Word: bhutan
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...members of his own party?Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appealed over the heads of the naysayers to the public, and won a landslide election victory. The only trouble: sometimes, clear leadership engenders not too little trust, but too much of it. In the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the reformist King Jigme Singye Wangchuck is so popular that he is having trouble persuading his people to replace his own feudal monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. That's not the sort of popularity that is likely to give Jacques Chirac problems any time soon...
Jigme Singye Wangchuck is the man who would rather not be king. When he ascended the throne as Bhutan's absolute monarch in 1974, Wangchuck was the closest thing to God in his tiny, closed Himalayan kingdom of half a million people. His reign has been a benevolent one. Rather than oppose modernization only to be run over by it, the King championed various reforms, such as allowing in foreign tourists, television and the Internet, while limiting their impact in order to preserve the country's values and traditions. Mindful of some pernicious side effects of economic growth, he introduced...
...ultimate aim has long been to replace feudal monarchy with parliamentary democracy. But thanks to his judicious rule, the King's subjects are less than enthralled by the prospect of politics disturbing their peaceful lives. During a nationwide roadshow campaign at the end of last year to convince Bhutan of the merits of elected government, King Wangchuck was met by crowds imploring him to stay on. Wangchuck subsequently postponed his plans until 2008. It's nice to be trusted?up to a point...
...year--including by members of his own party--Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi appealed to the public over the heads of the naysayers and won a landslide election victory. Only trouble is, sometimes, clear leadership engenders not too little trust but too much. In the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the reformist King Jigme Singye Wangchuck is so popular that he is having trouble persuading his people to replace his feudal monarchy with a parliamentary democracy. That's not the sort of popularity that is likely to give Jacques Chirac problems anytime soon. [This article contains a table. Please...
...King Wangchuck, whose family has ruled since 1907, has been carefully moving Bhutan into the modern age, allowing in a limited number of tourists as well as television and the Internet?although the country's first traffic light, in the capital Thimpu, was deemed a step too far and the monarch had it removed. But for the first time, the King may not get his way: many Bhutanese seem unwilling to unseat him. "I look at all the problems the so-called democracies are facing and reckon I prefer the monarchy," said one young student at the meeting...