Bhutan crowns a new king
BHUTAN - The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan crowned its new
king Thursday, placing a charismatic Oxford-educated bachelor as head of
state of the world’s youngest democracy.
With the rest of the world gripped by the historic US election win
for Barack Obama, all eyes in Bhutan were on 28-year-old Jigme Khesar
Namgyel Wangchuck, now the world’s youngest reigning monarch.
In an ancient Buddhist ritual in the white-walled palace overlooking
the picturesque Thimphu valley, Wangchuck was handed Bhutan’s Raven
Crown by his father who stepped aside two years ago to make way for a
new face.
“It’s a wonderful day, there is no cloud in the sky. The gods are
here. It will be remembered as an event which unifies the Bhutanese
people,” Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley told reporters. The country
immediately went into three days and nights of festivities, and the king
stood patiently for hours greeting his thousands of his subjects one by
one to hand out coins at a packed stadium near the palace.
Even the country’s mobile telephone network was shut down to mark the
occasion.
The revered former king, who is 52, abdicated two years ago as part
of his plan to reform and modernise the staunchly traditional and
insular nation of just over 600,000 people by ending absolute royal
rule.
Bhutan, wedged between India and China and never colonised, has
witnessed sweeping changes this year — having held its first democratic
elections for a new parliament and prime minister in March. Since the
former king’s abdication, the century-old Wangchuck dynasty has been
waiting for astrologers to give the go-ahead for the coronation.
The palace was packed with hundreds of local and foreign dignitaries,
including Indian President Pratibha Patil, ruling party leader Sonia
Gandhi and Bollywood stars. It was also surrounded by lines of jubilant
locals dressed in their national costumes.
The new king has pledged to maintain his father’s unique philosophy
of improving “Gross National Happiness,” and not common economic
indicators, to ensure well-being in the “Land of the Thunder Dragon.”
THIMPHU, Friday, AFP |
