A royal twist
Posted by barunroy on April 1, 2008
With his involvement and interest in many socio-political affairs, the fifth royal monarch of Bhutan has an interesting background. Swaati Chaudhury takes a peek into his past
A new dawn of democracy has risen in the Land of the Thunder Dragon with the Fifth King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the eldest son of the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. A peek into the early life of the Fifth King reveals that he had an impressive academic track record.
With a short stint in early schooling in Bhutan, the Fifth King began his tryst with higher studies and graduated from Cushing Academy and Wheaton College in the United States. He took to Foreign Service Programme from Magdalen College at Oxford University and earned an M Phil degree in politics. To hone his defence and administrative skills, the new king also joined the National Defence College, New Delhi and US-based Kennedy School of Governance.
Bred in an ambience of traditional Bhutanese environment, he attended the royal court of his father. With an immense exposure to the regal traditions, culture of the land and the realities of the country tucked under his belt, today the Fifth King is a confident national figure who has taken over the monarch as the Fifth Druk Gyalpo of the Himalayan kingdom. The coronation ceremony will be held next year. The Fifth King has been the recipient of an honorary degree of Doctor of Law from the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton in Canada. In addition to this, Bangkok’s Rangsit University has awarded him an honorary doctorate degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics that reveals his significant contributions in the verticals of leadership, wisdom and developmental strategies for upgrading the quality of lives of citizens.
The Fifth King received hand-on experience in state administration and often toured along with his father to special meets and development plan meetings. At the age of 17, he became the Crown Prince of Bhutan. He also had the privilege to represent his country at the 27th UN General Assembly held on 8 May 2002 in which he addressed the leaders of 190 member countries during the UN special session for the kids. It was one of the most prominent global conferences organised to create a suitable world for the kids. Politics runs in the family of the Fifth King who was installed as the Trongsa Penelop on 21 October 2004. He also presided over public meets on the draft Constitution.
A great sportsman, the Fifth King often enjoyed participating in archery and basketball tournaments with the students. He had an opportunity to serve as the Chef Patron in the Scouts Association of Bhutan and developed sound relations with the youth of the country that made him to develop an insight into their current social problems. Today the Fifth King holds eminent positions like the Chancellor of the Royal University of Bhutan. The king has expressed concern on the conditions of social victims including school dropouts and drug abuse. He worked relentlessly to set up the premier Juvenile Rehabilitation Complex at Tsimalakha, Bhutan in 1999.
After taking over the responsibility from his father, the Fifth King has developed a prominent role in public leadership. The king addressed the nation from the capital town on 17 December 2003 when the Fourth King had led the military operations to combat insurgency problem. The Fifth King insists, “We must pledge to fulfill the responsibilities that we have inherited and place the nation on the fast track of development.” The king has embarked upon a mission to keep peace and tranquillity in the country, protect its security, meet the vision of Gross National Happiness and consolidate the vibrant system of democracy.
He addressed the Graduates of 2007 saying that the greatest strength of the country has been its political stability and once a robust economy is developed, the country will have strong foundations of vibrant democracy in future.
