Democratic Transition in Bhutan by Kinga Sonam;

Author:Kinga, Sonam;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2019-10-03T00:00:00+00:00

Creation of an abstract “other”

Although elected Council candidates were advised not to be in their constituencies during the campaign period of political parties, I had gone to Tashigang to participate in the King’s birthday celebrations on 21 February 2008. In the afternoon, I attended a public debate between Wangdi Norbu and Tenzin Lekphel in the auditorium of Rangjung Higher Secondary School. The birthday celebrations took place in the school’s huge ground. Moderated by anchors from BBSC, each candidate was given 10 minutes to speak. Then they took turns to ask two questions each to one another. Finally, they were given five minutes to wrap up their points. The debate, sponsored by ECB, was part of the official campaign. On 22 February, I attended another debate in Radhi Gewog between DPT candidate Jigme Tshulthrim and PDP candidate Dorji Pavo Phuntsho. Jigme Tshulthrim spoke first (see below). For their concluding statement, Dorji Pavo Phuntsho said he was going to forego his speech, which was meant to be about insights, knowledge and experience he gained during his visits to his constituency. Instead, he was going to share some important news that his party had asked him to speak on. The party had called him the night before.

Since this is the campaign period, many different stories have spread in Trongsa and Zhemgang that have generated lots of doubt and fear in the people. I have been told by my party to clarify these doubts. So, I had to change my concluding remark in a short time. Time has arrived for us to utilise the power granted to us by His Majesty the King. It is time to choose between two parties and their candidates. All this time, PDP has thought and spoken that one party will form a strong government and serve the people whereas the other will ruin the government and bully and harass the people. On our part, we hoped that both the parties would be serving the people and forming strong government and that is why the candidates like me and my brother3 have joined political parties. What has happened in Zhemgang and Trongsa is that when DPT president visited for the campaign, the people were alarmed. I cannot say with certainty the exact words that he had spoken. But in people’s mind, he had said that if evil people and evil party were elected, the country would be ruined and the country’s situation would become like our neighbouring country, Nepal. It is possible that people will have to leave Bhutan, their own country. That’s what the people understood. Now, the one who said these things is DPT. So, the people are suspicious of the fact that the evil people and evil party are those associated with PDP. They are all alarmed. That is the news we heard.

First, PDP’s intent is not to ruin the government and bully and harass the people. All the Bhutanese people know who all the 47 candidates are, what they think, what they did before and what their behaviours are like.

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