested a 40-year-old homemaker, carrying an assortment of illegal prescription drugs.
Drug-related cases reached 281 by December 15 and was the top crime on the police crime chart.
Minors became the common victim of rape as rape cases were reported almost every month from around the country.
The youngest victim was a two-year four-month-old child, who was raped by a 40-year-old man on the night of September 9 at Norbuling, Gelephu.
The victim was brought to the central regional referral hospital in Gelephu bleeding profusely and with minor physical injuries. In January, a six-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a 33-year-old man in Sarpang.
In August, the Trashigang district court sentenced a 21-year-old man to nine years in prison for raping a six-year-old girl in Yangneer gewog. The district court also sentenced a 33-year-old man to two years for the rape of a 63-year-old woman in Merak village. The 63-year-old widow was alone at home when the incident took place.
In July, police apprehended five army personnel aged 25 to 32 years in connection with the rape of a 16-year-old girl on the night of July 2 at Samarzingkha, Thimphu. Their trial is being conducted at the Thimphu dzongkhag court.
2007 also saw a former judge, the former head of Thimphu city corporation, and revenue and customs officials fined or sentenced.
Politics
A special moment in Bhutan’s democratic process took place on April 21 when His Majesty King Jigme Khesar entered Dungkar village in Kurtoe, to personally witness and encourage villagers participating in the country’s first parliamentary mock election exercise.
Meeting with about 568 voters from the 24 villages of Kurtoe gewog, His Majesty reiterated the importance of people’s participation in the democratisation process. His Majesty said that a strong democratic system would ensure that the people’s aspirations will always be fulfilled but its success would depend on the commitment and the dignity, people accord to the process.
Two rounds of National Parliamentary Mock elections were held in March and April as a dress rehearsal for the general elections later this March. The yellow party won, hands down, in the mock elections with 40 percent of the Bhutanese people voting.
By June, three informally formed political parties, the People’s Democratic Party, Bhutan People United Party, and the Bhutan National Party came out in the open and a fourth announced its formation. The fourth party, which called itself All People’s Party, merged with the BPUP to form the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa.
PDP became the first legitimate party after it registered with ECB on September 1. The Phuensum Tshogpa was registered on October 2. The BPUP was disqualified because “ it lacked the capacity to fulfill the aspirations, visions and goals of a democratic Bhutan,” while BNP exited from the scene silently with some of its members joining BPUP. Both registered parties formed women wings and hundreds of women joined active politics on the gender platform.
The democratization process kicked off with the finalization of the constituencies at 47 and the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) inviting people to form political parties in March. Civil servants, religious personalities, and local leaders were to remain apolitical.
As the electoral process progressed, “Can politics be clean?” became the dominant question as parties and party workers began accusing each other of bribery, coercion and illegal fund collection.
Political activities picked up after the two party presidents toured the country on what ECB termed as familiarization meetings. Groups of voluntary party workers, called party tshogpas, penetrated deep into rural Bhutan splitting villages, gewogs, and even families into supporters of either party.
In December, 15 dzongkhags elected their representative to the National Council and in January, five more were elected to complete the National Council election. The election commission of Bhutan has announced the dates for the National Assembly and both parties, PDP and DPT have submitted their letter of intent last month to contest in the National Assembly election on March 24.
Education
Improving quality of education was high on the education ministry’s agenda throughout the past year with efforts focussed on improving teacher performance and motivation.
In July 2007, the Colleges of Education in Paro and Samtse decided to scrap the six-month apprenticeship programme for would-be teachers and instead increase the duration of the B.Ed course to four years from 2008.
A total of 514 additional teachers joined the system last year but rural areas still face a shortage.
In terms of curriculum, much of the discussions were about whether Bhutan history should continue to be taught in Dzongkha or revert to being taught in English. During the conference, officials said that they had received a lot of feedback, mostly negative, but would take a decision only in 2009 after a joint study by the education ministry and DDC.
The year also saw the completion of one of the most comprehensive research studies, conducted by Bhutanese educationists led by the centre for educational research and development, on education standards.
The study challenged the existing perception that quality of education was deteriorating. Some of the findings showed that, far from being in “great distress,” the Bhutanese education system was up and running. The year-long study which completed in July covered 370 of the 485 schools across the country.
The number of school students had increased to 152,194 from 146,524 in 2006. To inculcate the culture of reading among school students, the government decided to spend Nu 35 million to buy library books with all schools to be given Nu 10,000 each to buy reading materials and build libraries.
Support for disabled students continued when Drugyel LSS was upgraded last year. On November 24, the new buildings with separate classrooms and hostels for the hearing impaired students were inaugurated.
On August 18, the Tala hydropower project authority’s office and residential buildings worth Nu 760 million were handed over to the Royal University of Bhutan for Jigme Singye Wangchuck college of business studies, which will open in June this year.
Sherubtse college launched its new degree programme in Humanities and also the double degree program, e.g. the Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Dzongkha.
1,034 graduates including fifteen army officers with bachelor degrees in Defence attended the national graduates orientation programme last year. Source: Kuenselonline
