Bhutanese Democracy

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Zam 3 The intensification of Bhutanese democracy has been marked by the dynamic encouragement and involvement of reigning Bhutanese monarchy since the 1950s. The process of democratic system was initiated by the third King of Bhutan Jigme Dorji Wangchuk in the year October 27, 1952. King Jigme Dorji Wangchuck transformed the feudal absolute monarchy of Bhutan into a modern and enlightened one. The transformation derived from the farsighted political vision of a great king and statesman. In order to have stability, unitary power and control and to ensure long-term peace and security of the country he indeed brought many reforms that will decentralize the power to its people. Our third king Jigme Dorji Wangchuk brought many reforms such as the…show more content…
The Constitution became the legal framework for the democratic political system, which aimed "to secure the blessing of liberty, to ensure justice and tranquility and to enhance the unity, happiness and wellbeing of the people of all time" (Phuntsho, 2013, Pg. 572). One of His major constitution reforms was the institution of the National Assembly (Tshogdu) in 1953 at Punakha. The preamble of Tshogdu gave people the platform to raise their voice. For instance, the Tshogdu comprises of 10 government representatives, 10 from the monastic body and 110 peoples from people's representatives in the total of 130 members (Ura, 2010, Pg. 64). His Majesty's endeavor and vision of creating Tshogdu were to involve the people in decision making and eventually develop a politically conscious society. The institutions of the Tshogdu guaranteed that voice of people was heard through the representatives. Besides, it instigates the people participation in the discussion of the national issue, ideas, their concerns, and solutions for the future of this country, promoting public welfare and well-being. Thereby, marking the step towards the democratic system where the people enjoyed the equal right and freedom. The other reforms brought under the constitutional reforms were the establishment of Lodroe Tshogde in 1965 by his majesty the third Druk…show more content…
Under the judiciary reforms His majesty opened the judiciary system with the appointment of Thrimpons (judges) in districts, and then finally to the High Court, which was set up in 1968 (CAPSD, 1996, Pg.56). Before, all the judiciary powers were in the hands of the kings. Soon after he assumed the throne in 1968 the judiciary was separated from the executive body with the establishment of the high court. According to Ura (2010) previously, it was customary practice for the disputes and litigations that could not be solved by elders and mediator in the village to be directed to the king. However, such process was inadequate to cover the fundamental human aspect in order to provide fair, effective and reliable justice. Therefore, with the vision to create the sound legal environment and to make the court more significantly user-friendly his majesty initiated such reforms. This helped judiciary to delivered justice and egalitarianism right down to grass root level. For instance, in the past, the main legal document was the law code which was originated during the reign of Zhabdrung theocracy, where the conflict and contestation were traditionally resolved through meditation and consensual agreement (Phuntsho, 2013, P.567). In such cases, there won't be any fair, equality and justice in the absence of written law. As a result, we can clearly see the

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