Bhutan and Nepal, two Himalayan countries, deeply impacted by Indian thoughts, are among the last surviving kingdoms fast on their way out from monarchy to popular rule. One doesn’t know whether this would be a loss or gain to the world. But this is change which is constant, relentless and all-powerful, even if it, sometimes, has a corroding effect! The only thing anyone can do is prepare to adequately meet such changes and respond to them as best one can. If the response is adequate and correct, that society, or individual, moves forward. Failure to do so results in being overtaken by the current of events!

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It is with deep personal satisfaction and happiness that I address this inaugural session of Parliament. After all, it is in a time of unprecedented peace and prosperity that we are gathered today to celebrate our nation’s historic achievement of a unique democratic transition.

Therefore, I commend the sense of duty and service that motivated the members of our first Parliament under Democratic Constitutional Monarchy. You have been a part of a transition that shall enter the history of our nation as one of our greatest endeavors.

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From the bombshell His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo dropped on his unsuspecting subjects on 9 December 2006 to the electoral rout meted out by Druk Phuensum Tshogpa on 27 March 2008, Bhutan’s roller-coaster ride from monarchy to democracy has been a run of one irony after another.

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Bhutan has become the youngest member in the club of parliamentary democracies. The peaceful elections on March 24th marked a key turning point in a smooth process of transition from monarchy to democracy. With the success of this historic process, the Bhutanese people have fulfilled the vision of the “father of democracy” the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck.

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Democracy is a country where politics is played 24×7. Politics has a lot of shock value and sound byte. The politicos never forget their political agenda. Their lexicon surrounds around vote-bank. There will be policy of scuttle. Petty bickering will now and then make the headlines. Few tyres will be punctured, and few chickens will be stolen. But, the leader must stand above all these. And amidst all these demo-crazy, he (used only for convenience) must be the pillar of wisdom, order and peace.

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“Bhutan must move with the time to ensure that the nation not only overcomes all internal and external threats, but continues to prosper in an atmosphere of peace and stability.” These were the words of Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck on November 30, 2001, during the launching ceremony of the drafting of the Constitution.

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His Majesty is one of those conscientious leaders who believes that service to the people comes before everything else. He regularly traveled to each of the Kingdom’s 20 districts, meeting with both people and their representatives, in order to discuss development priorities and needs.

Over the last quarter of the century Bhutanese society has come to depend greatly on His Majesty’s immense leadership abilities. Interestingly, he has always steered the country toward the system of governance that is not dependent on a single individual, saying that such dependence is “the main drawback of a monarchy.”

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