Whither Bhutan’s freedom of expression?
The two-day media dialogue in Thimphu on the freedom of expression and the media’s service to society this week added more depth to Bhutan’s continued discourse on the media’s role in the democratic polity. The dialogue brought together local media practitioners, public servants and a few media experts from outside. The discussion not only brought into focus the national issues and concerns regarding freedom of expression, but also an overview of international norms and best practices.
What strongly came out of the discussion was the view that the Bhutanese media enjoy a great deal of freedom to access information and exercise their right to use them in the forms of stories and opinion pieces. But this view came mostly from people outside the media.
Most media practitioners hold the view that freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution is limited by the government’s culture of secrecy consolidated by lack of right to information act and a provision of the royal civil service rules. While the constitution states that a Bhutanese citizen shall have “the right to freedom of speech, opinion and expression”, the draft Bhutan Civil Service Rules of 2012 says that “a civil servant shall not criticize or undermine policies, programmes and actions of the Royal Government in public and/or media.” This is what the media call gagging clause, which will lead to civil servants being gagged.
Right to information is another hotly debated issue that resurfaced in the discussion. While the constitution guarantees the citizens of Bhutan the right to information, we have failed to put in place a law that will outline how they can exercise this right. Any constitutional right not defined and made exercisable by relevant statutes remains like a politician’s lofty promise of development without specifying details.
The discussion also put in perspective responsibilities that come with the freedom of expression.
The discussion, which was put in broader perspectives by international and local experts, saw many differing views exchanged in an open and democratic environment. It is a sign of Bhutanese citizens learning to discuss issues of mutual interests without adding personal and political colour to them. The Bhutanese media certainly need more of such forums.
From Bhutan Observer