In 1776 the British colonies in America
It would be difficult to deny the
similarities between issues the early Americans faced, like the need to build
both industry and infrastructure, and what the Bhutanese confront today, but
the overall essence of Bhutanese politics is unique and the results of reform
will prove telling for any third-world country in its emergent years. King
Wangchuck and his son Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck are attempting to develop
practical applications for idealistic political theories that few Westerners
can view as less than extraordinarily naive, but early observations offer
encouragement.
The Ideal
In 2005, King revealed his proposal
for a new constitution to the people of Bhutan
Wangchuck knew that small, isolated
countries like his, subject to the pressures of Asian politics, have rarely
managed to pass the threshold into modernity without revolution and severe
social disruption. He carefully designed a new democratic government and
constitution for his country, beginning from the assumption that happiness
supersedes other more conventional measures of wealth, particularly targeting
the standard economic pulse of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as incomplete in
scope. During the intervening years between Wangchuck’s initial proffering of
his philosophy a cottage industry has arisen to apply flesh to the framework,
with a small horde of Bhutanese intellectuals providing contributions, centered
at the ubiquitous “Centre for Bhutan Studies,” an independent “think-tank” that
enjoys substantial government support. The discussion has become endemic in
public discourse, with threads of GNH woven into every aspect of conversation
from Bhutanese newspaper coverage, to debate in legislative bodies (“Daydreaming,”
People’s 1-28).
In 2006 Jigme Singye Wangchuck became
the first absolute monarch ever to relinquish power as part of his commitment
to reform, turning the reigns of government over to his son in hopes of
affording him experience as head of state before conversion to a new democracy.
Jigme Khesar has since proven an enthusiastic purveyor of his father’s ideal.
The new constitution, ratified on 18 July 2008, includes much dear to
Westerners like limiting powers between branches of government, and separation
of church and state (Kingdom). Policy developing from the seed of GNH has
included wealth redistribution, protective environmental law, and relocation of
rural populations disrupted by infrastructure projects, a ban on public
smoking, and a national dress code. The object is to ease Bhutan
The Reality
Not everyone likes the changes in Bhutan Bhutan
Daunting matters abound. Poverty
hampers any development effort in Bhutan
The low-budget lives of many
Bhutanese raise issues when government efforts at planning come to play, for
instance, when in attempts to prevent dislocation of rural populations
resulting from infrastructure projects, officials shuffle farmers to ostensibly
more productive land. The principle behind this move keeps economic disruption
from forcing impoverished subsistence farmers to enter dead-end pursuits in the
lower strata of the urban milieu, and to keep the crop base that feeds the
population viable. The politics of this kind of forced removal often engenders
contention, especially when it involves minority ethnic Nepalese, as it
frequently does, whom the Bhutanese simply deport, often to countries that do
not accept them. This presents only one of the issues that come to the fore in
the play between Bhutan and China, and Bhutan and India, both of which
neighboring countries see Bhutan as a useful buffer, and often dispute Bhutan’s
authority (Walcott 3).
The Synthesis
In spite of problems with implementation, Bhutan Bhutan
“looking at the improvement in the
living standard of our communities, which were never heard of before, we are
reassured without any doubt that our goals will be achieved well in future just
as in the past. We now understand more about our incomplete works, our
inabilities and the problems that arise with development activities” (qtd. in Nishimizu, sec. 5).
In spite of his choppy English, Wangchung’s evident
concern for his people comes through as nearly palpable as he encourages them
to ease into embracing an expansive new way of life.
The crux of Bhutan Third
World countries have come from the top down, planned and executed
by economists and technocrats with little regard for cultural matters viewing
traditional culture as a superfluous impediment (Daskon 168-9). The
orchestrators behind GNH policies want to pioneer a method of both measure and
practice whereby the religious, rural, traditional culture of Bhutan
Even accounting for physical
development headaches, perhaps the most ambitious of these cultural projects is
the nearly 300 line GNH Index questionnaire aggressively disseminated across
all societal lines. The index represents a substantial departure from
measurements that account for only economic measurements of progress, and
exposes a much gentler philosophical basis. Added to what most Westerners wound
normally consider germane to economics, the GNH Index survey seeks to measure
such variables as the number of yaks owned by a household, room occupancy in
the house, the popularity of traditional festivals and activities, health and
meditation practices, and in short, happiness (“Gross”). “We have to think of human
well-being in broader terms," said Lyonpo Jigmi Thinley, Bhutan
Others in the international community
have taken note, with discussion of GNH cropping up everywhere from United
Nations fora to political discussion in the U.S. Bhutan ’s overarching programs and the possible
course America
Dharma
Democracy
The Bhutanese, it appears, are
chasing democracy because the King says they should. Likely no one but the
Dharma King, the “King of the Way Things Ought to Be,” could have convinced his
conservative, impishly Buddhist people in favor of the drastic transformation
inherent in the changeover he has instigated.
Up to now, the Wangchungs’ plan seems
effectual. Though the pace of life remains comparatively slow, the new mingles
with the old, with Buddhist teenagers break dancing on the new television
program “Bhutanese Idol,” to the bemusement of their elders, and Western styles
tentatively emerging in city centers (Larmer 127). Standards of living, health,
and felicity are rising in spite of transformation and an expected modicum of
turmoil. Unlike other developing countries suffering severe population disturbances
while elites wrangle over resources, in Bhutan
The new administration always meant
for its country to mount the world stage, and as it does, the West takes it all
in, to the extent that Bhutan Bhutan
Works Cited
Briscoe, Simon. “A More Humane Way to Measure Progress.” Financial Times of London
Daskon, Chandima D. “Gross National Happiness: A New Paradigm.” bhutanstudies.org.bt. 2008. Thimphu , Bhutan : The Centre for Bhutan .
“Daydreaming GNH.” Bhutan .
“Gross National Happiness Pre-Test Questionnaire #3 November
2007, Final.” Thimphu , Bhutan : Centre for Bhutan .
Larmer, Brook. “Bhutan
Mathou, Thierry. “How to Reform a Buddhist Monarchy: The Political Achievements of His
Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Fourth King of Bhutan (1972-2006).” bhutanstudies.org.bt. 2008. Thimphu ,
Bhutan : The Centre for Bhutan .
National Portal of Bhutan .
Nishimizu, Mieko. “Portrait of a Leader: Through the
Looking-Glass of His Majesty’s Decrees.” bhutanstudies.org.bt.2008. Thimphu , Bhutan :
The Centre for Bhutan .
“People’s Democratic Party Manifesto 2008: Well Being
for Everyone, The.” pdp.bt. 2008. People’s Democratic Party of Bhutan.
Party homepage. 8 March 2009 .
Revkin, Andrew C. “A New Measure of Well-Being From a Happy Little Kingdom.”
New York Times 4 October 2005. 5 March 200 .
van Willenswaard, Hans. “Critical
Holism: A New Development Paradigm Inspired by Gross National Happiness? A
Contribution to the Global GDP Debate.” Paper for the Fourth International Conference on Gross
National Happiness, 24-26
November 2008, Thimphu , Bhutan Thailand .
Walcott, Dr. Susan. “Urbanization in Bhutan .
“World Factbook, The 2008.” Washington .
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