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People of Punakha raise concerns about democratization process |
October 02: With only a few months left for the 2008 parliamentary election, there are concerns that people in rural areas are not fully aware of the democratization process and their own role and responsibilities.
As Bhutan heads for parliamentary democracy, educating Bhutanese voters on the election process has emerged as one of the major challenges.
The Election Commission and other concerned authorities have taken various initiatives to prepare the nation for the first parliamentary election.
However there are still people who are not aware of the democratization process.
78-year-old Angay Kuenza, a resident of the Shenga Bjeme Gewog in Punakha is one of them. For her voting is all about pressing one of the buttons on the electronic voting machine. In the mock election, somebody had to hold her finger and place it on one of the buttons.
Unlike Angay Kuenza, for most Bhutanese figuring out which button to press should not be a problem. But many are still struggling to understand the nuances of politics.
Some are grappling with the names of the parties preferring to call them Lyonpo Sangay’s party and five ministers’ party.
A lot of people appear to have understood the political developments at least enough to exercise their rights judiciously.
But they have their own apprehensions. There are also people who have fully understood the democratization process.
Amidst reports that politics is getting dirty and party workers are using coercion and bribes, concerns are also being raised as to whether the people understand the full value of their vote? Or will they be willing to sell it to the highest bidder? The answer will be known only in March when the Bhutanese go to the polls. |
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