The Bolero Politics

In early March 2017, the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB) announced that February-May 2018 (presumably for national council) and August-October 2018 (national assembly election) be kept event-free, religious or otherwise, to enable smooth 2018 elections. Everyone knows 2018 is an election year in Bhutan. The ECB announcement gives clear time-slot for national politics. The local government elections at gewog (gewog is the village level local government organisation with “Gup” as its elected head) level were over in 2016. So gear-up for national election with Azha (Uncle) Gup as pivot. Or is it?

Few weeks prior to the ECB announcement and on the first day of the ninth local government chairpersons’ conference (LGCC), the Government distributed one Bolero each to country’s 205 gewogs with much fanfare and grand announcements of fulfilling one of its biggest political promises, strengthening  gewog centres and empowering local government at grassroots level. The theme of LGCC read: Towards Greater Decentralisation and Participatory Governance. Even Anand Mahindra could not have helped but chuckled to note Boleros being piggy-backed to anticipated political pivots of 2018 inundated by military-precision display of vehicles for the occasion. The prerogative of the ruling party, understandable to an extent.

Even Nu 142.62 million Government of India (GOI) fund for 205 Boleros and annual allocation of Nu 60,000 per gewog for running and maintenance are understandable. What I cannot understand is 205 Boleros being treated as political capital by ruling as well as other political parties, with conviction that the country will be on standstill for more than a year. The voters' trust and their mandate are political assets. Politics is not an one-act show. It is an intense 24x7 occupation. So what I cannot understand is perceived accumulation of people’s trust and their mandate through distribution of new Boleros. Will it enhance credibility, reliability and policy consistency? I would have given my crooked smile on the ruling action had I been in a party seeking mandate. I am nowhere but for strong and progressive candidates.

In my view voters’ trust and mandate will be pinned mostly to how those Boleros are utilized in coming months (knowing fully well how sensitive pool vehicles are everywhere, not only in Bhutan, in terms of their use/misuse) than whether or not Boleros have been distributed to gewog centres. Before the election, voters normally are on fault-finding mode. I can give you blind assurance that finding hundred-and-one lapses before the election on procurement and utilization of Boleros will be as easy as apple pie (should I say political pie?). I do not feel comfortable to go so early into the details of how many of those Boleros have been driven through workshops. So what is the problem of the political parties eyeing the “chairs”, oops looking forward to serve the nation (on the wrap)?   

And I do not believe voters’ mind will be stretched to policy issues, not even of so called educated ones, considering the policy inconsistencies leading to more like paralysis. So what is wrong if import of Nissan Leafs were justified on reduction in fuel import and Boleros on strengthening the gewog centres contradicting earlier import policy implication including reduction in fuel import, improving balance of payment and reducing debt-to-GPD ratio? Do we have policies on fuel import, vehicle standardisation and import, and/or necessary back-up support services? If it is there, the implementation obviously is forgotten. So policy changes depending on whom and for what to appease is like a prerogative that cannot be given up easily. Even the voters of politically mature countries sometimes have difficulty correlating policy inconsistencies.

Why would the voters be bothered if the concerned authorities followed proper procurement procedures or not, as long as they do not sense some kind of political patronage, and can take a Bolero ride, transport their goods and/or benefit directly/indirectly? There are, after all, agencies to look into procurement issues. The agencies will only need to understand well that procurement is the process of acquiring goods, services or works in most economic and efficient manner from an external source to meet the needs of the procuring agency in terms of quality and quantity, time, and location. I have my doubt.

The voters will not be even concerned with if their gewog centres will have Boleros in coming years. “We can always request GOI” will more be attuned to their minds than program sustainability on our own. I think Bolero sustainability from voters’ perspective is a non-issue. They will think it more in terms of a ‘headache' of the next government.

In politics headache of one is help for the other, and capital of today is liability tomorrow. If political parties do not have maturity to understand these flip-flops, what fault is of voters! Voters will vote anyway. 

So do not vote with a notion of which party should form next government. Vote for Best Candidate!