FOR A FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS: MY MYOPIC TAKE

picture source: google

The Indian elections are finally over and as the closest neighbor and friend; many Bhutanese may have followed it with interest. For Bhutanese though, elections in India is seen as a massive exercise that, irrespective of which party  comes to the power, the time tested friendship between the governments, leaders and people of the two countries will remain unaffected and continue to grow stronger between the two closest neighbors.

                                   

 Conducting elections in India especially the parliamentary election in the world’s largest democracy with a population of over one billion people and with almost 900 million eligible voters is by no means a mean feat for the election commission of India.  Despite coming under severe criticism over several election issues and allegations of its inaction, the commission seems to have done a great job.

The seven phase elections of 2019 in India returned Prime Minister Narenda Modi and NDA with an unprecedented 336 seats in the 545 seats. India’s grand old party the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi  won just a disappointing 52 seats and has since then asked the Congress Working Committee (CWC) to find a new leader for the party by putting in his resignation and taking solid blame of the party’s debacle upon himself.

From the debates that continue to take place on mainstream media in India analyzing the just concluded elections, one thing is clear that, electorate this time had no alternative to Mr Modi and that the elections was fought not on issues but on  personality and nationalism. But, one thing is clear, Narendra Modi led BJP and NDA decimated its opponents and pushed the rest to the fringes. Not even regional parties and alliances which were traditionally strong in their turf failed to resist the so called Modi wave in this election.

 Some political analysts say that the Congress party must die a natural death for new talents to come up and yet they see Congress as the only national party that can and must rebuild and reinvent itself as an alternative. And for Congress to survive without splintering, the experts feel that it must continue to have someone from the most powerful political family in India, the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Watching the electoral process unfold in the world’s largest democracy, it gives us an opportunity to understand the process better. One thing is certain, our constitution drafting committee has done a stellar job and we have a better electoral law than even the world’s largest democracy in ensuring free and fair elections by taking care of at least three crucial factors that may affect elections.

First and perhaps the most important element in any elections is the need for a level playing field. This cannot happen if a party and its candidates fight elections with powers still vested with them. In India, the Prime Minister and his cabinet fights the general elections without having to resign which may lead to misuse of officialdom to the incumbent’s electoral advantage. Our election law not only requires the government to resign and institute an interim government to oversee the elections but forbids anything that creates even the slightest visible inequalities between the candidates.

Secondly, there seems to be no restriction on the use of media like in our case where all parties and candidates are entitled to specific and equal media coverage with even the use of social media strictly monitored. In India, even the mainstream media are found to be giving excessive coverage to a party or an individual who makes more news with the rest having a limited coverage.

The third and the equally important element is the participation of religious personalities in the elections as candidates or as patrons. In a deeply religious society, a religious figure may have a mass following and what will happen if they are allowed to contest as candidates. In our society we deeply revere and respect religion and religious figure. They are always someone who are above the realms of ordinary life and therefore are rightly considered above politics allowing elections to be fought among the ordinary beings. Some members with religious tags are elected to the parliament for the fifth consecutive terms in India despite their dismal performance.

The recently concluded general elections in India were for the 17^th Lok Sabha while we just concluded our third general elections last year. Ours is the youngest democracy in the world but, we certainly have the best electoral laws to ensure level playing field which bigger and older democracies around the world can learn from for a free and fair elections.

Gyembo Namgyal

Pemagatsel

May 27, 2019

A LUNCH AT BHUTAN HOUSE IN KAMAKHAYAGURI

During my recent trip for an important family prayer, I had the opportunity of meeting one of my old friend and a great, but most humble and humane former teacher at his home in Kamakhyaguri, Borabisa in West Bengal. It was short meeting over a sumptuous lunch prepared by the expert hands at culinary of his wife. Many of his friends, acquaintances and students have been the recipients of the family’s generosity over the years ever since he retired his teaching job in Bhutan to take care of his then ageing father, who had passed away since.

Many people must be aware of who I am referring to from the above introduction. Yes, I am talking about the famous and most loved Apchi Sir (Mr Santosh Chowdhury) and his wife Madame Jasoda. They were legends during their times in Pemagatshel and continues to be so even now.

“Welcome to Bhutan House,” declares Aapchi sir, beaming with serene smile. Yes, it looks like a Bhutanese house with many familiar Bhutanese items from wall hangings to books and even furnitures. And Mr and Mrs Chowdhury’s goodwill towards Bhutan and Bhutanese is well known in the local area and so they are the unofficial goodwill ambassador.

Chowdhury came to work as a teacher in Pemagatshel in the eighties as a rustic fresh college graduate. Despite tremendous challenges, he not only survived in the remote Tsebar primary school but, won the hearts of the both his students and local community.

 In his teaching career spanning to over three decades, he spent the majority of those years in Tsebar school which was followed by Nangkor; both in Pemagatshel and finally in Wangchu school in Chukha. In all these schools, he worked tirelessly for the benefits of his students.  While being strict, he always loved his students like his own children hence earned the affectionate pet name of Aapchi sir. Talk to any his former students and they all have their deepest love and gratitude for him.

My contact with him began while he taught in Nangkor School where my children studied under him. As the frequency of our contacts increased I found out that he is an exemplary teacher. He is the pillar of unquestionable integrity and a man with genuine desire to help his students become wholesome human being.

Aapchi Sir’s fondness for Bhutan is well known to those close to him, In fact, he considers it to be his second home. When I met him recently at his home, he said he received two Noble equivalent awards from Bhutan. I asked him what those awards were and he said that, the Bhutan Government’s invitation to attend felicitations ceremonies to former Indian teachers, one in Thimphu and another in Kolkata were no less significant to him than winning the Noble prizes he said. He was invited to both the events and attended them both.

After he left Bhutan, he taught in a local school back in his village. It was Mr Chowdhury who even initiated cleaning campaigns in his local area which was way before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his Swach Bharat campaign.

Mr Chowdhury  is a repository of knowledge and information and that is an indication of him being an ardent book reader. The stack of books in his room stands as a testimony of how much he reads on daily basis. Among the stacks of books are copies of Bhutan Observer newspapers which he was fond of reading right from the first publications.

 A thangka of His Majesty the king hangs in a room where he took tuitions for the local children. On the walls are the tributes of his students. He calls his room Shanti  Niketan.

 Mr chowdhury’s home has two separate sections, the one part is occupied by his younger brother and his family and the other part by Mr Chowdhury. Except for the separate fooding arrangements, the brothers live closely. Chowdhury is a strict vegetarian while his brother is a non-vegetarian. 

On the front of the house is an ample open space where two of Mr Chowdhury’s scooters stay parked. The Bajaj Chetak scooter is the one he rode on the snaking roads of Pemagatshel and Chukha and his recent acquisition is a trendier TVS scooty. The last digits of the registration numbers are a surprise too 0515 and 5016.

And finally when it’s the time to take his leave, he expressed his surprise. He wanted us to stay as his guests for a day or two but, when that wasn’t possible, he reluctantly led us till the highway where we bade good bye with madame Jasoda and my wife chanting “Palden Drukpa Gyalo,” followed by “Jai Bharat Mata.”

Mr Chowdhury will be joining a new school in Bihar as a Principal. A deserving appointment and another feather in his illustrious teaching career.

Tashi Delek la.

Gyembo Namgyal

Pemagatshel

March 17, 2019