'India is not a controlling big brother': Bhutan PM Tshering Tobgay

Interview/ Tshering Tobgay, prime minister of Bhutan

Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay considers India a benevolent elder sibling as the “big brotherly attitude’’ is happily missing from bilateral ties. He thinks the relationship shared by the two countries has become a model of friendship not just for the region, but for the entire world. “India’s attitude is definitely not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow,” says Tobgay in an exclusive interview with THE WEEK.

The continuity of the strong historical, cultural and spiritual ties is on the threshold of transforming itself into a unique, modern-era global partnership with the development of the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) project on the border with Assam. “The GMC is the vision of the king and it will be a gateway of the world to India and through India to southeast Asia, benefiting the entire region’s development,” he says.

Tobgay, a cycling and fitness enthusiast, leads a carbon negative country where 70 per cent of the land is covered by forests. He is conscious about balancing development with the core values of the Himalayan kingdom. The GMC, he says, will be developed mindfully to make it what is being referred to by the Bhutanese people as the “silicon valley of the east”, where spiritual values and nature will form the bedrock of technological progress and development. Excerpts from the interview:

Q/ How would you describe bilateral ties between India and Bhutan? What are the key challenges facing the partnership?

A/ I wouldn’t call it bilateral ties. This is a long and deep friendship with India that began thousands of years ago, from the time the Buddha was born, imparted his teachings and gained enlightenment. We received teachings through India. Many of the foremost teachers in Bhutan came from India those days, and many of our foremost teachers went to India to study. We share strong historical and cultural ties with India. After India’s independence, we enjoyed friendship and it has been growing over the years. In Bhutan’s case, the principal drivers of this friendship have been our kings. They have placed our friendship with India as a cornerstone of our policy. And with each successive enlightened monarch, we have enjoyed a deeper and more meaningful friendship with India. Today, our friendship with India is a role model of friendship, not just in the region, but also a leading example of neighbourly friendship in the world.

Like any friendship and family, every now and then, there will be small issues, but nothing that cannot be resolved. Because when we know that we are genuine friends, enjoy the trust and confidence of each other, have a proven track record of friendship and when the future looks very good, we don’t have any major challenges.

Q/ Which are the priority sectors of bilateral cooperation under the 13th five-year plan?

A/ The 13th five-year plan was rolled out in July and a large part of the plan has been possible because of the goodwill, friendship and financial assistance of the government and the people of India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an assistance package of Rs8,500 crore for the plan and this is going to benefit a wide range of areas like infrastructure, health care, schools, education and communication. But our economy is small. Even though it is sustainable, it is small and we still have not fully recovered from the impact of the pandemic, and, therefore, we need to stimulate it. Again, Prime Minister Modi and the government of India have been very kind in offering an economic stimulus of Rs1,500 crore. This is an immediate assistance package which has already started arriving to stimulate our economy. So these are the two major areas where we are receiving a lot of support from India. We have a lot to do together. A key area of partnership is the hydropower sector which has been the cornerstone of our cooperation. We also see accelerated partnership and cooperation in other areas like cultural ties. There are a lot of exchanges on the cultural front and scholarships for training in higher education.

The GMC is being developed by the king as a special administrative region along our border with India. Here, too, Prime Minister Modi and the Indian government are rendering the fullest support, cooperation and assistance to develop it not just for Bhutan’s future, but for the future of the region. Beyond all these, my principal focus is going to be people-to-people exchanges because nurturing this friendship is very important for Bhutan and for India.

Q/ This year began with the visit of the Indian foreign secretary to Bhutan after you formed the government in January. Incumbent foreign secretary Vikram Misri’s first foreign visit was to Bhutan in July. Can you share some details about the key areas of focus?

A/ During the January visit of foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra, we discussed the 13th five-year plan and the economic stimulus programme, hydropower exchanges and support for the GMC. Then we met him again in Delhi during my first official visit to India and then again during Prime Minister Modi’s swearing in ceremony. Foreign secretary Vikram Misri took charge on July 15, and he came here three days later, and we continued the discussions which have been very fruitful. India and Bhutan have had exchanges at the highest levels, whether it is the king visiting India or the president of India or Prime Minister Modi visiting Bhutan. I have had the good fortune of visiting India thrice. These exchanges and visits get a lot of work done. Ultimately, it is meant to nurture our friendship and to talk of the future.

The king has announced that the GMC would be an international city, an economic corridor connecting south Asia with southeast Asia through India’s northeast. This is a special administrative region that is going to have independence in terms of government, law-making and judiciary. This is the first of its kind special administrative region in the world. The others are economic zones. The special administrative regions that have existed so far are legacies of colonialism. Ours is deliberate and different and it is going to be useful for Bhutan. It is designed for Bhutan, for our future. Many of our youth are going to get jobs in the mindfulness city. This is going to carry forward the ideals and values of gross national happiness that we cherish. It is going to contribute exceedingly to the economic growth of the entire country. But it is not just for Bhutan. It is also going to benefit Assam, and all of India. We see it as an economic gateway for the world to India and through India to southeast Asia.

Q/ How are you addressing environmental concerns while developing a world class city?

A/ Bhutan is a carbon negative country. We sequester many times more carbon than we emit. And one of the reasons is that we have more than 70 per cent of our country under forest cover. And in the GMC, which is 2,600 square kilometres, we have two of our old forests there. They have biodiversity hotspots, but they are also able to sequester huge amounts of carbon. Therefore, the entire city area, through mindfulness, will not just be sustainable, but is going to be carbon negative.

Q/ When we talk of people-to-people contact, do the Bhutanese people look at India as a big brother with an overbearing attitude sometimes?

A/ Well, yes and no. I see India as a big brother. India is a huge country with 140 crore people and a huge economy. We are only seven lakh people so there’s no denying that geographically, economically and demographically, India is far, far bigger than Bhutan. And because we are like a family, India is a big brother. So in that context, it is true.

But I would also say no, because you asked whether India has a big brother attitude. My answer to that is no because India’s attitude is not of a big brother who is controlling and does not allow the little brother to blossom and grow. India is an elder brother who has helped us and continues to help us.

Q/ You have interacted closely with Prime Minister Modi. What are your impressions of the prime minister?

A/ I consider him my big brother, my elder brother. I have always thought of him as my friend, my mentor, but most important, my elder brother. He is very kind and the reason I consider him a mentor is because he is one of the world’s greatest leaders. He is the leader of 1.4 billion Indians, taking them forward. And it is not just 1.4 billion people and not just India, but also the neighbourhood. And when I say neighbourhood, I am not just talking of Bhutan, but the entire Global South and beyond it. The reason is simple. Prime Minister Modi is trying to get order into the world. Therefore, he is a global leader, one that the world has not seen too many of, so I admire him. I am a fan.

Q/ It was Bhutan that coined the term gross national happiness. How do you assess your country’s happiness quotient at the moment?

A/ His majesty the fourth king coined the word ‘gross national happiness’ and it has done very well. The term emphasises the happiness and the well being of our people. It tries to balance economic growth, which is essential, with sustainability, social progress, cultural preservation, environmental protection and good governance. The technical part is that it is measured. There are nine domains of gross national happiness―health, education, living standards, ecological diversity and resilience, good governance, psychological well-being, time use, community vitality and cultural diversity. These are the conditions not just for happiness, but gross national happiness and we measure how we are performing across four pillars, nine domains and 33 indicators. We have been doing this every five years and the trend is encouraging. It shows that in terms of gross national happiness, we are improving year on year. We are also improving in terms of subjective happiness.

Q/ You have said that security is important to become happy. How happy are you about Bhutan’s security?

A/ Security is important at two levels. For individual happiness or subjective happiness, the foundation has to be security. If you don’t have security, you would be living a life of anxiety and uncertainty. So you have got to have security, whether it’s personal security, security of family, home, job, good health and so on. You have to enjoy security to be happy.

National security is important as well and in that context, I agree that we have a lot to do. We have got to improve it over a period of time. But right now, our immediate neighbourhood is secure. Our borders are secure. We have friendly relations with other countries. There is law and order within the country and there is no reason for insecurity among our people. So yes, our security is good. Do we need to do more? Yes, we must always have our eye on the ball.

Q/ Global warming is affecting the Himalayan region. As a Buddhist and as prime minister, how concerned are you about climate change and the melting glaciers?

A/ I am very worried. Our planet has existed in a certain way for millennia upon millennia, and now, within a few decades, if you are going to change it, it is going to upset that balance. It has taken thousands of years to achieve a certain balance, and we human beings are upsetting this balance in a few decades. So I am concerned. Glaciers have existed in the Himalayas for thousands of years. Suddenly, when we see the glaciers melt in front of our eyes, I am very concerned.

Now project this danger into the future and you realise that whether it is global warming or the interrelated melting of our glaciers, it is going to wreak havoc in the Himalayan region. And when the Himalayan region suffers, the people downstream suffer. The Himalayan rivers feed most of India. Unless we do a course correction now, we can already see the suffering our people can undergo in future. Unfortunately, the course correction cannot be done in isolation. You cannot even do it regionally. Of course, we should have regional partners and partnerships. But it’s not enough. Global action is required, otherwise we all suffer together.

Q/ What has been your most significant achievement as prime minister in your first term?

A/ I was prime minister from 2013 to 2018, and then I got booted out and these are the wonders of democracy. But in those five years, I had this wonderful opportunity to serve my king, my country and my people. We were happy that we could undertake a lot of development work. More than that, I was very happy that we could stimulate the economy, which was suffering at that time. Also, I was very happy that I could further enhance the already strong relations with India during those five years. But most important, I was happy to be able to instil hope and ambition in our people.

Q/ How do you look at your growing up years?

A/ I am a simple man from a simple family. I don’t have any extraordinary stories to share. The good thing about my past is that I can relate to simple lives today. I can relate to people and their everyday problems and their aspirations.

Q/ You spoke of the impact of the pandemic. How do you plan to step up the economy of Bhutan and also promote tourism?

A/ The strategy is to stimulate our economy first. And the main way of doing that is the Rs1,500 crore economic stimulus programme financed by India. It is very generous of India and this will inject a lot of money into the economy, but, more important, instil hope and optimism among our people. So this is going to be the strategy by which we uplift our economy immediately. There is also a lot of infrastructure development going on with investments and a lot of opportunities in the entire ecosystem. We are also focusing on tourism and trying to get investment from outside. As I mentioned, the hydropower sector is getting a lot of boost. We have got to move away from subsistence to commercial agriculture so that our farmers have money in their hands.

Q/ Unemployment rate is a concern. There is also the threat of many young people leaving the country.

A/ The overall unemployment is 3.7 per cent, which is not that bad. But youth unemployment is 19-20 per cent, which is dangerous. This is partly the reason why many of our youth are migrating. As we are relatively well educated and can speak English, we get jobs anywhere in the world, especially in English speaking countries. They can acquire experience and knowledge and hopefully they will return to Bhutan. In Bhutan, we must ensure that the fundamentals of our economy are strengthened. We must ensure that economic growth is possible. We must ensure that economic opportunities are provided to those who are here. When those working abroad will see these opportunities, they will return and boost the economy further. They can also make better use of economic opportunities here by utilising their earnings, but more important, they will be able to invest their knowledge, skills and experience which they have acquired when they were abroad.

Q/ How do you look at Bhutan’s democratic transition? The recent elections were described by the world media as a “bright spot in south Asia”.

A/ The fact that our people have blessed us and we won the election, it is not just a bright spot, it is a shining example. Because democracies are usually either the result of civil strife, revolution or is imposed by colonial powers. They fight, there is bloodshed and then they earn democracy. Bhutan is a shining example in that sense because none of these things happened here. In fact, our kings imposed democracy on us. Our democracy was very carefully designed to suit our own purposes while being absolutely true and faithful to democratic ideals, values and principles. So our democracy is uniquely structured for Bhutan yet recognisable as any other democracy in the world. The other reason why we are a shining example is that we have had four elections and they yielded four different governments. So our people understand their responsibilities.