Thimphu, Nov. 7: Bhutan’s transition to democracy is irreversible, but the country will be convinced of the success of the experiment only if its first elected government delivers, Prime Minister Jigme Yoser Thinley has told The Telegraph.

Thinley, the first Prime Minister of a democratic Bhutan, said he had formed a political party and joined the electoral process to prevent a one-party system from coming up. He called his task a “burden”, not a “victory”.

“I will do my best to fulfil the aspirations with which the people of this country elected us (his party Druk Phuensum Tshogpa),” Thinley said in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the nationwide celebrations.

Bhutan is celebrating 100 years of the monarchy and the anointment of the fifth Wangchuk king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel. The nation’s only other party is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Thinley said he was taken aback by the results of the elections to the National Assembly this April: his party won 45 of 47 seats in the lower House of the bicameral Parliament. The PDP won two.

“A lot of people have congratulated me on what they call a victory. I tell them I don’t need their felicitations; I need their sympathy. It is a burden to carry this huge responsibility.”

The 56-year-old Thinley, a career civil servant, joined the king’s bureaucracy in 1974. He has been secretary and then deputy minister for home affairs before becoming Prime Minister in the king’s government from 2003 to 2004.

His government faces the challenge of convincing people, through its performance, that the concept of democracy, ironically mooted by the monarchy itself, can work. “Because we are the first democratic government of Bhutan, people will not just be judging our performance, they will be judging democracy. We need to ensure that people do not fear our democracy will go the way of failed democracies that we have seen elsewhere, including in our own neighbourhood.”

The fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuk, and his newly anointed son have spoken to the people — a traditionally closed society content to follow the king — to help them overcome initial suspicions of what democracy may mean for them, Thinley said.

“People were suspicious that the democratic process would place power in the hands of a few. They could not understand how anyone could replace the king. But the kings have told the people that democracy will not replace them. They are only giving back to the people what the people gave them 100 years back — political power.”

By 2013, when his government completes its term, the Prime Minister wants to build a “democratic culture” across Bhutan, the world’s youngest democracy.

“Also, I want to strengthen democratic foundations. Democracy has this unique irony that the very people who place trust in you later turn against you, hurl accusations at you. I have accepted this irony. We are very clear…establishing democracy is more crucial than the fate of any party, even ours.”

Thinley said his country was on the verge of implementing the first mechanism to measure happiness. The concept of focusing on Gross National Happiness (GNH), rather than more conventional development indices, was introduced by fourth king Jigme Singye and is the nation’s single-most prominent stated objective.

But the index, which has long drawn amused smiles from economists and statisticians, will soon be a measurable quantity, he said.

“In December, we plan to launch nine indicators that measure various components of happiness. Extent of shelter, strength of relationships and the use of time among others will be measured. The final GNH will be calculated from these indicators. By the end of the tenth five-year plan (2008-13), I want to be able to tell the people of Bhutan how much happier we are,” Thinley said.

The Prime Minister thanked India for its assistance in the transition to democracy. The Election Commission of India had trained Bhutan’s newly born counterpart prior to the polls. Elected legislators have visited the Lok Sabha at the invitation of Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

“For the success of the transition, the tenth plan, which coincides with my government’s tenure, needs to be successful. For that, we need resources. And India has been more than generous in that regard.”

India has promised Rs 3,400 crore for the plan.