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 Friday, 16 May 2008 |
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Golden Gong for Land of the Dzong |
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Written by Roderick Eime
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Tuesday, 17 May 2005 |
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 It's Official! King Jigme Singye Wangchuk and the
people of the remote Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan will receive the United
Nations' latest environmental award; the "Champion of the
Earth"
Often ignorantly looked upon, or overlooked, as an
irrelevant, backward political curiosity, Bhutan is now acknowledged as a world
leader in the field of environmental protection through political stoicism,
muting, at least temporarily, those who would criticise the absolute rule of the
Wangchuk Dynasty.
Recent global television coverage by renowned documentary
maker and former Monty Python, Michael Palin, piqued the world's
interest in Bhutan. Moved by the Kingdom?s scenic beauty, benevolent
ruler and deeply pious constitution, Palin was moved to declare:
"If the fabled Shangri-La exists beyond the legend, this is it."
 In
a curious twist, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
effectively validates the fable immortalised in James Hilton's 1933
best-seller, Lost Horizon, where westerners escaping strife-torn China
crash land in a mythical Himalayan kingdom.
That imaginary
kingdom, Shangri-La, was bound by a terse but highly effective
constitution put simply as; "be kind". A phrase so often echoed in the
teachings of Buddha.
The subsequent 1937 film of the same name opens with the tantalising notion:
"In
these days of wars and rumors of wars - - haven't you ever dreamed of a
place where there was peace and security, where living was not a
struggle but a lasting delight" - a phrase not altogether lost even today!
Bhutan
is not completely untouched by the realities and tribulations of the
21st Century, but often these political and diplomatic frictions had
their genesis in much earlier times. Bhutan only became a "state" in
its modern form in the early 17th Century when an exiled Tibetan monk,
Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel, began a dynasty that ruled for three hundred
years.
Consequently Bhutan has its very roots in the
foundations of Buddhism, a religion that backs up the 'peace and
goodwill' rhetoric of other faiths with action - and nowhere in
the Buddhist world, or the whole world perhaps, is this mantra more
evident than the supremely humble Kingdom of Bhutan.
Away
from the fanciful literary world, King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, the
National Assembly, the Council of Ministers and the good people of
Bhutan have worked harmoniously to produce an environmental policy and
national development plan that places the preservation of the
environment and wellbeing of the people above all else.
This policy is even represented by a unifying set of goals euphemistically entitled Maximisation of Gross National Happiness (MGNH)
- human development,
- the promotion and preservation of culture and heritage,
- balanced and equitable socio-economic development,
- good governance, and
- environmentally sustainable development.
Gentle
modernisation, a sustainable use of resources, eco-friendly power and
even the recent banning of tobacco sales speaks volumes for their
commitment. Nowhere will you see gaudy western architecture, tasteless
multinational advertising or thoughtless acts like littering, graffiti
or rudeness.
Bhutan's unique MGNH objective has even been
mimicked by envious western governments eager to emulate this laudable
policy. Australia's own Indigo Shire Council is one such body hoping to
bathe in Bhutan's karma.
To this effect, the UNEP's press statement read;
King Jigme Singye Wangchuk and the people of Bhutan
have been given the award for the Asia and the Pacific region in
recognition of their country's "commitment to placing the environment
at the centre of its constitution and all its development plans".
The
judges praised Bhutan's "excellent environmental track record, with
more than 74 per cent of its land under forest cover, and 26 per cent
of this cover designated as protected areas."
The
Kingdom's decision that development should be pursued in a sustainable
way is very much in line with the UN Millennium Development Goals. Also
notable are the country's legislation and policies that ensure the
sustainable use of resources, promote community involvement in
environmental activities, improve land use planning, and integrate
traditional with modern natural resource use practices.
Bhutan's
2 million inhabitants are mostly subsistence farmers and have a modest
lifestyle unburdened by the "polluting effects" of westernisation.
Internet use is extremely limited, there are only two radio stations,
no television, just two airports and less than 10,000 mobile phones. On
the flip side, the kingdom has lowest road fatality rate in the world
(0.08 per 100k of population and just 20,000 cars), virtually no
pollution, almost no crime and the only violence you'll see is maybe
one of the fierce Himalayan storms that give Bhutan is alternate name:
Land of the Thunder Dragon.
 Although
tourist numbers are rising, they are effectively limited by the number
of seats available on the only airline to service Bhutan, the national
carrier, Druk Air. Currently just 5,000 people visit annually and the
King actively seeks "upscale, environmentally conscientious visitors"
in sympathy with the country" cautious but gradually expanding contact
with the modern world beyond its borders.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 08 April 2007 )
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