Bhutan designs democracy

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While Nepal’s king does away with elected governance, the Himalayan hamlet of Bhutan gears up to embrace it. The country just unveiled a new constitution, which will convert its monarchy into a multi-party democracy:

King Jigme Singye Wangchuk says the draft will be sent to all 530,000 citizens, asking for their views…The king told the country’s only newspaper Kuensel: “The sovereignty, stability and well-being of the country must be placed above everything else. The country is more important than the king.” King Wangchuk assumed the throne at the age 16, the fourth ruler in the Wangchuk dynasty that came to power in December 1907. The transition began four years ago when the king handed down powers of daily governance to a council of ministers and even empowered the national assembly to force a royal abdication if the motion was backed by three-quarters of its membership. [BBC News]

You can read the constitution on its official web site, presented in both Dzongkha and English. Check out Article 9, Section 2 (via Boing Boing):

The State shall strive to promote those circumstances that will enable the successful pursuit of Gross National Happiness. [Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan]

Let’s hope promoting “gross national happiness” means sweet, sweet bourbon will now flow freely out of every tap in the kingdom. If that’s not the case, The New York Times’ travel section offers up a list of Bhutan’s other major selling points.

BBC News: Bhutan unveils new constitution

3 thoughts on “Bhutan designs democracy”

  1. the “Gross National Happiness” thing ain’t without some controversy. Critics assert that it often boils down to the political elite of Bhutan decreeing a life of Buddhist Ascetism for the masses.

  3. it’s far far far more reaching than simple slow-growth / zoning initiatives. For ex – a national dress code –

    They, like virtually everyone in Bhutan, adhere to a national dress code, making it difficult to distinguish between prince and pauper. Bhutan’s austere form of Buddhism is also a constant reminder to all about the perils of power.

    Diff levels of citizenship based on adherence –

    There are seven ranks of Bhutanese citizenship and residency status, he says, which can be changed based on behavior. If a Bhutanese marries a foreigner, for example, his or her rating drops. And those without a Nonobjection Card can’t get passports or find civil service jobs. These nationalistic policies sometimes even work against the Bhutanese, if they happen to be of Nepali origin. “If your uncle’s sister’s son is in a Nepali refugee camp,” Reno says, “you may find you have some difficulties.” …Although Drolma was born in Bhutan, she’s not a citizen; her identity card labels her Class 6, a nonnational resident. But she hates Nepal, and there’s no work in India, so she’ll stay in Bhutan until her status is discovered and she’s kicked out. “Nepalese living here have no human rights,” she says, shrugging. “Gross National Happiness? I don’t think so.”

    A level 6?!?!?! How, uh, bureaucratically efficient.

    ethnic cleansing of the non buddhist ascetics –

    With one sixth of the population in exile, the tiny kingdom of Bhutan has the dubious distinction of being one of the world’s highest per capita generator of refugees. The roots of the problem lie in the government’s attempts to alter the kingdom’s demography in favour of the ruling ethnic group.

    Permits required for cars, internet access, etc.

    The point is that when you make an inherently ambiguous measure like “happiness” a national priority, it’s impossible to not interpret that in arbitrary ways that impose one person’s (the national elite’s) ideas of what that means upon everyone else…. How much you wanna bet, for ex., that crown prince has more than a few Western suits, magazines, and DVD’s squirreled away? It’s just too hard to keep this from devolving into Animal Farm.