R B Basnet: A True Hero
The late refugee leader will be remembered for his fight for justice and democracy in Bhutan from exile till his last breathe
Man is mortal but his contribution to society and his commitment for the cause make him immortal. R B Basnet has been immortalized due to his unflinching commitment to democracy, human rights, justice and equality for him as well as his countrymen.
The dedication of Late Ran Bahadur Basnet for democracy and justice in Bhutan is much above appreciations in words. His decision to quit the high-profile government job to fight against injustice, inequality and suppression against his fellow people amply reflects his loyalty to the values he cherished throughout his life.
Born on June 21, 1948 in Damphu of Chirang (currently Tsirang) district in southern Bhutan, he joined the government service in 1972 soon after he completed his university studies from New Zealand. His early education was completed in Scottish Mission in Kalimpong, India. Thanks to his nature of hard work, sincerity and compliance with the law of the land, he rose to occupy the positions of Managing Director of the State Trading Corporation and director of the Druk government’s budget department, among others, in a short span of time.
He also served as Deputy Secretary of the National Planning Commission, Director of the Department of Revenue and Customs and Director of Department of Posts, Telegraph and Wireless. He was one of the architects behind the fifth and sixth five-year plans of that Himalayan kingdom.
Death of Basnet, last fortnight (on August 18), is an immeasurable loss to democratic struggle of Bhutan. “His absence will be severely felt (by the entire movement),” said President of Druk National Congress (DNC) Rongthong Kuenley Dorji.
Leaders in exile recall the bygone days during which Basnet ably led the struggle through peaceful ways with clear conscience. “He was steadfast in his principles and advised me to always remain committed towards the peaceful movement,” Dorji recalls. Basnet is deeply appreciated for the cause he espoused while committing himself to non-violence as the best means to change societies.
As a senior bureaucrat, he was close to former Bhutanese King Jigme Singye Wangchuck and was contemporary to President of Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) Jigme Y. Thinley, spokesperson of the DPT Khandu Wangchuk and president of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Sangye Ngedup.
During the tension in 1990 after Tek Nath Rizal submitted a petition to the King asking revision of the census in southern Bhutan designed to evict Lhotsampas, Basnet opted the path to reconciliation. However, his efforts in collaboration with people like B. P. Bhandari and Om Pradhan, failed to yield any fruits. Both Bhandari and Pradhan later sided with the royal regime to suppress southern Bhutanese over the years. His reconciliation efforts were dubbed as his ” plots of terrorism” and he was forced to leave the country.
“The Bhutanese people will always remember him as true son of Bhutan who made great sacrifices for a noble cause,” said S. K. Pradhan, a Bhutanese refugee and human rights leader.
“When I was working as a radio journalist in Bhutan during the time of the regime’s absurd approach to form unity through hatred, I came to understand from their expression that they could not find any evidence of Basnet’s misgivings to tarnish him negatively. Such was his quality of administration that eventually made him as a proponents of (Bhutanese) democracy movement,” recalled Nanda Gautam, who worked with the state-run Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) for years.
“As founding president of Bhutan National Democratic Party (BNDP) he had been working tirelessly for amicable, peaceful resolution of Bhutan’s political problems and the Bhutanese refugee problem since the establishment of the party on February 7, 1992,” said his colleague and Secretary of the BNDP Dr DNS Dhakal.
Though it might take sometime to fill the vacuum left behind by his untimely demise in the party and in the Bhutanese refugee community, BNDP has pledged to work tirelessly to fulfill his dream as reflected in the founding policy statements of the party.
Refugee leaders recall the admiration that Basnet received from his colleagues in the civil service and King Jigme Singye Wangchuk himself while in the government service. He was close to people from Ngalong and Sarchop communities as well as with the Lhotsampas.
“Late Basnet was perhaps the most important and beloved leader of the Bhutanese people and his loss is a huge blow to the democracy loving people of Bhutan . His mission will remain unfulfilled until human rights and democracy take root in Bhutan and the Bhutanese people of Nepali ethnicity are able to return to their homeland with dignity and honour,” said Narayan Kattel, a Bhutanese refugee leader. “For his great contributions, he will, no doubt, be considered a national hero as future generations will get to fully appreciate his sacrifice for our democracy, social well being, individual liberty and happiness,” he added.
Basnet breathed his last on August 18 in Bir Hospital, Kathmandu while undergoing treatment for liver and urine related ailments. Peace and Reconstruction Minister Ram Chandra Poudel, Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, vice president of Nepali Congress Shushil Koirala, NC leaders Mahesh Acharya, Chakra Prasad Bastola and others paid their tribute to the late leader. Basnet was cremated at the banks of Mai River in Jhapa the following day.
Very few people may be able to fight for the cause as Basnet did. Yet his legacy among the Bhutanese people will continue to inspire thousands of young men and women to continue their fight for peace and democracy back home. Let his departed soul rest in peace.
Published in Nepalnews.com