Women warriors

Posted inCivil society, Monarchy, Women
Fourteen villages in my constituency, most of them in Gakiling gewog, do not have electricity. Every night, women in these villages turn their rangthang, a traditional stone mill, grinding buckwheat, maize and millet for several hours in virtual darkness. Working the rangthang is hard work in the best of conditions. But in the dark, by a hearth that offers more smoke than light, grinding food is a lonely and backbreaking exercise. Yet is must be done, for they must feed their families the next day.So yesterday, when 35 women from similar villages across Bhutan announced that, in three months,…

Kajana fire

Posted inVillages
At about 1:30 AM on 14th March, a fire raged through two adjoining houses in Kajana in Haa.The first house belonged to Aum Dema, aged 60. Aum Dema wasn’t home during the fire – she was at her daughter’s house because she didn’t want to spend the night alone. She would have had to spend the night alone because her husband, Ap Passang, was in Danadingkha Goenpa. And Ap Passang was in Danadingkha fighting a forest fire … as a volunteer. He’d volunteered to spend the night in the goenpa to make sure the forest fire didn’t restart.Aum Dema…

Preparing for storms

Posted inNature, Villages
A week ago, strong winds damaged 20 houses in Haa, most of them in Katsho. The storm had blown off most of their roofs.I’m in Haa. And I was delighted to see that most of the houses have already been repaired.Wind storms are not uncommon in Haa. Just last year several houses had been severely damaged, mostly in Samar.In fact, wind storms are not uncommon in most parts of our country. My colleague, Dasho Damcho, is currently in Laya meeting farmers still recovering from the effects of last week’s storm. And, barely a year ago, strong winds swept through…

Opposing the oppostion

Posted inEducation, Government, Media
My last entry made Di demand that the opposition leader oppose the government’s decision directly and firmly. This is what she said: “dear OL, are u not going to say anything to oppose this directly to the cabinet? this is wrong wrong wrong. this goes against every morals, values and ethics we have ever been taught. this is showing us that the people who are incapable and the least deserving get the best in life. It is a mockery to everything we have been taught is right. Do u not have duties and rights, as the opposition leader, to…

A bold scheme

Posted inEducation, Government
Our government’s decision to award grants to private medical students is bold. But it is wrong.It is bold because it shows that our government can take unconventional measures to get things done – in this case to train more doctors.But it is wrong because awarding grants to private medical students will not increase the number of doctors. Current private medical students will graduate and become doctors even if the government doesn’t intervene. So helping them will not add to the pool of doctors.It is wrong because the unexpected grant will benefit current private medical students unfairly. They would enjoy…

Returned rightfully?

Posted inGovernment, Monarchy
On 7 March, BBS reported that: “The land occupied by the Paro Valley Area Development Project was finally handed over to the landowners today. It was handed over by the Agriculture Minister Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho to the Member of the Parliament from Lamgong-Wangchang constituency in Paro, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk.”The principle of returning the land to the public is right. The land was acquired by the government in 1990 and compensation paid to the farmers. But it was never put to its intended use. So though it’s been almost two decades, there is a strong case to return the land…

Medical grants

Posted inEducation, Government
Many of you have commented on the government’s decision to provide financial assistance to private medical students. And some have telephoned me.I don’t know enough about this sudden development to comment publicly. So I’ll talk to people who do know. And learn.I notice that all the comments I’ve received so far denounce our government’s decision. So I urge those in support of the decision to share your views.

Talk of rights

Posted inLegislature
Yesterday, the ministry of economic affairs announced in Kuensel that today, 15th March, is World Consumer Rights Day.According to their announcement, the annual event is “a time for promoting the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.”And according to the announcement, the ministry of economic affairs has drafted the Consumer Protection Act which will be submitted to the Parliament soon.This is good news. Our government seems serious about promoting consumer welfare and protecting consumer rights.But is it really serious? Consider…

Water solution

Posted inNature, Villages
In “Weather dependent” I’d celebrated the snowfall, without which our farmers wouldn’t be able to plant potatoes. But I’d also agonized that too much snow could be bad for potato cultivation.These mixed emotions prompted one Anonymous to comment: “You complain when there is no snow and complain again when there is snow. Nothing new – that is the way Bhutanese are and you are a true champion.”Precisely.And I’ll keep complaining: it snowed here, but I learnt that other parts of Bhutan, Gakiling and Sombaykha gewogs for example, got hardly any precipitation. There I saw many farmers look helplessly on…

Home from home

Posted inVillages
I’m back. And I’m sorry for the confusion my last entry created. Anonymous Migmar wondered how I’d posted “Celebrating women” with “No road, no electricity and no telephone” in the two gewogs I was visiting. So he asked: “… are you back in Thimphu or is someone from your office upgrading your blog... he..he Explain.”Aum Zekom suggested that I could be “blogging mobile” as “At some of the highest passes, you can catch the airwave to connect your cellphone.”Here’s the explanation: I wasn’t in Thimphu; no one had posted the entry on my behalf; and none of the many…

Celebrating women

Posted inCivil society, Women
Today the world celebrates the achievements of women. Today is International Women’s Day.When I last checked, the IWD website had registered that 841 events would take place in 54 countries to observe International Women’s Day. And according to a press release from RENEW, Bhutan alone will hold five events – in Paro, Phuentsoling, Sarpang, Thimphu and Trongsa.Her Majesty Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck, the founding president of RENEW, will grace the celebrations in Trongsa and address the nation. This is fortunate. Her Majesty works tirelessly to raise awareness and improve the conditions of our women. And to create social, economical…

Going home

Posted inVillages
I’m off to my constituency.We’ll walk everyday, some days for more than 12 hours, to visit some 18 villages in Gakiling and Sombaykha. In these remote gewogs live some of our poorest people.I’m looking forward to meeting our people: to give them my report on the second session of the National Assembly; to ask for directives for the third session; to listen to their problems; to discuss possible solutions; to investigate income generating activities; and to renew growing friendships.Gakiling and Sombaykha are not connected by car road. And by telephone. So my blog will be quiet for a while.Pictured…

More potatoes

Posted inVillages
While traveling to Haa today, I saw several farmers planting potatoes. Some were done. Others, like this couple in Jabana, were just beginning to prepare their field. But all of them expect a good crop – the rains came just in time.

Solving problems

Posted inEducation
Today is World Maths Day.And children throughout the world are celebrating mathematics by solving mental arithmetic questions online. Their goal is to set a new world record in the number of questions they collectively answer in 48 hours. But the real objective is to make maths fun. And to promote numeracy among students.Last year more than 1 million children from 20,000 schools and 150 countries set a new world record by correctly answering 182,455,169 questions in 48 hours. The organizers of the event already predict that, by tomorrow, another world record will have been set.The competition began at 5PM…

The Growing Bhutanese Middle Class

Posted inPeople
I’m reading “The Great Indian Middle Class” a bestseller written by Pavan Varma, a prominent Indian, and India’s next ambassador to Bhutan. The book traces the emergence and evolution of the Indian middle class, and examines its influence on the development of India’s society, politics and economy.The publisher calls Mr Varma’s work a “powerful and insightful critique” that shows us “how the middle class, guided by self-interest, is becoming increasingly insensitive to the plight of the underprivileged, and how economic liberalization has only heightened its tendency to withdraw from anything that does not relate directly to its material well-being.”…