There are zealots and there are hypocrites. And mainly mostly on pursuit of self grandstanding for self career advancement.
Gho and kira enforcement regulations and anti other religion talks are tested path to prove loyalty and dedication for those actually on the fence. Somehow these time tested superficial acts have paid individual dividends at the expense of national interests. So such acts will keep repeating.
Never trust such characters for they would back stab at the first ray of window for a successful uprising. It was few trusted Dzongkhag officials who contributed in fanning the southern uprising and deliberately created a hellish social environment in rural South Bhutan on culture pretext including gho and kira. This Shemgang Dzongkhag gho and kira rule 9am to 5pm is no different in purpose and goal. Beware!
Tibet had everything going in culture and religion and even today Tibetan culture and Tibetan Buddhism flourish from Asia including China to Europe and America to Australia. And what Tibet never had was real sovereignty. Tibetan authorities were always more into domination of common folks at home than facing external dangers. There were great many demi god Lamas and even more wealthy Patrons all of whom derived their power and wealth from the sweats of suppressed serf multitudes and national resources. Bhutan can do well to heed the events of pre 1959 Tibetan social and political oligarchic rule. Oligarchy is not a long term overall nation favouring system.
India directs Druk Yul and Druk Yul elites dictate what we common people must think and wear from 9am to 5pm. Well the choice is to fully enjoy the reckless authority until Tibet happens or take up responsibilities of true national Bhutanese leadership.
Bhutanese value custom and tradition. Culture is not just an identity. It is a very good way of life if decently practised. Culture should not be used to harass people or to segregate society into superior and subordinate classes. To insist upon a commoner to wear gho and kamni for the purpose of flouting an official's colour kamni and patang is segretation of social class. For this reason whilst conducting democratic exercise as in election campaigns, Election Commission forbids colour kamni and patang. Intereseting, isn't it? Maybe true democracy will happen when colour kamni and patang are done away for officials. Election commission rule of " no colour kamni and patang " may be a true ray of democracy light.
Today Bhutan has our own common written and spoken language. Dzongkhag is a prevalent social and political feature and medium. Bhutanese films and songs have replaced foreign films and songs. Festivals, religious events and national events are over crowded with citizens dressed in beautiful national dress and adornment. Schools and offfices including that of private enterprises are filled with citizens in gho and kira.
The Kingdom of Bhutan flourishes in gho, kira and other aspects of culture including " doma pane and rimda". There is a deluge of national and religious events with new found prosperity and nationalism spirit at grassroot level.
What Bhutan now thirsts for is that those in position to give sovereign meaning to the gho, kira, patang and colours that they wear and the national events that they oversee and direct.
Stand up against the charge of being " an Indian protectorate state ". Stand up for the sovereign right of pursuing an independant foreign policy. Assert ownership of our vital rivers and resources thereof. Garner up courage to declare that we are being invaded when sovereign Bhutanese soil is transgressed upon and declared as protectorated land of the Indian Army.
Have the wisdom and courage to differentiate between generous neighbour and endearing foreign master.
Take care of sovereignty and culture will naturally flourish. To put it simple. Take care of the source and the stream that flow will not dry up. It is deceptive politics to camoflage gross national failures in sovereign policies by playing up cultural distractions through gho and kira discipline. Domination and distractions are temporary measures that only delays national disasters.
We Bhutanese love our King and cherish our way of life. Democracy is a dish that quench foreign imagination. Who becomes or is the Prime Minister of Bhutan is only an icing on the cake. What is critical and important is the Birthday. For Druk Yul, Birthday is Sovereignty.
And the Head of the Druk Yul Family His Majesty the King must protect and preserve the sanctity of this Birth Day. It must be more secure and solid than it was on 16th December, 1907 after which Druk Yul was placed in the care of the Wangchuck Dynasty. Our great forefathers did not seek a kudung ( prefect ) for culture discipline. They had sought a Leader to be the Guardian of Druk Yul sovereignty. All those who hold official positions whether appointed or elected to serve theTsawa Sum must uphold the original task that was entrusted to our Kings.
Thank you, This kind of thoughtful analysis and discussion has been long overdue. How ridiculous was it that as soon as Bhutan became a democracy, one of the most pressing business for the new parliament was deciding who would get to wear a Patang. They spent an excessive amount of time discussing it, even though it would make very little difference to the vast majority of populace. Why? Because it is a symbol of authority.
ReplyDeleteMy personal theory is that we Bhutanese are obsessed with symbols of authority, because we know deep down inside, no one has any real authority. We are subject to the whims of others on who we choose to become friends with, where we build our roads, where our airlines fly. As you said, we risk losing what little authority we have when we have when spend our time doing our best to push other Bhutanese down in order to show them that we are the ones in authority.
The Kabney and Patang culture needs to be abolished once and for all and high time. It’s a discriminatory culture which creates power and hierarchy system. No where in the world there is such display of power and authority through symbols....
ReplyDeleteIn the name of preserving culture and traditions, the power symbols and culture is preserved...
We all are equal in GNH country...
Let us have only 2 colors. 1. Yellow for HM. 2. Rest, everyone including PM,CJ...should wear white. That will bring down individual egos and perhaps it will unite people in true sense. Now with constitution and democracy everyone knows their own responsibility and authority. we don't need patang and kabney to assert one's authority. It was relevant long ago but no more now. And you for those people arguing sovereignty based on unique culture, as author mention, "Tibet" lost despite their intact culture and identity. When something is thrust upon u, it loses charm and people resist. Otherwise people follow it keenly. High time we do away two dreaded words for everyone's benefit- "Ban" and "culture imposition"
ReplyDeleteGood idea on having 2 kabney colours. If I may- I would add red kabney minus patangs for white kabney. Only HM the king and Ngyikems (red colured kabneys) will have patangs.
DeleteThis is the point we want....bulls eye on this dictator PDP goevernment who is making the nation cry with 200 billion us dollar debt and still counting under the bloody GoI....
ReplyDeleteKadrinchela.
ReplyDelete