Prado - Power and Pride

 I was driving my 14 years old Hyundai Getz on the only double-lane freeway in Bhutan, the famous Babesa-Thimphu Expressway. Unexpectedly there was a honking behind me, looked at the mirror and it was a private number silver bright Prado trying to take over me. On the left was a small Maruti Alto, the majority private cars in the country, trying to catch up with the rest of the speeding cars. I could not quickly give way to the powerful impatient Prado. I slowed a bit and pulled to the left but that took me nearly a minute. As the Prado passed by, the proud owner looked at me with a threatening facial language. I just looked away to avoid any further adversity! 

It is said that today Bhutan has over one hundred thousand motor vehicles with most of those being personal cars. This number is strange for a small population of just over seven hundred thousand. Our demography is not expected to go up in a big way with an alarmingly low 1.7% growth rate. In any case the average per family possession of the personal cars is shooting up at an exponential rate and in addition to the public transport the statistics ensures that no Bhutanese have to be pedestrian in the country. If the prevalence of cars was an indicator of economic growth Bhutan should have graduated into a developed country some years ago. I hope some economist will explain this dilemma.

Talking about the per capita car ownership, the per capita debt could be one of the highest in the world. Even the thought of the individual share of national debt sends down shivers in some of us, especially those of us who have not even borrowed a pie from the financial institutions. For the governments this is enough to say that this is only for now and with the completions of so many hydropower projects our debts will be gone and perhaps we will all be a very rich country.  We are living in our future income and borrowed prosperity, and also teaching our future citizens dangerous way of living. Some of our business men, especially new contractors live this ill advice all the time and often go bankrupt due to poor financial decisions they make most of the time. People often say that some of these aspiring contractors, borrow a huge amount from banks or get the first advance for the big project and buy a Prado for themselves. I do not blame these amateur business people, as this definition of status is exemplified by our leaders all the time. Possessing a Toyota Prado SUV is so deeply Bhutanese show of status, power and pride that the urge is even unconsciously ingrained in our psychic make-up.

Majority of us middle age and older Bhutanese who enjoy the comfort of modern day Bhutan had walked few miles to days  to reach to our nearest schools, nearest shopping place for the day to day living and to our nearest health center, when there were any built. Many of us have walked several days with heavy loads of rations and daily requirements like salt, kerosene and other basic supplies on our backs from the nearest shop to our homes. Today those days have become the stories of yester years for majority Bhutanese (even though this is still prevalent with few poverty stricken brethren) thanks to our fore-sighted leaders who have toiled hard to develop our country. While the youngsters today start their career by first getting a car by any means, the older lots are busy exhibiting a very poor show by way of setting exorbitant standards and examples in this regard. It is almost a rule in this country that anyone above certain positon is given a Prado to ride as an official car, whether you live 5 minutes away from your office or your nature of job requires any travel at all. If you are somebody in the bureaucracy and do not have a Prado the society will mock and laugh at your in-ability to acquire one and may even be seen as inefficient. Even to the extent that, it is a disrespect to the high profile deceased if he/ she is taken to the cremation ground in a single car and did not have certain numbers and types of cars in the funeral procession consistent with the status and positon of the deceased when he/ she was living or that of the family of the deceased. For the living, it is again the length and the strength of the cars behind you that will determine how powerful and important you and if you can add the Prado in the forefront the departed soul, as if this is also a sure step to the ultimate destination of Nirvana!! 

Few years ago the picture of Sweden PM on bicycle had become viral on social media, only to be dismissed by all of us as a pomp or show of some kind.

Where are we heading to and how can we sustain this is anyone’s guess. We import all kinds of fuel and we produce practically nothing in terms of metallic products and yet we are so consumerist and outwardly showy.

The most modern history of Bhutan, will feature Prado as an important chapter especially in the political debate. Most Bhutanese would remember the Prado episode of 2013 when the outgoing ministers walked away with kidu Prados while the opposition leader ‘returned’ it to the then government. All eyes were on 2018 change over and to the relief of most common Bhutanese (with no potential of riding Prados), these massive machines were neatly parked back in the premise of the parliament house and perhaps taken over by the new cabinet members (I hope they did not find these too old and passed down to ministries and bought a new one for themselves). I didn’t see that line of prosperity again in 2023 and wonder what happened to those official cars!!

Whatever may be, Prados are of paramount national importance, often sadly a national identity for the top consumerist minority Bhutanese, especially the elites or elite-aspirants, and could easily become one important indicator (if not a variable) for Gross National Happiness measurement. I will not be surprised if one of the questions on GNH survey could be” do you possess a big car such as a Prado and if not after how many years down the line you think you can possess one’? Having said that, I salute those senior urban colleagues who take pride in making those mileages by their legs through walks and long trekking in the green and happy Bhutan.