NFD Bhutan writes to the King (Politics)
Birtamod, April 13: The Natioanl Front for Democracy (NFD) Bhutan has sent a memurandum to the King urging early resolution of exile issue.
"As a universally accepted principle, the values of multi-party parliamentary democracy are to ensure and safeguard equal rights, freedom and justice to the people of all sections of society and individuals. It is also to ensure peace and development in a country, where every citizen have the constitutionally defined role and responsibility to play in the nation building task" said the paper signed by NFD president Balaram Paudyal.
NFD Bhutan has also reminded the King of seven point demand submitted on March 21. Bhutan News Service
Letter addressed the King by NFD Bhutan
The King of Bhutan,
Royal Secretariat,
Tashichho Dzong, Thimphu,
BHUTAN
Sub: An appeal for amicable solution on the protracted political problem.
May it please Your Majesty,
On behalf of the loyal citizens of Bhutan in exile, we would like to draw Your Majesty's kind attention for a magnanimous consideration on the following concerns.
1. The NFD-Bhutan (National Front for Democracy in Bhutan), a coalition of three major political parties (Bhutan Peoples’ Party, Druk National Congress (Democratic) and Bhutan Gorkha National Liberation Front), admires and appreciates the noble decision of Your Majesty for initiating the process of democratisation in the Kingdom of Bhutan. As a universally accepted principle, the values of multi-party parliamentary democracy are to ensure and safeguard equal rights, freedom and justice to the people of all sections of society and individuals. It is also to ensure peace and development in a country, where every citizen have the constitutionally defined role and responsibility to play in the nation building task.
2. We would like to draw Your Majesty’s kind attention to our Seven Point Demands submitted on March 21, 2008, in which we had also expressed our concern on the processes of political evolution initiated by Your Majesty, which unfortunately have failed to appreciate and uphold the democratic principles as practised by the global democracies of twenty first century. Our perception of democracy is to guarantee the social justice and political rights to every citizens of the country, where people can enjoy favourable political environment enabling all to participate in the process in a free and fair manner. We reiterate that the democracy in the context of today is incomplete without the true, functional, vibrant and inclusive pluralistic system. We are not trying to measure the length of the string but seeing over one hundred thousand Bhutanese citizens in exile are excluded from the process we have only attempted to take the advantage of Your Majesty’s magnanimity. Further, the ironic part of the accomplishment of the so-called political changes has been deprival of right to adult franchise of over eighty thousand citizens living inside the country under the pretext of mandatory so-called security clearance, using National Security Act 92 besides the rights of both institutionalised monks and ascetics of the established institutions of Buddhist learning.
3. Your Majesty, denial to resolve the lengthy entanglement of the refugee crisis itself appears that the current situation is not favourable in the country for establishing sustainable democracy as aspired by the people in the context of transparency of the change. The emergence of current situation has not addressed the issue of the large number of political prisoners, who are languishing in the prisons for a long time. Delay and negligence to give the appropriate justice could ignite unfavourable social and political unrest before the so-called infant democracy could reach to its fruiting. We wish to see that the demands made in 1990 and 1997 are justly met and demonstrate the true sanctity of Your Majesty’s globally appreciated wisdom.
Your Majesty, the above appeals, if not addressed on time, the NFD-Bhutan perceives volcanic eruption of the people’s voice which will be socially, economically and politically catastrophic, the example of the kingdom of Nepal still being in agony. We look forward to Your Majesty's kind response with magnanimous consideration creating a favourable atmosphere so as to pave way for bringing about a comprehensive solution to the ever deteriorating situation caused by the gross negligence from your benign end so that Bhutan will not be ostracized from the fraternity of the global democracy.
We remain,
Yours loyal subject,
Balaram Paudyal