Sikkim’s Global Engagement: Diplomacy and Identity in Southeast Asia and Europe by Pawan Chamling

Description

Even after the nation’s independence in 1947, Sikkim as a protectorate of India remained a highly inward looking state for a long period of time. In the post 1975 period also there remained serious inhibitions and constraints in the process of making Sikkim outward looking. It arose from a variety of situations. The very geographical location of Sikkim constrained it from proactively interacting with the mainstream. Communication remained a major hurdle for many years. Some institutions and people always seemed to believe that the conscious, enlightened and widely exposed citizenry of Sikkim would have been a threat to their very existence. However, situation started changing in mid 1990s when the Government led by the present Chief Minister Pawan Chamling was formed. The primary basis for this new formation was to reestablish democratic practices in the state, provide the basic freedom to the people including from fear, poverty and insecurity and to give wider choices to the people of Sikkim. The fast changing atmosphere in the country particularly in terms of the economic reforms, liberalization and privatization added vigorously to the efforts made by the state government. In other words, the new government wanted to change the entire parameters of integration of Sikkim with the mainstream India. The government decided to bring the best of knowledge, technology, investment, institution and development partners from across the world to make people of Sikkim both outward looking and most competitive. It floated the idea of emotional integration along with physical integration.

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