Bhutan vaulted from feudal monarchy to parliamentary democracy in 2008 following a royal edict in 2006 by the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, or Dragon King, abdicating in favor of his eldest son and mandating elections in 2008.
For a mountain people who revere their king and don national dress every day, this sudden devolution of power has been most unsettling. While the outside world is enamored of the vision of a musical comedy state that governs by the Gross National Happiness Index, the Bhutanese are struggling with reality. Who is the boss now? No one seems to know. None dare claim the role either.
The civil service has been left floundering between an elected parliament of newbies still unclear about their remit and a monarch who stepped back. While the civil service acted on orders of the monarch, it was beyond challenge. That certitude has evaporated. The demand for transparency and accountability plus a proliferation of newspapers has put the powerful bureaucracy on the defensive.
The new democratic dispensation allows elected representatives to criticize administrative shortcomings in open debate. The newspapers amplify that embarrassment. This is an entirely novel experience for civil servants. They feel insecure and unloved. Full story...
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