Computer engineer at Think Technology Australia chosen to lead Bhutanese parliament's digital transformation

Tom Gibson, resident and IT engineer at Think Technology Australia in Wagga, recently returned from visiting the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu as part of the project.

Since then, he has prepared a detailed report about potential new digital infrastructure to enable the Bhutanese parliament to reduce paper usage in its daily operations while improving the quality of informed parliamentary debate.

“It’s a particularly ambitious project for a country that transitioned to parliamentary democracy only in 2008,” Mr Gibson said.

The selection of Think Technology resulted from a tender process by the Bhutanese Government.

“We’ve done IT projects before in New Zealand and Kenya, but this is the first time that we’ve done something of this scale,” Mr Gibson said.

He said the tiny Buddhist state's unique lifestyle and beliefs presented the project with some unusual challenges.

“For example, we found some strong cultural reservations about the use of tablets or iPads, which people in Bhutan normally associate with playing computer games,” he said.

“There were concerns about how citizens would react seeing their parliamentarians using gaming consoles in Parliament, although their use would greatly reduce the large volume of paper currently in the Parliament’s operations.”

During his visit and preparation of the report, his understanding of the Bhutanese culture and political process grew.

“Unlike other countries in the world, the kingdom has decided not to use Gross Domestic Product as the only gauge of its development,” Mr Gibson said.

“Instead, it has championed a new approach that measures progress through Gross National Happiness and the spiritual, physical, social and environmental health of its population and natural environment.

“Bhutan has gained an almost mythical status as a real-life Shangri-La for its disciplined pursuit of national happiness.”

Bhutan has one of the oldest kingdoms in the world and is one of only a few countries that has remained independent throughout its history.

It has never been conquered, occupied, or governed by an outside power and only opened its borders to the western world less than 40 years ago.

Mr Gibson was also astounded of the high level of level of recognition and knowledge in Bhutan about Wagga and CSU.

He said there was a strong appreciation of how good Wagga was for education, especially for international students.

“Even a Secretary-General of one of the Houses of Parliament we met knew directly about Wagga and its university,” Mr Gibson said.

“He had options to study at Charles Sturt but eventually chose ANU in Canberra because he could also become familiar with Australia’s political system.

“The country and the people I met as part of this project has been life changing for me.

“Bhutan has a truly trust- based culture, which is refreshing to observe.”

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