ABSTRACT
There was real danger of politicizing the monarchy if the King had reacted to DPT’s pressures. But he rose above those political pressures, remained true to the idea of a constitutional monarchy and provided non-partisan support to the consolidation of democracy. This chapter discusses how the King accommodated the concerns of the government about issues related to two major royal projects, the Land Bill and others. One project was handed over to the government. But its office soon became a holding area for one of DPT’s future political candidate. The project was then refashioned in such a way that the prime minister, ministers and their relatives stood to gain. The royal charter that led to the establishment of another project was revised as asked by the government. When the Land Bill sought to undermine the King’s constitutionally defined prerogative, he issued a decree only to state that even royal family members must be subject to the land ceiling if the parliament discussed it. I then highlight different initiatives of the King to support the consolidation of Bhutan’s democracy, which was recognized by UNDP through the presentation of a special award. His initiatives are not political, but exercise of moral and thought leadership.
