NationStates Jolt Archive

Iowa? Obama? Huckabee? New Hampshire?

I invite you to leave these trivialities behind and focus on the far more important upper house elections in Bhutan (http://news.google.co.uk/news?hl=en&q=bhutan+elections&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=news_result&resnum=11&ct=title).

What are your opinions on the winners of the individual Dzongkhags?

Tshewang Jurmin (Bumthang Dzongkhag)
Tshewang Lhamu (Chhukha)
Sonam Dorji (Dagana)
Naichu (Mongar)
Ugyen Tshering (Paro)
Jigme Rinzin (Pemagatshel)
Namgay Penjor (Punakha)
Jigme Wangchuk (Samdrup Jongkhar )
M K Rai (Samtse)
Karma Donnen (Sarpang)
Sonam Kinga (Trashigang )
Jagar Dorji (Trongsa)
Justin Gurung (Tshirang)
Sonam Yangchen (Wangduephodrang)
Pema Lhamo (Zhemgang)

Which political party did best? The People's Democratic Party (headed by the former agriculture minister Sangay Ngedup), or the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa?

And what about the disqualification of the Bhutan People United Party (BPUP) by the electoral commission on the grounds that 'the BPUP lacks both maturity and the appropriate mix and strength in terms of its membership since more than 80 per cent of the members are school dropouts, or have no credible academic qualifications'.


It's time that NSG focused on something significant for a change!



The alert may suspect a teensy bit of mock hyperbole; no disrespect to any Bhutanese readers intended

I have no idea who any of them are, or what they stand for. I like Karma Donnen's name, so I'm going to go with him/her.

Jigme Wangchuk

Hehe. Funny name. :)

Hehe. Funny name. :)

How did I miss that one?? :eek:

I can tell you what's going to happen: they will vote whoever the King recommends they vote for. And if the King declines to make recommendations (as he may well do), they'll be confused and it'll look a lot like a bunch of toy robots walking about in a small box.

Iowa? Obama? Huckabee? New Hampshire?[/SIZE]

Hey watch it, I live in New Hampshire! No wait....we don't matter, this state does sucks.

Was it not Bhutan that decided a while back that they'd measure the success of their country using 'Gross National Happiness' instead of GDP and other markers? I always kind of liked that concept :D

I hope they become a constitutional monarchy soon, although I believe there is a constitutional change underway. It would also be cool if they could do this without losing the better aspects of their culture and their beautiful environment.

Was it not Bhutan that decided a while back that they'd measure the success of their country using 'Gross National Happiness' instead of GDP and other markers? I always kind of liked that concept

In a response to critiques that their economic development was to slow the king said that gross national happiness was more important than GDP.

In a response to critiques that their economic development was to slow the king said that gross national happiness was more important than GDP.
Does anyone know how the hell they measure that?

It's an interesting country and situation - I can't think of many examples of absolute monarchs suddenly deciding to surrender power to a relatively democratic constitutional government. Perhaps the Bhutanese monarchy is looking and learning the lessons from Nepal.

Does anyone know how the hell they measure that?

I don't think he literally meant what he said, he probably meant that high GDP doesn't lead to high happiness. I think it would be better for Bhutan to not industrialize to fast, if at all.

i wish i knew. i've been watching nepal, not THAT closely, but since a number of years before ganandra's coup under soap opera but less then whole story circumstances because that country's potential has always fascinated me.

bhutan i've mostly noticed in the nepali refugee context and the chinese mushroom gaterers. so this comes as total but intreguiging news. perhaps background links, i mean beyond the bear essencials of the cia fact book and so on, might be of some intrest?

or even the basics i suppose, as i'm sure even those are somewhat less then universally known.

=^^=
.../\...

I hope they become a constitutional monarchy soon, although I believe there is a constitutional change underway. It would also be cool if they could do this without losing the better aspects of their culture and their beautiful environment.
Something they are still keen on, I think. Their draft new constitution has various safeguards to protect traditional Bhutanese Tibetan culture and their environment.

Something they are still keen on, I think. Their draft new constitution has various safeguards to protect traditional Bhutanese Tibetan culture and their environment.

Good, I want it to still exist once I have enough money to visit :p.It really seems a very beautiful place.

Good, I want it to still exist once I have enough money to visit :p.It really seems a very beautiful place.
It's really hard to get into, but if you can, I envy you.:D

It's really hard to get into, but if you can, I envy you.:D

It seems to expensive, so I guess it won't be possible to go there. I don't know if it's true that there are only a certain number of people allowed in the country each year, but that could be another obstacle. :(

I don't think he literally meant what he said, he probably meant that high GDP doesn't lead to high happiness. I think it would be better for Bhutan to not industrialize to fast, if at all.
You can think that, but any ideas about Gross National Happiness are not going to help any arguments if they're not properly measured.

A good little discussion of measurements like this, by the way: http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2007/12/the_uns_human_d.html

You can think that, but any ideas about Gross National Happiness are not going to help any arguments if they're not properly measured.

A good little discussion of measurements like this, by the way: http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2007/12/the_uns_human_d.html

Who said they can't be measured? You could hold a petition and just ask the Bhutanese how happy they are. Or have psychologists and sociologists make up a larger questionnaire in which the happiness about several components of life (for instance: work, schooling, religion, relationships, etc.) are questioned.

Gosh. I didn't really expect this thread to get any traction at all.

Anyway, addressing some of the points raised in previous posts...

I can tell you what's going to happen: they will vote whoever the King recommends they vote for. And if the King declines to make recommendations (as he may well do), they'll be confused and it'll look a lot like a bunch of toy robots walking about in a small box.

While it's true that the 'pro-king' party won the previous mock election held to introduce citizens of Bhutan to the concept of democracy, I think you're being a little unfair here as the King who instituted the reforms promptly abdicated in favour of his son. King Jigme Wangchuk (the one who instituted the reforms; have no idea if he's the same Jigme Wangchuk just elected to the upper house) does seem to be an atypical absolute monarch. He shocked his people by forcing them to hold democratic elections against their apparent preferences as expressed in (possibly flawed) opinion polls, instituted a constitutional reform that allowed the new elected legislature to remove the king on a two thirds vote, and then abdicated in favour of his son. While conceding that it's entirely possible that he'll continue to wield considerable influence on the political scene despite his abdication, these aren't the sort of actions most of us usually associate with absolutism.

It seems to expensive, so I guess it won't be possible to go there. I don't know if it's true that there are only a certain number of people allowed in the country each year, but that could be another obstacle.

There are no longer any annual limits on the number of people allowed into Bhutan. The number of visitors is, however, naturally limited by the expense of getting there. With the exception of Indian citizens and some technical, diplomatic, and aid workers, who are allowed to cross the land border with India, everyone has to fly on Druk Air to Paro. Druk Air has only two routes: Delhi - Kathmandu - Paro, and Bangkok - Calcutta (or is it Dhaka? I've temporarily forgotten) - Paro. Once in the country, all tourists have to pay a flat rate, which I believe is currently USD200 a day; this does, however, cover all hotels, food, and the obligatory travel guide. Tourism is also privatised, with several competing companies offering to guide individuals and groups (though competition is controlled by the unvarying flat rate paid by tourists).


You can think that, but any ideas about Gross National Happiness are not going to help any arguments if they're not properly measured.

You're quite correct in thinking that there is no accepted quantitative measure of GNH; measures are purely qualitative. This hasn't stopped people holding academic conferences on the issue. See this link (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/04/science/04happ.html?_r=1&ex=1129089600&en=de859301f49c121d&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin)and this link (http://suse-ice.stanford.edu/monographs/Ezechieli.pdf)for more details.

Far more important my arse.

"Small, isolationist, dirt-poor nation has election"

Whoop-dee-fucking-do.

Far more important my arse.

"Small, isolationist, dirt-poor nation has election"

Whoop-dee-fucking-do.



Perhaps you missed this at the bottom of the OP:

The alert may suspect a teensy bit of mock hyperbole



'Alert' clearly doesn't include you. Congratulations; you must feel very proud.

Perhaps you missed this at the bottom of the OP:

'Alert' clearly doesn't include you. Congratulations; you must feel very proud.
*sighs*

Sorry.