Rethinking Democracy with the festivity of lights. Dear friends, I write this note with much love and kindness to all our Bhutanese fellow citizens and wishing everyone a happy, healthy, joyful, peaceful and fulfilling times ahead. May the Deepawali bring colours and lights of happiness to everyones life . I am expressing a thought that has been botheing me for a long time. This thought is based on a deep reflection encouraged by a Facebook friend, Mr Gary Joseph Chandelier. It is about the effect of our democracy and rethinking about founding it more deeply. Of course no studies has been published with democratic experiences and effects in Bhutan yet, but if we ask the Bhutanese people, possibly, 70 percent would say we do not want democracy. For a very good reason, the Kings handed over the governance of the nation to the Bhutanese people. Democracy enables common consensus and provides opportunity for a majority decision making because it is the governance by the people for themselves. However since democracy began in Bhutan, we all know that it has divided families, communities and indirectly the country due to the PARTY SYSTEM OF DEMOCRACY. As I was actively involved with the first serving party, I was deeply pained how a house divided (wife fighting with husband, brothers abusing each other) and neighbours swearing at each other who had been living for generations loving, caring, sharing and helping each other suddenly beconing sworn enemies. We thought that it would become normal after the elections but it remained in undercurrent. People would identify that house or person belongs to this or that party. Lord Buddha has said, THIS IS BECAUSE OF THAT...therefore if we change This (party system), That (divided as a society) will automatically resolve. For a small nation and a Buddhist country and on top of these a GNH country known to the world must be exemplary... AND we can afford to be different and beautiful under our Constitutional Monarchy System. Personally, I am happy and totally content with my life as a lay monk and having such a task to serve humanity through and by instituting a GNH Centre. However, I carry the scar and pain due to separation of our fellow citizens...to the point of hating each other, dividing families, neighbours, communities and ultimately the country as supporters of paties A, B, C and so on. I feel that as Bhutanese we have the responsibility towards building our nation differently with values and principles of Buddhism. Due to Party Politics, both most important human values Trust and Love (former follows the latter) has been broken by separation due to aligning with one party or the other. Although we see two different party-supports talking to each other....but it is superficially. ..deep down the grudge and mistrust continues. We are a small nation with smal population and we would like to believe and make Bhutan different from rest of the world. CAN WE NOT CHANGE THE WORKING OF POLITICS WHILE BEING STILL DEMOCRATIC? If we do not do it now it may be too late when we are 7million from 7hundred thousand people. I believe we can make this happen differently. I have a proposal for reflection for all fellow citizens of this nation...the birth land of GNH. Let us go for a referendum to slightly change election processes. Let each constituency choose five potential candiates (to workout the details of selection and nomination process) who must be approved by the committee of constutional bodies. These candidates receive the final approval of the Throne and thereafter individual campaigning is allowed. All the constituencies would have two toppers in vote after the election. All the winners of each constituency will come together and form the government under the name DRUK WANGYEL and all looser would come together to form the opposition under the name DRUK THUKSEY. This way we would have no party politics yet be democratic...please consider this proposal coming from a novice. I end my submission with prayers for reflection for all fellow citizens on it. On this special day of Tiwar, I send love and prayers of limitless blessings to all my fellow brothers and sisters of Bhutan. Long Live our beloved King and Queen of Bhutan. Tashi Delek! Pelzang Saamdu
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 01:14:58 +0000
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