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Bhutan's Gross National Happiness:An Economic Reality or Wishful Thinking ?
Call for a New Measure Cont..
The second pillar has led Bhutan to legislate for at least 65% of the land under forest cover, even though the arable land of Bhutan is only 16% and there is obvious pressure to cut trees and sell timber. The hydro-power projects, which are the main drivers of its economy, are mostly the run-of-the-river schemes. These hardly lead to environmental deterioration or human displacement. Bhutan also banned smoking and restricted foreign tourists to 6,000 per year to preserve its pristine environment, which “bestows on us”, as Thinley remarks, “wholesome foods, medicines, pleasure and a host of essential materials and also development of our finer senses”.21 This dependence of human well-being on the ecosystem is comparable to the dependence of an egg's yolk on its surrounding white that supports it.
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The third pillar has required Bhutan to encourage indigenous culture and etiquette. It has imposed national dress code in public places. Royals, scholars and commoners all wear to public places kimono type gho with knee-socks for men and wraparound-skirt type kira with a jacket for women . Competitive textile shows are annually organised to make gho and kira fashionable especially among the youth. The annual Buddhist dance festival is held in almost all districts of Bhutan in honour of Guru Rinpoche who brought Buddhism to Bhutan. Both monks and laymen perform a series of dance during this occasion. Bhutan's national sport archery is organised on a grand scale. The entire communities gather to eat, drink and have fun. The 13 traditional arts and crafts of Bhutan are kept alive through two training institutes. Bhutan has let in TV and Internet in a phased manner to balance tradition and modernity. It has debarred World Wrestling Federation Channel when its youth began to show enthusiasm for violence. Critics, however, point to Bhutan's vigorous pursuance of native culture as a strategic defence against homogenisation with the rest of the world in order to preserve its own identity and sovereignty. |
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The fourth pillar has seen Bhutan's switch to parliamentary democracy under a constitutional framework with the monarch voluntarily divesting himself of executive power and relegating to the ornamental position of the head of state. Bhutan's enlightened monarchs have guided the people into the democratic path so that governance would get attuned to people's desire. The process of Bhutan's transition to democracy over the last three decades has culminated in its first ever multi-party elections on March 24th 2008. Good governance not only makes effective delivery of public services but also creates enabling conditions for people to pursue their own good.
21] "What Does Gross National Happiness (GNH) Mean?", op.cit.
