Polling McKinsey

Posted inGovernment27 Comments
During question hour today, I asked the prime minister to explain what work McKinsey were doing that couldn’t be done by our own civil servants. And in my leader to the question, I’d reported that the civil servants I’d spoken with had confided that they were not impressed with the work that McKinsey had done so far. Naturally, the prime minister saw it differently. He claimed that every civil servant he’d talked to had been impressed with McKinsey’s work and had lavished praise on the world’s leading consultancy firm. Perhaps. But still, let’s conduct a poll – we haven’t…

Favouring foreigners over locals

Posted inGovernment, Legislature
The National Assembly passed the Financial Services Bill last week. I voted against it. I did so because the Bill seems to favour foreign investors over our own people and companies. Section 50, on restrictions on ownership of financial institution and investments by financial institutions, reads: No person shall hold more than the following percentage of interest in shares of a financial institution: (a) in case of an individual, 10 percent, (b) in the case of a company not being a financial institution, 20 percent (c) in the case of a company being a financial institution, as per the…

Advocating champions

Posted inGovernment
The prime minster, an advocate of cycling and walking to work, referred to a certain setback in his State of the Nation address: I would also like to report that the government has not given up on its dream to make Thimphu a bicycle and pedestrian city despite the initial setback. What is that “initial setback” that the prime minister lamented? After all, the government has made no serious attempts to promote cycling (apart from installing a few bicycle stands in the capital) or to encourage walking (besides the agriculture minister’s famous HEHE walks). Bicycles. In particular the 400…

Wanted: free, frank and thorough discussions

Posted inLegislature
Today, for the second time in less than one year, a joint sitting of the Parliament will discuss the Civil Service Bill. Parliament had discussed and rejected the Bill last year due to irreconcilable differences on some fundamental principles of the bill. I hope that this time we, parliamentarians, can find a consensus to pass this very important legislation. But that will depend on our willingness and ability to engage in free, frank and thorough discussions on the differing interpretations of the Constitution’s provisions about the civil service. That did not happen last year. There was very little debate…

Taxing explanation

Posted inGovernment
The prime minister devoted a substantial part of his State of the Nation address to justify the government’s recent tax hikes. And to discredit the “vocal few” who challenged the government’s ill-conceived tax policies. The prime minister: Much has been said of the fiscal incentives and tax increases in certain areas. It has been alleged that the government is being insensitive to the difficulties that these will cause to our poor and ordinary businesspeople and that they will suffer the most. However, one should not allow oneself to be influenced without seeing the full picture. One needs to be…

Working with NC

Posted inGovernment, Legislature
The prime minister, in his State of the Nation address, on differences between the National Council and National Assembly: Already several issues have arisen between the National Council and this House which inevitably raised the question of seeking the guidance of the Supreme Court even before it was established. Now with its establishment, the wisdom of the judiciary too will be tested if indeed constitutional issues are brought before it. My hope is that, through the ongoing dialogue between the two houses, these issues will be resolved without judicial intervention. Very good. Now prove that there's some genuine commitment…

Carbon neutral?

Posted inGovernment
Dorji, commenting on my last post, GNH vs GDP: … what is surprising is that OL seem to have been engrossed in counting the repetition of GNH instead of the substance of the address itself. Dorji is right. We should pay attention to, and analyze, the substantive parts of the PM’s address. So that’s exactly what we’ll do over the next few days. Here’s the plan: I’ll pick up some issues, one at a time, and we’ll discuss them. Let’s begin with something easy: the environment. In his State of the Nation address, the PM informed the Parliament of…

GNH vs GDP

Posted inGovernment8 Comments
How important is GNH to the government? In the prime minister’s State of the Nation address (which, incidentally, sounded more like a political campaign speech than a statement by the head of government) GNH was mentioned 14 times. Plus he made 6 separate references to happiness. On the other hand, he mentioned GDP just once, and that to caution against being “swayed onto the GNP/GDP path.” How important, in reality, is GNH to the government? In the finance minister’s budget report (which explains how the government will finance its policies) GDP was mentioned no less than 46 times. And…

Taxing job

Posted inGovernment, Legislature40 Comments
Breaking News! Opposition Leader calls for Finance Minister’s resignation! Actually, that's yesterday's news. That's when the opposition leader called for the finance minister’s resignation, during the budget discussions in the National Assembly. But, for some reason or the other, the news has still not reached the media. Bhutan Today, Kuensel, BBS and all the radio stations have been remarkably silent on the opposition leader’s demand. The media may be uninterested. But you, I’m quite sure, want to know why I proposed such an audacious measure. Here’s the story. Chapter 5 of the 2010-2011 National Budget is about the tax…

Increase civil service salaries

Posted inGovernment
The day before yesterday, during budget discussion, the seven reasons I reported on why it may be time to review civil service salaries: Domestic revenue of the government, through tax and non-tax measures, has increased considerably since the last salary increase. In 2008-09 domestic revenues were projected to be Nu 11,932 million. In 2009-10 it was Nu 14,108 million. And in 2010-11 it is projected to be Nu 15,816 million. Domestic revenues have increased by a whopping 33% while civil service salaries have remained stagnant. Between 2008-09 and 2010-11 budgets, the government’s overall outlay has increased by a considerable…

Suicide case

Posted inHealth
During question hour today, I asked the minister for works and human settlement if and when wages for the National Workforce would be increased. This issue has already received considerable attention in the National Assembly.  Still, I went ahead, hoping to push the government to raise the wages of our workers. It didn’t work. And during question hour today, I wanted to ask a second question, this one on an issue that we have not talked about at all in the National Assembly. I’d wanted point out the growing number of suicide cases in the country. And ask the…

Domestic air service

Posted inGovernment
The government has reassured us that domestic air services will begin by its October 1st deadline. But, with barely three months left, the government is yet to decide who will run the domestic airline. On 16th June, Kuensel reported that: Four companies submitted proposals by the February 12 deadline. Two companies, national airline Drukair, and a UK based company, Route Network LLP, were identified on May 7, by an inter-ministerial committee. The final decision was then left to the cabinet. Of the two proposals it appears that the government favours Route Network LLP. Kuensel, on 26th June: With Drukair…

Why the government may be lazy

Posted inGovernment
We should be concerned that the government has been slow to implement the 7 billion Small Development Projects grant provided by the Indian government. The SDP grant is part of the 10th Five Year Plan and is for: implementing smaller, short-gestation and community-oriented projects in vital sectors of health, education, rural infrastructure (conference hall, farm roads, small bridges, etc), water supply, irrigation channels, Renewable Natural Resource (RNR) centres etc. It is expected that over 2000 such projects will be implemented all across 20 districts of Bhutan in five-years time. Two years of the 10th Plan is already over. And…

Why I’ve been lazy

Posted inHealth
Three reasons why I’ve been less than diligent with my posts recently: The National Assembly is in session; The World Cup is on; and My cough persists. It refuses to go away, and has kept me, and my family, awake for many frustrating nights. But, countless home remedies and two ill-advised rounds of antibiotics later, good sense eventually prevailed – I consulted a physician. The specialist ordered a sputum culture, identified the offending bacteria, prescribed the right antibiotic, and, just like that, I’m already feeling better.

Spect-actors

Posted inCivil society
I tried to avoid eye contact. And deliberately scanned the audience, desperately seeking the volunteer who would rescue me. But there was none. And, from the corner of my eye, I could see the emcee walking purposely towards me. “We have a volunteer,” she announced, smiling yet staring firmly at me. “Me?” I argued, and quickly looked left then right to my immediate neighbours, hopelessly expecting that she was addressing one of them. But the emcee was already looming over me. “Yes,” she declared, and led me on to the stage. As I steadied my buckling knees, I scolded…