The Bhutanese Leading the way.
By Dasho Kunzang Wangdi
11th November 2025 is a very significant and auspicious day. Buddhist leaders from all over the World are gathered here in Thimphu, Bhutan to participate in the first-ever Global Peace Prayer Festival hosted by the Royal Government of Bhutan, and well-wishers from across the world to commemorate the 70th Birthday Anniversary of His Majesty The Drugyal Zhipa. I am happy to get this rare and golden opportunity, thanks to the weekly, The Bhutanese, to pen my words to offer my heartiest gratitude to my beloved King, His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck
The historic public function of His Coronation was held at Changlingmithang, 51 years ago, on the sunny morning of 2nd June 1974. I had the priviledge to serve on protocol duty, upon declaration of my Indian School Certificate (ISC) examinition results from Yangchenphu, while I was waiting to be sent for my university education in India under the Royal Government’s scholarship. I was amongst the most fortuntate to receive the opportunity to serve the King for the first time. I was assigned as Assistant Protocal Officer to attend to the family guests of the Royal Family. It gave me the distinct honour to listen to the Coronation Royal Address from a very close range.
It was delivered extempore in very simple Dzongkha. It was loaded heavily with enigmatic implications that could not be construed but maybe guessed by most as a farsighted Royal Vision.
On hindsight, it is no doubt that it had contained the Royal Vision that shaped the future of what Bhutan has reached today, ready to forge into 21st century, a transformation of Bhutan as a state to which most of us could never have imagined at that moment.
I would wish to pick up two favourite issues out of many from the Royal Address that His Majesty had pledged “to serve our beloved country and people with fidelity and to the best of my ability.” These are:
“to achieve econmic self-reliance to ensure the continued progress of our country in the future” and
“if the Government and people can join hands and work together with determination, our people will achieve prosperity and our nation will become strong and stable” “to grow from strength to strength to achieve prosperity, peace and happiness.”
It raised questions in my confused mind: Was it a plea for assistance and support from people instead of taking reponsibility to govern and administer? And did it mean people were left to uphold and insure independence to overcome historical challenges and secure stability of a small LDC Nation?
All this was at a time when Bhutan, was surrounded by two giant nations hostile to each other. In fact, very recently, they had it out in the Himalayas. With Chinese invasion of Tibet fresh in our midst, it was evident for most Bhutanese seeing thousands of Tibetans in refugee settlements centers at numerous corners in the Kingdom. In addition, the story of uncertain fate of Sikkim was shadowing closely over our necks.
I was a youth having had lived and schooled within Bhutan, without the capacity to comprehend what would be its real implications which began dawning only upon my joining the Bhutan Civil Service in 1977. It was after returning from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University and after the six-months National Social Service (NSS) at Trashiyangtse Drungkhag.
In the Civil Service, I had the privilege to work in translation of the Royal Vision.
The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) which evolved from the Department of Manpower and Central Statistics was responsible in carrying out national manpower planning and development, reorganisation of the government machineries including management of redundencies, setting up of a merit-based national personnel administration, pursue inititaives for corporatisation and privatization policies, decentralisation of the centralised goverance for development and governance from grassroots planning.
Upon being at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) I was associated in the promotion of rapid industrial and commercial entrprenuership and CSMI, demonopolisation of licensing and business opporutnities for fairness and equality across the nation.
My time at the Royal Institute of Management (RIM) began with visioning of the institute as a center of management education, taking sole national responsibility for ICT training, preparing for readiness for international connectivity of the nation with the rest of the world, and engagement intensively in professional training and education of public services bringing in capabililites for mangement of the national development with equity and growth in a fast changing scenario.
With progress and development calling for accountability, the Royal Audit Authority (RAA) was entrusted and empowered to begin playing a dynamic role in strengthening integrity and ethical standards in the bureaucracy, in particular, and the society, in general. The sound auditing procedure and systems were found essential in preparation and building constitutionally required democratic setups and institutions in due course of time. The concepts and principles of zero-tolerance to corruption, principle of collective responsibility for anti-corruption measures and supervisory reponsibility and accountability were instituted for the first time.
The ultimate assignment that came my way was the task of assisting the nation in transitioning to democracy from monarchy with the establishment of the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB). That, was in buidling the systems and procedures essential to the management of an electoral administration capable to admnister a free and fair election, the crucial requirement in welcoming the Democratic Constitutional Monarchy with Bhutanese working together hand in hand and sharing the fruits of Economic Self-reliance.
On 25th March 2008, as the first Chief Election Commissioner, I read out the results of our first National Parliamentary Election. In that moment, I fully appreciated the profound foresight of His Majesty The Fourth Druk Gyalpo. As Crown Prince, he had envisioned a Bhutan that was both a democracy and a self-reliant economy. He guided us peacefully from an absolute monarchy to a vibrant democracy, placing the People’s King on the Golden Throne, and setting us mindfully on the journey of GNH, and now with the three additional pillars of De-suung, Gyalsung and Pelsung.
His Majesty’s vision was not merely for his reign, but for the destiny of a nation. On this milestone 70th Birthday, we celebrate the King who placed his faith in us and empowered us to build our own future.
The writer is the former Chief Election Commissioner and a De-suup DS(66)24-48144
