Resolutions for 2009

Posted inMiscellaneous
Frankly, I’m surprised at how many people have been reading my blogs. And very grateful. I want to thank all of you for your support. Whether you agree with my views or not is unimportant. That you take the time to visit and read and comment is important. And for that, I thank you all very much.This is my final post for 2008 – my resolutions for the New Year. They’re in no particular order.1. To read at least 12 books. Or, better still, at least one book each month. Anything remotely resembling a piece of legislation will not…

High time

Posted inGovernment
Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk announced that the government has called all the dzongdags to Thimphu. And that in January, the government will meet all them. Very good. It’s almost nine months since the new government took office, and they haven’t yet briefed the dzongdags. So I was getting seriously concerned. Dzongdags, after all, are the chief executives in the dzongkhags, and are responsible for translating the government’s policies and plans into action. He also announced that a meeting with all the gups and the DYT chairmen would follow. Very, very good.

A shocking reminder

Posted inSecurity
I offer my condolences to the families and friends of the six people who were ambushed in Phibsoo, Sarpang yesterday. Four of them were brutally murdered and two are said to be in critical condition. My prayers and support are with them during this difficult period. This outrageous act was committed by terrorists, and is a direct attack on our nation. We must, as His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo has repeatedly commanded, “act and think as one” to defend the security and sovereignty of our nation. I will support, without reservation, the government’s efforts to catch the perpetrators…

Fighting for equity and justice

Posted inGovernment
It's been six months since I questioned the legality of the appointment of DPT party workers to the Cabinet. The government has not addressed my concerns. So I’ve decided to go to ACC. Here’s what I’ll tell them: That in mid-June, five DPT party workers were appointed to the Cabinet. One has since resigned, but four of them continue to work under the government’s payroll. That on 19th July, the RCSC approved the proposal to recruit four staff on “contract basis” for the Cabinet. By then the DPT party workers had already been working for more than a month.…

Sunday movie

Posted inCulture
I saw a movie on Sunday.Drinchen (gratitude) is a love story that contrasts life in rural and urban Bhutan. And it draws attention to growing conflict between traditional and modern values. It is directed by Kezang P. Jigme, and stars Lhaki Dema (Best Actress 2003 for Chepai Bhu), Tshering Phuntsho and Kezang Tobden.Drinchen is playing in Trowa, Changjiji. You should see it for three reasons.One, you’ll enjoy the movie. The storyline is good. It has serious messages, but it is light. It’s enjoyable.Two, you’ll support the local film industry. Bhutan makes about 18 feature films on average each year.…

Rubbish!

Posted inNature
I am excited about the prime minister’s assurances that Thimphu will be one of the cleanest cities in the world by 2011. But I am not excited about how he plans to do it.It appears that the government has decided to buy a waste incinerator capable of burning 40 tonnes of waste at a time. It should reconsider its decision.Incinerators must burn continuously. So they require a constant supply of garbage. And the bigger the incinerator, the larger will be the amount of garbage needed to keep it running. As a result, we may need to produce more, not…

Thimphu’s shame

Posted inNature
I went on a field trip today. To the Memelakha landfill. That’s where our garbage ends up everyday.The landfill was built in 1992 and was designed to last for 10 years. But the actual landfill lasted only for 6 years. Since then the area has been used as a dumping ground. It continues to be used as such.The landfill should have been lined with layers of concrete, plastic and concrete to prevent leakage. It wasn’t. So potentially toxic liquid seeps out of the walls and flows into a stream, which ends up in our river.As soon as the landfill…

Paying commission

Posted inGovernment, Political parties1 Comment
Public anxiety over the pay hike issue is on the rise. And a lot of grief and surprise is directed at the huge increase that we, politicians, are expected to get – the pay commission has recommended an increase of 130% for the prime minister, 66% for ministers and 100% for parliamentarians. The public should be surprised. After all, the previous cabinet had already approved the draft Parliamentary Entitlement Acts and made public what aspiring politicians could expect to earn. And that was essentially Nu 30,000 per month plus 20% for house rent plus a chauffeur-driven car. Everyone knew…

Happy Lomba

Posted inCulture
My mother is a Khengpa and dad is a Haap. So our family has always celebrated both New Years.Haaps (and Parops) celebrate Lomba, their new year, on the 29th day of the 10th month – that was yesterday.Celebrating Lomba means eating huge quantities of hoentoe – buckwheat dumplings stuffed with dried turnip-greens, cheese and lots of butter. Good stuff.Lomba also means sharing this delicacy with friends as an expression of one’s love, affection and loyalty to them.All this means backbreaking work for Tashi, my long-suffering wife. Lomba would, indeed, be difficult without her!I wish everyone Lomba Tashi Delek!

Pay lip service?

Posted inGovernment
Do you know why the government has published the pay commission’s proposal? I don’t. The pay commission’s proposal is already outdated – the ministry of finance’s proposal being based on it. So why not publish the MOF proposal? In fact, why not publish whichever proposal the government has approved? Article 30.3 of our Constitution, “The recommendation of the (Pay) Commission shall be implemented only on the approval of the Lhengye Zhungtshog and subject to such conditions and modifications as may be made by Parliament”, can be interpreted in at least two ways: One, that the government has the authority…

Question bank

Posted inEconomy
I was shocked to read that RMA has given the Punjab National Bank approval to start preliminary work to set up a branch in Bhutan. I have many questions…Do we know that Punjab National Bank is India’s second largest public sector lending bank? That it has more than 3850 branches? That its total business in 2007 was US$ 60 billion? That this is 56 times our GDP? Or almost 20 times the total planned outlay for our 10th Five Year Plan? That its market value of US$ 2.79 billion which almost trebles our total GDP?Do we know why they…

Our PM’s report

Posted inGovernment
Yesterday, during the opening day of the National Assembly’s second sitting, our PM submitted his report on the performance of the government.His report did not touch on the government’s performance in the social sectors and on the economy. Too bad. It was a good opportunity to showcase the successes of the government in these areas. Unless, of course, there hasn’t been enough successes to speak about.But, on the one hand, the new government has been in office for only eight months – it probably needs more time to prove that it is keeping the promises that it has made.One…

Parliament’s second session

Posted inLegislature
The second session of the Parliament started yesterday. His Majesty the King, in His Royal Address, commanded that democracy has started off well in our country, but that a lot of work also remains to be done. His Majesty the King reminded the nation that the main purpose of democracy is to further strengthen our country, and to realize the aspirations of the people. And that to achieve these goals, we must work together, as one family. On behalf of the opposition, I proposed a vote of thanks to offer our deep gratitude to His Majesty the King for…

Today’s pictures

Posted inNature, Women
Today, I saw the future ... and it looks good! Girls having fun, preparing themselves to become future teachers, doctors, engineers, scholars, technicians, poets, businesswomen, and politicians. It snowed today, this season's first. Although it was light, and only in the high mountains to the north of Thimphu, I was happy – it is good for our farmers, our environment and for hyrdopower.

Supreme excuse

Posted inJustice
Bhutan Observer, Bhutan Times and Kuensel are doing a pretty good job of keeping the controversy over the appointment of the Bhutan Post CEO alive. If it were not for them, the Cabinet’s tentative response to ACC’s investigation and report would have gone unquestioned, and the public would be none the wiser.But now what? Constitutional experts argue that only the Supreme Court, as the final authority on the interpretation of the Constitution, can decide if the cabinet’s action on the ACC’s report, or lack thereof, is unconstitutional. And that the differences between the ACC and the Cabinet cannot be…