Among the Buddhist’s six realms of existence are the demi gods and the gods who are perpetually at war against themselves. The auspicious tree –paksam Joenshing – bears its fruits in the realm of the demi gods while its roots are in the realm of the gods. The conflict over the harvesting rights of the fruits keep the beings of the two realms in constant state of warfare.
Democracy in Bhutan has created necessary realms who are required to wear different lenses. The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) government, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the opposition, the constitutional bodies such as the Election Commission of Bhutan, the anti corruption commission, and the Royal Audit Authority, the media and the NGOs are actors in the new democracy. Often due to the different lenses that each of these actors wear differing opinions and ideas emerge. The differences in opinions and views are played out as conflicts, controversies and confrontations in the elegant halls of parliament, the television screens of Bhutanese homes, newspapers and all spaces where willing audiences are gathered.
A mark of a vibrant democracy is the quality of interplay amongst these differing opinions, perspectives and ideas. By this count, Bhutan is on the right track in nurturing and deepening a meaningful and quality democracy. In its initial years of democracy established in 2008, the country witnessed issues played out through different lenses.
The authority over financial bill led to a long-drawn-out battle between the national council and the national assembly. While the national council demanded its right over the bill, the national assembly exerted its exclusive authority over the bill. The constitution was scrutinized and interpreted word for word by each of the house in defense of its views. Examples and models from democracies all over the world were used to illustrate and enlighten the country on the merit of each houses’ position.
Perhaps what attracted the amusement of the Bhutanese population was the conflict over whether ministers can be summoned by the national council to respond to questions during the national council sessions. This would put the ministers in the hot seat to be judged by the public as the sessions were telecast live by the Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS), the national television. The National Council wanted the ministers to answer questions posed by the council members in person during the council sessions. Such a mechanism should establish accountability of the executives and consequently strengthen the review role of the national council. The executives differed. They said that questions can be answered either in person or through a written response. And in any case, the review of the executives was already carried out during the parliamentary sessions.
There was also the issue on live telecast of the national assembly sessions. The media and the citizenry in general wanted the live telecast of the sessions. The national assembly thought it wise to telecast only the highlights of the sessions.
A hot issue that attracted many opinions and ideas was the constitutional development fund (CDG). The government launched the CDG fund which allocated nu. 2 million per annum each to a member of the national assembly for the development of their constituencies. Many actors of democracy declared the government action on CDG as gross violation of constitution. The media and general citizens attacked the CDG fund as constitutional and raised their voices through various forums. The election commission of Bhutan said that the CDG funding would influence voter loyalty and hence adversely affect fair elections. Others thought that the CDG was a governing party’s ploy to entice voter loyalty. The government, however exerted that CDG was the necessary medium to connect the constituency with the elected representatives. Without the CDG, the Bhutanese democracy was at risk caused by the disconnect between the constituencies and their representatives. A workable and a meaningful democracy can only be sustained in the presence of a strong link between the voter community and their representatives. CDG offered that bridge.
The controversy over party funding is perhaps the only issue where the opposition and the governing party chose to wear the same lens. Both the parties were almost pleading for state funding to rescue them of the exorbitant campaign debts. The fund would also enable them to have the party offices in the districts up and running. Party offices were essential institutions in deepening democracy in the districts. The national council and the ECB differed in their opinions. The council maintained that funding political parties beyond what is due would be constitutionally incorrect. The ECB was harsher in its opinion. The ECB declared that debts incurred during campaigns were irresponsible acts and like all irresponsible behaviors should be made to pay.
The latest issue that caught the government off guard was the tax raise initiated by the government. While the government insisted that it was the prerogative of the executive to raise taxes, the opposition quoted clauses from constitution and other laws in evidence of how the tax raise was unlawful. Promptly the matter is submitted to the Supreme Court and perhaps would come down in the history of Bhutanese democracy as the first case ever to be adjudicated by the Supreme Court.
In the Buddhism’s wheel of life, the warring demi gods and the gods will have perpetual peace only when each of the beings are able to tame the three poisons represented by three animal forms of a rooster, snake and a pig in the innermost concentric circle. It is when the three poisons of the mind, the desire of rooster, the hatred of the snake and the ignorance of the pig are let wild that the lenses become clouded. A clouded lens prevents clarity of views and perspectives and hence results into incorrect thoughts and actions.
In the Bhutanese nascent democracy, the actors in different realms can draw inspirations from the teachings contained in the wheel of life. If the controversies are generated through lenses clouded by the three poisons, we are set to be at unhealthy war against each other for posterity like the gods and the demigods. However, if conflicts are motivated through enlightened lenses the country stands to benefit from these healthy wars. An enlightened lens is the one that provides clarity of view which is enabled by a tamed mind devoid of hatred, ignorance and desire.
Many professed democracies around the world are increasingly losing the conducive environment for collective decision making. The different realms of actors in democracy have fortified their kingdoms and therefore each realm fails to engage in participative decision making process, healthy debates and deliberations. The social gaps between citizens on one hand and politicians, political parties and government on the other are increasing. Such a gap manifests into lack of trust of citizen on the government, and its agencies, declining party membership, and poor voter turnout. Perhaps the ugliest effect of the social gap is the proliferation of a sense of powerlessness and alienation of citizens in the democratic process.
His Majesty the fourth and the fifth Druk Gyelpos as the architects of the Bhutanese democracy has envisioned a democracy where every citizen feel powered and are actually empowered to determine and influence a future that they aspire. This vision of democracy calls for creating a democratic wheel where different realms of actors are committed in building a common future collectively. It involves engaging and nurturing healthy debates and deliberations on public problems and policies.
Healthy debates and deliberations can only result when such debates and deliberations are undertaken without the self interest, hatred and with the right information. The three poisons of the mind should not impair the public debates.
As parliamentarians of the youngest democracy in the world, as the pioneering batch of elected political representatives of the new democratic Bhutan and as political actors of a small country, perhaps we have the opportunity to create and nurture a democracy that is worthy to emulate. Such a democracy is depended on minds that make the democratic wheel turn. In the democratic wheel, it is the enlightened mind that fights not for the self but for the good of the country. It is the enlightened mind that disagrees not out of hatred but for the benefit of the society. It is the enlightened mind that speaks not out of ignorance but out of knowing and wisdom. Such is the character of a vibrant democracy – the vision of our fourth and the fifth Druk Gyelpos.
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