Status of Minorities in Bhutan
Bhutan is a multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-linguistic society. In the name of national integration, the government implemented various racial and discriminatory policies aimed at forceful homogenisation of multi-ethnic society. This ‘Drukpanization’ ( which it euphemistically calls Bhutanization) policy was designed to annihilate the culture, religion and language of Lhotshampas, Sharchhops and other minority, ethnic, religious and linguistic groups. Under this policy, all other ethnic and minority groups are required to assimilate their social and cultural identity as distinct ethnic groups with the society dominated by politically and economically dominant Ngalung or Drukpa ethnic group. The state could not evolve a modus vivendi. To the state ‘Bhutanese national identity’ meant the forceful assimilation of cultures. Forced national integration, through eviction, through depriving the Lhotshampas of their nationality, or through brutal intimidation and use of force have been the hallmark of state policy.
Without assimilation also political unity of population can be achieved. Examples abound as USA, Switzerland and Great Britain where the Scottish and Wales enjoy their cultural identity. The Government’s policies of national integration however, received stubborn resistance from the Lhotshampas, first, and now by the Sharchhop and other minority groups.
Buddhism has been used as a political tool by the state. Buddhism has been defined to suit the interests of the ruling community. Bhutanese polity is increasingly communalised by the ruling elite. Politics is practised on ethnic lines in Bhutan that the politics became the monopoly of the single ethnic group, the Ngalung. The rule of state becomes problematic when it seeks to represent one ethnic group in a multi-ethnic society. There was a constant feeling of insecurity among all the minorities against the ruling regime as a result of frequent changes in the laws, rules and policies and their interpretation by the government to suit the regime largely affecting the Lhotshampas, Sharchops and other minority groups.
Over-conscious of the global upsurge of the democratic movement and its import to Bhutan sooner or later, the government crafted a clever strategy to prevent the demand for democratic reforms. The dream of a new Drukpa Buddhist state thus responds to a over-reaction against modernisation and establishment of human rights and democracy – a threat to the absolute monarchy and feudal system. The ‘ethnic cleansing’ policy is a part of that strategy.
But, despite the democratic winds of change in the sub- continent such as emergence of Bangladesh as an independent nation or the ethnic conflicts having components of ‘self- determination’, ‘autonomy’, separatism’ and ‘independence’ in the neighbouring Indian states of Kashmir, Punjab, North- east and Sri Lanka, Bhutanese political institutions had no cause to worry as the Bhutanese people by and large remained politically indifferent to these developments.
The government, instead of taking lessons from these devastating events in the region and pursuing a realistic policy of integrating different nationalities in Bhutan, the government started working for the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Lhotshampas. This shows government’s lack of vision and immaturity of its statecraft and cultural intolerance. Bhutanese refugees are the victims of racial policy of their government, they are genuine citizens of Bhutan. The lack of political will on the part of Bhutan has created critical bottleneck on the repatriation of the refugees.
Without taking back the Bhutanese refugees, it will not be possible to achieve integration of the Bhutanese society. They must be repatriated with dignity and honour. Until the Bhutanese refugee problem is solved and human rights are guaranteed there can be no peace in Bhutan. Given the current situation, the repatriation of refugees seems not possible without effecting a change in existing laws. These laws declare a citizen anti -national if one is found to be in contact with any dissident against the government and are subjected to the confiscation of citizenship. The laws also say that voluntarily migrated citizens are not allowed to return to the country. Several thousand citizens have been intimidated to flee and asked to fill up voluntary migration forms under duress.
Today, the demands for establishment of human rights, end of racism and disparity, creation of participatory and political institutions, establishment of a secular political and social order, rule of law, balanced economic growth, repatriation of Bhutanese are the focal points around which the resolution of Bhutanese refugee and the political crisis revolves.
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