On August 6, 2007, the People’s democratic party became the first registered political party in Bhutan after formally submitting its application for registration.

It also began its politicking much earlier but secured only two seats in the National Assembly in the March 2008 elections.

Right after the results were declared, the two winning candidates, Tshering Tobgay from Haa, and Damchoe Dorji from Gasa, submitted a notice to the election commission declaring their intent to withdraw. But following “stiff opposition from the fellow party candidates”, they stayed on to play the opposition role.

In the past four years, the two opposition members were the only visible trace left of the party. Is the party still alive?

Party’s state:

While admitting the party had not been very active, opposition leader Tshering Tobgay said PDP is very much around and preparing for the next elections.

“We have a party structure in place, the executive committee met as and when required and we have had a couple of conventions in the past,” he said.

He said the focus of the party, in the past four years, had been to fulfill the responsibility as the opposition.

“In my view, political parties are essential for our democracy but our democracy, as defined by the Constitution, purposely limits the scope and role of political parties between elections,” he said.

With slightly over a year left he said it was time to gradually prepare for the 2013 elections.

With the party’s 2012 membership drive started, they are in the process of renewing membership and reestablishing links with party workers, supporters and past candidates. “This will give us good idea of current level of support,” he said. “The initial response is very good from all these three groups.”

Party president:

“Many of us are still hopeful he’ll return,” the opposition leader, said referring to the former party president, Sangay Ngedup, who stepped down “on moral grounds” after the party’s defeat in the first parliamentary elections.

Despite people from all walks of life approaching the former president to run and assume leadership of the party he has, so far, refused.

“He has refused saying the party must evolve and that new leaders and new ideas would be better able to serve Bhutan and the Bhutanese people in the current context,” Tshering Tobgay said.

Meanwhile the party is also looking for other people who may be interested in leading the party. Asked whether he might assume the role, Tshering Tobgay said that would be the last option. “I’ll try my best to fulfill my role as interim president until such time we have a much more qualified and able president,” he said.

Party candidates

Although the party is in the process of re-establishing contacts with past candidates a few have already moved on to join various private and corporate firms, while others have branched out to form a new party.

Dr Tandi Dorji, the party’s former candidate from Punakha who is forming a new party, said it was in the interest of democracy, the need for more than two parties that he decided to move on.

“If several parties had emerged, I would have remained with PDP,” he said, adding, it would have been different if the party president had remained.

Dr Pema Choephyel from Kengkhar constituency in Mongar, said he resigned right after the election realising he was not “cut out for politics”. “I gave it a try and it didn’t work so I decided to consider other options,” he said.

“I enjoy what I am doing now,” Tenzin Lekphel, who represented Shongphu constituency in Trashigang and now runs a management firm, said. “However, I want to see PDP be a part of the democratic process,” he said.

There are also those who aren’t budging from the party.

Ngeema Sangay, PDP’s Lhamoizingkha candidate, said he was still with the party and would remain so. “I resigned from the civil service to take up politics as a career,” he said, adding, during the non-election period, he had been doing a bit of party work and his own consultancy business.

“We are a registered party and there is no question of us not returning,” he said.

The opposition leader said many others have also given positive signal.

“Our ex-candidates get the first priority,” he said. “They are the ones who came forward the first time around and they are the ones who took the blow.”

Party finance:

With the party still owing almost Nu 20M to different individuals and companies and with the election commission’s June 30 deadline looming, Tshering Tobgay said the party was in deep trouble.

He said the expenses were incurred in 2007 and 2008 to conduct ‘familiarisation tour’ that the commission had required.

“Nowhere it says you have to do it but the commission said to do it and we did it,” he said. “I am hopeful that election commission would look into it and consider ways of reimbursing those expenses.”

If the loan is cleared, this time around, opposition leader said they would not need to spend any more money than they can earn through membership contributions.

In keeping the party machinery alive in the last four years, through head office in Thimphu and a few others in the dzongkhags, the party had relied mostly on volunteers.

Possibility of forming a new party?

“People have told me that with the PDP baggage, the ‘image liabilities’ and the loan, it was better to start from the scratch,” Tshering Tobgay said. “But this is not an option.”

He said there was no grain of truth in the rumour that he was forming and leading a new party. “My loyalties in terms of politics are with PDP and PDP alone,” he said.

As the interim president, he said, he understood and accepted the urgency of reviving the party for many reasons.

“Not least of which is the fact that 33 percent of the population had voted for PDP in the last election,” he said. “Minimum amount of loyalty that we owe them is to keep the party alive. I will not abandon the ship.”

By Kesang Dema