Learn from thy foe

March 29, 2010 at 11:49 AM Bhutan's first political party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), is very much alive and kicking, Lyonpo Tshering Tobgay, the opposition leader told Bhutan Today. This is heartening for the buzz is that the PDP is dying a slow death. The opposition leader's remarks that Bhutan is "not a country without opposition", and his commitment to strengthen the PDP could not have come at a better time. This has rekindled our hopes for a better tomorrow and erased our fears of a democracy without political parties. The Government has been calling out for state funding of political parties and cautioning the Elec tion Commission of Bhutan (ECB) that without state support there might not be any political party to con test in the next elections. The Opposition Leader's commitment and assurance that come 2013, the PDP will be there, belittles the Government's intimida tions and makes it more of a political gimmick to reduce the financial burden that the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) carries. If the PDP is confident that they will be there despite the huge debts that the party owes, there is no reason for the DPT as the ruling party to worry. Perhaps the DPT has not taken substantial efforts to generate funds, as pointed out by the ECB. With the numbers on their side, the Government can certainly pass any bill or amendments in the Parliament. However, this would mean "bulldozing through". And whether it is for a good purpose or a bad one, bulldozing means transgressing the rule of law or playing the numbers game. In our context, it means setting a bad precedent. State funding of political parties is advocated as the only solution to keep political parties alive. It is a so lution awaiting confirmation, after which the solution becomes a decision. Once a decision is made, there is no looking back. Fortunately, state funding for politi cal parties is at present a solution. A decision is yet to be made. The Government has sufficient time to reduce their debts, before they translate the solution into a deci sion. And as mentioned by the Opposition Leader, we all know that state funding is "illegal". If, in the name of democracy the Government bulldozes through and trots on the illegal path, we cannot comprehend what all might be done in the name of democracy. Perhaps the Government has been unable to come out with measures to address their financial fiasco because of the greater and larger duty of running the Government. Perhaps the Government does not want to waste time for issues pertaining to their party, when they do not have sufficient time to address national priorities. But state funding of political parties is also a national issue. It is as important as the Economic De velopment Plan and the Constituency Development Grant (CDG). When the Government can field in a McKinsey for drawing Bhutan's economic roadmap, it certainly should be able to bring in someone to ad dress their financial problems, without swaying from the rule of law. If the Government does not have funds to bring in consultants, they could ask the Opposition Leader. He will surely lend a helping hand, for free.