Cancelling the Southern Highway of Bhutan was never about security interest of Bhutan. Not just PDP formed Cabinet, the whole Kingdom buckled under pressures from New Delhi. India suffers from fear mirage and China hallucination. India thinks China will speed down from Doklam to the shelved Amocu hydro- project valley along the shelved Southern Highway from Samtse to Daifam and in the process swallow whole of North Eastern India from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh. India actually must respect Bhutan as a sovereign nation with all the intent to remain sovereign. Not under Indian or Chinese hegemony. India has no basis for such fear of China if Bhutan remains truly sovereign.
Some 1962 era babies in New Delhi have yet to wake up from the womb trauma of 1962 consequences of Indian provocations against China. And Bhutanese democratic leaderships are being overly concerned with preserving local national power and wealth. An attitude that demonstrated a kind of better surrender sovereign rights and live in personal comfort of local power and national coffers than risk being steam rolled like what happened to DPT in 2013.
Amusing to read the statement in the Parliament by the government that people did not protest cancellation of Southern Highway. I agree that there was no public marches and flag dragging protests. Thank Pelden Drukpa and may similar protests of Southern Bhutanese rebellion never again happen. But many did protest loud and clear against the cancellation of Southern Highway. Not violently but in clear writings and reasoned voices. And I think no government should ever seek protests on the streets. Bhutan does not need nor can the nation afford such civil unrest. When public pleads and appeals that should be the wake up call for any well meaning authority to act positively.
I wish PDP Cabinet had shown the courage to apologise its inability the last time and now state in no uncertain term its determination to build a Southern Highway along the Indo- Bhutan border if it returns to govern the next 5 years. Such a highway is indispensable for Bhutan and good even for India in the long run. I do not feel that a new Party Cabinet can ever stand up to the evil forces against national sovereign decisions. Maybe not even the restructured DPT.
Nothing personal against the leaderships or candidates of the Political Parties. Just that I believe weakness of PDP Cabinet was mainly due to its inexperience and thus lack of confidence when confronted with high stakes in its initial years of governance. And new Parties unfortunately suffer the same inadequacies and handicaps. But that does not mean experienced leaders should always govern at the helm. Maybe changes will bring about the necessary evolution in the Bhutanese democracy experience. Whether fate of Southern Highway or Trilateral India- Bhutan- China relationship fares any better under a different Political Party government is most uncertain as of now.
Maybe as election campaign heats up, the Four Political Parties will publicly define their interpretation of sovereignty for Bhutan in both internal and external parameters. If so then may the most sincere to Pelden Drukpa ways come to power to lead the nation from the smog of outside political pollution and internal political confusion.
If I read the author right Bhutan is under India pressure not to build a highway along its southern border. What is India's rationale for opposing such a project? How does a highway in its northern neighbor harm India's interest?
ReplyDeletePDP is battling to merge our country with India like Sikkim. And their performance and achievement are 1. Increased the National Debt to Nu. 215.00 Billion By changing the Hydro Power financing from 40% Loan and 60% Grants to 30% Grants and 70% Loans.
ReplyDelete2. Damaging the bureaucracy by terminating the three government secretary.
3. Damaging the democracy by giving room to intervene by Supreme Court on 20 Dzongkhag Thromde.
4. Freezing of diplomats’ relation.
5. Cancellation of southern border connection and education city.
The 30% grant and 70% loan system was not started by PDP Government.This government only inherited the ongoing hydro projects.
DeleteVery wrong to tag PDP government with Hydro financing system of 30% grant and 70% loan. This government inherited the same from DPT government. Such false assertion cast long shadows upon the other allegations.
DeleteI agree Sir but why this government change vast financing patter?
DeleteShame on PDP and Aum Dorji Choden on yet another blatant lie to the nation and people. The Southern East-West highways was not shelved due to security reason. PDP must learn to be honest and accept the reality.
ReplyDeleteThanks to the people for not protesting and marching on the street. There were protest in the form of opinion and views shared by people on this issue. Of course not from our village folk who could not read and write. Yet, they are not ones who are affected the most.
As of the weakness of the PDP cabinet, i second you on this as well. There are some cabinet members who could hardly read out properly what has been written black on white, let alone thinking out of box and leading by example.
The incident of harassment, mob attack,robbery etc will keep on happening from our so called friendly neighbor. The innocent traveler will have to endure this reality as long as we use their territory to get from point A to B.
I am also skeptical about the highway being back in 12 Plan. That may be another false promise. As long as there is no Diplomatic relation with China, the southern highway will not materialize.
Partisanship and blame-game are what we all are good at, but I reach out to all the educated readers of this post that we the Bhutanese need something more than the typical politicians we had for the past decade: We need MEN, not boy-scouts drooling and bickering over a SUV, few meters of road and wall, or trips to third country so they can update their facebook page.
ReplyDeleteWe need a TRUE DEMOCRATIC LEADER, which i doubt exist, who can contemplate for longterm goals of breaking free from Indian hegemony, and work on it. We need real men (with balls of steel), to initiate cross-platform facelift toward realization of independence in agriculture, manufacturing, technology, communication, trade etc.
We would like Sons & Daughters of Bhutan devoting heart, soul and mind for the motherland, for present and for the long-term future. We do not need another treat of ice-cream, we have grown past that age, incase you do not know.