Improving public services

Posted inEconomy, Government
Many businessmen and women would have been delighted to hear our government’s assurances to start the one-stop service centre during BCCI’s annual general meeting last Friday. And they would have been pleased to know that our government is already acting on these assurances. Because, yesterday, according to BBS, our prime minister met with government secretaries to consider ways of reducing the administrative burden.Our government’s assurances and their immediate follow up came as especially good news to Dragyel Tenzin Dorjee. You see, Dragyel spent a year, running from pillar to post, to get permission to establish the Bhutan Institute of…

Connectivity for ICT businesses

Posted inEconomy
In my last entry I celebrated the government’s promise to make Bhutan an attractive destination for ICT businesses. I am truly excited at the prospects of using ICT to strengthen our economy, create much needed jobs and generated revenue, all while safeguarding our brand-image as a country that’s serious about gross national happiness.But yesterday I was reminded that our government will need to do a lot of work if ICT is to become a viable business in Bhutan. This is especially so if we want to attract foreign investment to spearhead the development of ICT businesses.What happened yesterday? I…

Attending to BCCI

Posted inEconomy
The Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industry has just concluded its 24th Annual General Meeting. The gathering attracted some much needed attention for the private sector in general and the BCCI in particular.The minister of economic affairs addressed the AGM during its opening ceremony on Thursday, and encouraged the private sector to come up with new business ideas.On Friday, our prime minister also attended the meeting. And he spoke at length – for more than two hours, some say – to the business community about what the private sector can expect from our government. He reiterated our government’s promise…

BCCI’s new leaders

Posted inDemocracy, Economy
On Thursday, during its 24th Annual General Meeting, the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industries elected Topgyal Dorji as its 5th president, and Chen Chen Dorji and Thinley P. Dorji as vice presidents.I offer my heartiest congratulations to the incoming president and vice presidents. The three unrelated Dorji’s have an important common mission: to force our government to get serious about private sector development.

Unresolved audit issue

Posted inGovernment
It’s quite common to hear government officials complain: “I’m willing to help but, if I do, Audit will fix me up.” This refrain is not an excuse to avoid work. Instead, this shows how nervous most officials get when dealing with the RAA.This is unfortunate. This is unfortunate because all public servants actually accept and support the need to enhance responsibility and accountability in the government, especially when it comes to matters concerning use of public money.Yet most officials are wary of the RAA. And it’s not because they fear getting caught doing something wrong. More often, it’s because…

Lazy banks

Posted inEconomy
My last entry provoked Zekom to exclaim: “…calling Bhutanese Banks conservative is a praise they don’t deserve. I’d call them lazy!”She is correct.Because our banks our lazy, money lenders are doing a thriving business throughout rural Bhutan, where our farmers are compelled to take loans at exorbitant rates. It’s common for money lenders to charge farmers interest rates of 5% per month, which works out to 60% per year!This, of course, is illegal. The Moveable and Immoveable Property Act (1999) stipulates that “… no lender other than a registered financial institution which has been duly licensed to engage in…

Banking on our banks

Posted inEconomy
Our banks continue to make generous profits. Last year, BNB made Nu 310 million, a whopping 124% over the previous year, and BOB made Nu 168 (see Kuensel article). Not bad, considering the size of our economy. And, considering that they’ve been consistently declaring very attractive dividends.How do banks make money? Primarily by paying depositors a certain interest rate, and charging borrowers a higher interest rate. And obviously, the larger the spread between the two rates, the bigger the profit that banks earn. But what about bad loans, loans that banks cannot recover? That’s the risk that banks take,…

Mobile banking

Posted inEconomy
Wouldn’t you be happy if you could get your bank balance on your cell phone instead of having to go all the way to the bank?Wouldn’t it be good if you could instruct your bank not to honour a cheque that you’d issued mistakenly?Wouldn’t you like it if your bank informed you every time money was withdrawn from or deposited to your account?And wouldn’t it be convenient if your bank reminded you when loan repayments were due?All this, and more, are available with the BNB’s mobile banking service which was launched yesterday. I’m excited about this new service, so…

Educating doctors

Posted inEducation, Government
On 23rd March, the Ministry of Education announced rules on the recently approved medical scholarship grants (see the rules). The rules clarified how the government will implement the grants. But we should be concerned at least on two counts.One, on the impact on current private students. According to the rules private students currently studying in universities recognized jointly by RCSC, MOH and MOE in the SAARC region, Thailand and Cuba are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Of them 15 will be awarded the medical grant.Obviously, every private medical student by now expects the grant. And convincing them that…

Doing the work

Posted inNature2 Comments
Regular readers of this blog know that every once in a while I present an issue without making a judgment or giving my views. I just present the facts as I see them.Why do I do this?Firstly, to make us think. Merely raising an issue forces me think much more deeply about it. And I am hopeful that it makes you, the reader, also spend some time reflecting on the issue.Secondly, to solicit your views. Your views are important to me and, I would like to think, to other readers as well. And, by the way, yes, I welcome…

Construction waste

Posted inNature
This afternoon, while travelling to Punakha, I saw garbage dumped below the highway at several places about 10 kilometers from Thimphu. The waste, which was obviously from a construction site, had been transported by truck and dumped in the forest near Memelakha.

The winner takes it all

Posted inDemocracy, Legislature7 Comments
I commemorated the first anniversary of our country’s first general elections by pouring over the election results. And, in doing so, I was reminded of the pain and disappointment on that historic day. I was also reminded of the dangers of our electoral system.Of the 253,012 votes cast, 83,522 were cast in favour of PDP. That works out to a little over 33% of the total votes cast. The rest, that’s about 67%, were cast in favour of DPT.But PDP won only two of the 47 constituencies. That’s barely 4% of the total number of constituencies. So although PDP…

A unique example

Posted inPeople, Political parties
Last year, in Sherubste College, a student asked me: “We’ve been told, many times, that democracy in Bhutan is unique – please tell me how it is unique.”The fact of the matter is that all democracies are based on, more or less, the same principles, and none can claim to be really unique. But, on the other hand, no two democracies are exactly the same, making every democracy, unique in its own way. So to claim that our particular form of democracy is unique, in the way it is structured for example, would not make much sense.But in one…

2nd general convention

Posted inPolitical parties
The PDP held its second general convention yesterday.Despite strong appeals, from every party member, PDP president Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup resigned, taking full “moral responsibility” for the party’s loss in Bhutan’s first general elections.The general convention confirmed the following nominations:President: Tshering TobgayVice Presidents: Damcho Dorji, Ritu Raj Chhettri, Yeshey DorjiSecretary General: Sonam JatshoTreasurer: Namgay DorjiSpokesman: Dr Tandin DorjiThe general convention also approved a new executive board.

PDP general convention

Posted inPolitical parties12 Comments
Tomorrow, 22nd March, PDP will hold its general convention.We anticipate a large turnout. People from every dzongkhag have telephoned to inform us that they’ll be participating in the meeting.The convention is open to all party members. To attend, please be at the RAPA hall by 9:30 AM.