|
Milestones of Democratic Struggle in Bhutan
The following are the milestones in the
democratic in Bhutan.
1.
People's movement in 1940-1960.
2.
The submission of appeal to His Majesty the King
by two councillors on 9th April 1988.
3.
Formation of Peoples Forum for Human Rights (PFHR-B
in 1989).
4.
Formation of Bhutan Peoples' Party (BPP in 1990).
5.
People's Movement in 90s under the leadership of
Bhutan Peoples’ Party.
5.
Formation of United platforms.
6. National
Political Harmonization Programme.
1. People's movement in 1940-1960
The Bhutan State Congress (BSC) was founded under
the leadership of Mr. Mahasur Basnet (Chhetri) in 17th
January 1948, at his residence at Sarbhang village. The BSC soon
became popular among the southern people. In relation to the
growing popularity of Mr. Basnet was arrested on 27th
February in 1952 at 10 AM in Sarbhang and was pushed into a
leather bag and thrown in the Sunkosh River on 7th
March 1952. The leader of the first political party met inhuman
death. However, the spirit and aspiration of the people could
not be crushed by the regime. Accordingly on 4th
November 1952, the BSC was re-organized under the leadership of
D.B. Gurung. In 1953 a delegation of the BSC left for New Delhi,
India and met the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The Indian Prime Minister having understood the plight of the
Bhutanese Nepalies in particular requested the Bhutanese King to
address the situation. However, nothing constructive appeared in
the scene. Therefore, in March 1954, the BSC launched
'Satyagraha' at Sarbhang Bhutan. Jullendra Pradhan ordered to
open fire at the Satyagraha is and dispersed them. Some were
arrested while others fled away. The BSC continued its peaceful
activities, which compelled the king Jigme Dorji Wangchuk to
grant amnesty to all the activists and allow them to return to
their original homesteads under the Royal Notification issued on
6th August 1969. D.B.Gurung, President; D.B.Khadka (Chhetri,
General Secretary and other activists returned to Bhutan while
Ganesh Prasad Prasai, General Secretary and around 150
households stayed in Indian states of Assam and West Bengal.
The Bhutan State Congress made various attempts
to change the political system but was in vain. The reasons
behind their failure may perhaps be seen as the Indian
Government was then very sensitive of the Chinese conquest over
Tibet and wanted to maintain the Wangchuk rule intact for its
security interest. The movement was more sporadic than organized
and supported by Nepali speaking community alone. Its
socio-political base was narrow and the supporters were innocent
and illiterate. When the Royal Pardon was granted, the leaders
of the movement readily accepted the offer of the government.
The confiscated properties were returned and continuation of
political activities banned thereafter. A large number of people
supporting the movement became homeless and destitute.
2.
The submission of appeal
by two councillors on 9th April 1988.
The Home Ministry in Bhutan was established in
1968 and the survey of public lands completed by 1972. Each
household was allotted land registration numbers and house
numbers. Till this period the government did not have any
records of its citizens. From 70s together with census the
government began the issuance of citizenship cards to every
citizen above the age of 16, which completed in around 1982.
This census operation showed higher percentage of Nepali
speaking population among the other communities, which ignited
furore, and to check and balance the growth of the southern
population, 1985 Citizenship Act came into being. History is
evident enough that unlike other communities, the Nepali
community has always been the most sincere subjects abiding the
law of the land as long as their cultural identity, religion,
language and traditions were protected by the state. In 1988 the
government implemented 1985 Citizenship Act demanding that only
those who can produce the evidences of their being in the
country on or before 1958 would be deemed to be bona fide
citizens of the country.
The arbitrary implementation was disastrous and
menacing. On August 16th, 1987, Mr. Govinda Mishra, a Nepali
language teacher, jumped from Thimphu bridge and killed himself
in protest to the cultural and linguistic interference of the
government. Mrs. Sita Devi Mothey from Chirang, in protest
against the Citizenship Act 1985 hanged herself on 23rd
April 1988 leaving behind a confession note against the
government's atrocities. The killing of Royal Body Guard
Lieutenant Tarun Chhetri and Forest Ranger Mon Bahadur Dewan in
1987 at Manas Wildlife Sanctuary in the presence of the present
King Jigme Singye Wangchuk is still a mystery.
In view of the growing atrocities foreboding the
very survival of country's gross national happiness, Mr. Tek
Nath Rizal and Mr. Bidhya Pati Bhandari, the then Royal Advisory
Councillors from southern Bhutan, submitted a memorandum to the
King. They repeal the Citizenship Act 1985 and provide justice
to the Nepali speaking community who have since generations
nurtured Bhutan towards the path of progress and prosperity.
The appeal submitted on April 9th,
1988 was branded seditious and soon the King announced his
official visits to southern Bhutan. Before the royal entourage
the Home Ministry order the Dzongdas (district administrator) to
cultivate few individuals from every blocks into confidence and
inculcate anti Rizal propositions. The Dzongdas and Dungpas
(Sub-divisional officers) and tortured individuals were
instrumental in diverting the opinion of the general public in
the interest of the regime. The king returned successfully,
from the visit to the capital. In the evening of 4th
June 1988 Mr. Rizal was arrested while he was on the downtown
from shopping and kept in Dadi-makhang central prison, was
inflicted severe torture. On the third day he was released as
prettying Royal-pardon, but was coerced to sign a
document discouraging him from meeting more than three people at
a time and was striped from the elected post of the Royal
advisory Councillor. But the next councillor Mr. Bidhya Pati
Bhandari was normally interrogated. His is still in the country
as a normal citizen with no allegations.
3. Formation of Human Rights & social organizations
After striped from the elected post Mr. Tek Nath
Rizal left the country fearing further prosecution and
constituted the "Peoples Forum for Human Rights- Bhutan" (PFHRB)
on 7th July 1989 at Kakarvitta, Eastern Nepal, and
published two campaign books titled "Bhutan-We Want Justice."
in English and "Bhutan Hamro Manav Adhikar Khoi" in
Nepali. Both these books and a few handouts spur spirit and
courage to protest against the policies of cultural
indoctrination of the despotic regime and the crooked ploy to
exterminate Hindu religion and culture.
From November 1989, the existing political
upheaval began in Bhutan. On 4th November 1989, Mon
Bahadur Chhetri along with two of his friends was arrested for
interrogation by a team headed by the then Minister Tshering
Tobgyal. They were hanged and tortured the whole night. Next day
on 5th November 1989, Mon Bahadur Chhetri succumbed
to death. The investigating made a concocted report that Mon
Bahadur hanged himself to death.
Mr. Rizal along with Jogen Gazmer and Sushil
Pokhrel were abducted from eastern Nepal on 16th
November 1989 and flown in Druk Air to Thimphu from Tribhuwan
International airport, Kathmandu. Following this abduction of Mr
Rizal again more than hundred conscious and prominent people
from various Dzongkha left the country on the same month and
were in the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal. Prior to
formation of the human right and political organisation, some
social organisation of teachers and student got formed
clandestinely. But those organisations could not work to the
aspiration of the people owing to the fear of being considered
treason and tried by the government. However, the teachers and
students played a vital role of educating their fellow teachers
and students of the situation and needs and the anti-people
policies of the RGOB. Of these organisations "Bhutan National
Teachers Association" (BNTA) worked from National Institution of
Education (NIE), Samchi while the Student Union of Bhutan (SUB)
worked from the only college of Bhutan Sherubtse College,
Kanglung under Tashigang Dzongkhag.
When the government learned about the formation
of these organisations it arrested the leader of the
organisations, interrogated, tortured, imprison and brutally
killed. The founding president of BNTA Mr. Mon Bahadur Chhetri
made inhuman tortured and pass away untimely while the founding
president of SUB Mr. Bishwa Nath Chettri along with the other
active members got arrested and imprisoned to meet horrible and
merciless torture. Some of those imprisoned including Mr. Biswa
Nath Chhetri and Deo Datta Sharma got Royal Amnesty due to the
international pressure. Following the arrest and brutal murder
the other members had to seek protection in the neighbouring
states of India. This organisation functions from exile in Nepal
under the leadership of the new President R.C. Khanal.
4. 90s Movement under the leadership of BPP
While the clandestine business of the Royal
Government of Bhutan was going on to harass the Bhutanese people
aims of uprooting the existence of conscious, the politically
conscious citizens realised that in the absence of democratic
political system, the ethnic minorities in the country will not
be protected from the despotic and racist regime founded on
medieval laws of governance. Those who were out the country were
already contemplating a strong political organization to educate
and organize the people along the democratic path. This was felt
urgent in view of systematic repression of voices by the
anarchist regime, which was bent on silencing any protest so
that the agenda of depopulating the southern Bhutanese of Nepali
origin would find smooth sail, far away from the knowledge of
international community.
After the arrest of the many citizens a leader
embraced the responsibility of not only fighting for human
rights but to gradually take the country out of medieval system
by replacing it with a just system akin to western democratic
pattern. This was definitely a daunting task for the new leaders
in a country having very low literacy rate with practically no
political consciousness other than serving meekly the powerful
elites. Thus the formation of Bhutan Peoples' Party (BPP) on
June 2, 1990, with Mr. R.K.Budathoki as the founding president
and Mr. Balaram Poudyal, Mr. Jagirman Lama, Mr. Hari Subedi, Mr.
Gauri Khanal and a student Mr. Devendra Dhungel as the founding
members was the logical culmination of various events
necessitated by compelling circumstances, and was purely an
indigenous outcome. Upon formation of Bhutan Peoples’ Party,
the founding members unanimously declared that the policies and
goal of the party would be to start the long process of changing
the system of governance through advocacy and concerted struggle
by mobilizing masses both within and without Bhutan. The
objectives were to establish a democratic political system with
constitutional monarchy, guaranteeing equal rights for all
ethnic communities as against the present biased and
discriminatory system.
The BPP soon embarked into intensive campaign
inside and outside the country and building organization within
the country. Various programs were launched to pressurize the
regime to initiate political reforms for democracy in the
country. With the ever-increasing repression, the BPP lunched a
long march to Bhutan from Indian soil. On 26th
August 1990, Bhutan Peoples’ Party declared a long march to
Phuentsholing for which more than 36,000 (Thirty-six thousands)
Bhutanese people from all the southern Dzongkhags (Districts)
had gathered in bordering town of West Bengal and Assam but was
intercepted by the government of India. However, the District
Magistrate of Jalpaiguri District in West Bengal agreed to reach
BPP’s 13 point demands Charter to the King Jigme Singye Wanchuk.
This Constituted of “Constitutional monarchy with
multy-party
parliamentary democracy, independent judiciary and repealing of
all anti-people laws and by-laws. Still the political situation
did not improve and the BPP was left only option of undertaking
massive peaceful democratic programs nation wide.
The Indian authorities intercepted the march by
creating numerous barricades and deployment of armed personals.
However, the standard supporters were manned in various
makeshift camps and education on democracy was imparted. The
formation of the Bhutan Peoples' Party is the turning point in
the political history of Bhutan. Unlike the previous experience
the BPP for the first time succeeded in exposing internal
realities of Bhutan to the outside world and garnered wide
support to the movement. The BPP, in support of the Bhutanese
people spearheaded mass demonstrations, protests and civil
disobedience movement within the country demanding democracy and
constitutional monarchy. The main demands of the Party were a
thirteen-point Demand Charter that the Government was supposed
to address immediately for durable solution of all social,
economic and political turmoil. As people thronged the streets
demanding democracy and human rights, the Bhutan Government
pounced back with utmost terror on the peaceful activists and
supporters of the movement and branded them as anti-nationals,
traitors and agents of Greater Nepal.
The public, which was tired of tyranny rule
uncertainly made their way for place via India to participate in
the declared rally. But the Government of India intercepted the
move of the peace procession. The party then organized and
declared the date of commencement of Dharna (sit-in) programme.
Beginning 19th September to 4th August
1990, mass demonstrations and protests continued in the country
demanding multiparty system and constitutional monarchy and
human rights. The large mass of public also observed a sit-in
in front of the Dungpas (Sub-divisional officers) and Dzongdas
(District officers) on 19th September and this
continued until October 4, 1990. Mr. Deo Raj Rai led the public
of Sibsso, Mr. Parsu Ram Kafley and Mr. Kazi Tamang led the
public of Chengmari, Mr. Prakash Ghising led the public of Gomtu
and Mr. Mahendra Rana led the public of Phuentsholing in Samchi
and Chhuka Dzongkhag. In the like manner Mr. R.K. Ghaley and
S.B. Sapkota led the peaceful procession and sit-in of Gyalephug
Dzongkhag, Mr. D.B. Rai led the public of Samdrup-Jonkhar and
Mr. Ram Bdr. Das led the public of Chirang Dzongkhag. While the
other places the peace procession and sit-in took place all
spontaneously with out of lead. The people of Dagana Dzongkhag
demonstrated a district wide peaceful procession. But, in
contrary to the redressed, the RGOB deploy army in the southern
Dzongkhags.
|
