Corrupt quotas

Posted inGovernment20 Comments
The government’s decision to increase taxes on vehicles has caused a bit of stir. Many people I’ve spoken with agree with the progressive taxes based on engine capacity. But most, like I, doubt if simply increasing taxes will help achieve the government’s goal of controlling the growing number of vehicles in Bhutan. Why? Because public transport, in Thimphu and elsewhere, is still inadequate. And, in the absence of a reliable public transport system, we will continue to buy cars, even at relatively higher prices. A real reduction in traffic volume will be possible mainly by improving the public transport…

Laurence of Taba

Posted inGovernment

Too good!

The road between Langjophakha and Dechhenchholing is being expanded. Good.
Traffic on the single-lane road that connects the upper precincts of Thimphu valley with the town had become heavy and dangerous. So it was time to widen the road to accommodate the growing number of vehicles.
The government is executing the work departmentally. And they’re doing a pretty good job. It’s been barely 3 weeks since starting the project in Langjophakha and they’ve already reached the Dechhenchholing bridge area. Impressive.
But some people have complained. Sonam commented that commuting has become difficult and unpredictable. And Laurence set me this email, which, incidentally, has not been published by the newspapers. 

Unrestrained Truth

Posted inGeneral
Two readers – Truth and Linda – went “off topic” on a recent post. “Truth” raised an issue that was totally unrelated to the post. “Linda” suggested that we should have a way of allowing readers to initiate new topics for discussion. And I agreed. I’ve thought about it. And rather than incorporating an online forum in this blog – we already have Kuenselonline and Bhutantimes.com for that – I suggest that you send, by email, a short written account of the topic that you’d like to draw our attention to. But please permit me to review your contribution…

About administrative action

Posted inGovernment
The second issue in “Administrative action” asked if prime minister had the authority to issue “… directives to the home ministry, the judiciary and the police to take appropriate actions against the senior dzongkhag officials.” Again, several of you felt that, as head of the government, the prime minister does have this authority. And again I refer to the laws of the land. Chapter 19 of the BCSR is dedicated to administrative discipline in the civil service. And in its pages are contained procedures for the identification, investigation and adjudication of offenses by civil servants, all powers for which…

Appointing dzongdags

Posted inGovernment
My last post generated a lot of discussions. Good. Most of you feel that the cross transfer of the Samtse and Haa dzongdags does not represent new appointments. That they are merely transfers of existing dzongdags. And, that the home ministry has the authority to transfer existing dzongdags. I disagree. The home ministry cannot transfer existing dzongdags for two reasons: One, dzongkhags are not under the home ministry – they are independent, autonomous agencies. So, the home ministry does not have legal administrative authority over dzongdags. According to Chapter 16, Section 2.1.3 of the BCSR, only the RCSC can…

Administrative action

Posted inGovernment
The Samtse Dzongdag has been transferred to Haa. His transfer, which was decided by the home ministry, is meant to be an administrative action against him. But Article 2, Section 19(q) of our constitution states that: The Druk Gyalpo shall, by warrant under His hand and seal, appoint: … Dzongdags on the recommendation of the Prime Minister who shall obtain nominations from the Royal Civil Service Commission. If it is the Druk Gyalpo who appoints dzongdags, then how is it that the home ministry has appointed a new dzongdag for Haa? And a new one for Samtse? Kuensel raised…

Kilu Music School

Posted inEducation
Are you a parent in Thimphu? If so, have you grumbled that the city does not provide enough after-school activities, especially during the holiday season, for your children? I have. I’ve often wished that Thimphu provided better opportunities to learn about art, literature, culture, religion, music and sports.  But, I, like most parents, haven’t got round to organizing any constructive activity that would keep our children productively engaged during their free time. Not so, with the group of parents who, in 2005, decided to create opportunities for their children to learn music. And so they started Kilu Music School,…

BBS and the government

Posted inMedia

Enough protection?

Last week, Parliament authorized the government to review the mandate of BBS. I’m against the government meddling in BBS’s affairs. But our lawmakers feel that the country’s only TV station is underperforming. And that the government should intervene to give BBS vision and the means to achieve that vision.
So what’s the first move that the government makes? It directs BBS to go 24/7. And it does so without consulting anyone in BBS. Our national broadcaster struggles to generate sufficient content for the five hours it goes on air each day, and the government, unilaterally, directs BBS to broadcast round the clock. This directive does not augur well for television in Bhutan.
BBS is essentially a non-commercial public service broadcaster. So the state should subsidize its operations. How much? That, the government should decide.
But the government should not interfere in how BBS is run. That is the job of the Managing Director and the Board of Directors – ultimately they are the ones responsible for ensuring that BBS is able to inform, educate and entertain our people, and for protecting its editorial independence.
And that, precisely, was the reason why BBS was delinked from the government in the first place. The Royal Kasho establishing BBS as an autonomous corporation was issued way back on 18 September 1992. But its message is timeless. In fact, it’s even more relevant today. So, to remind ourselves, I’m reproducing the translation of that Royal Kasho:

SMS tweets

Posted inMedia
About a year ago, I’d announced that I was on Twitter, a social networking site that offers “micro-blogging” by allowing users to post updates that are less than 140 characters long. Twitter originally set a 140-character limit so that “tweets” would be compatible with the SMS messaging. I’d also described how the Twitter experience could be enhanced if our mobile cellular service providers would tie up with Twitter: If B-Mobile, say, were to allow Twitter to recognize their network, then users would be able to “tweet” using SMS’s, and “followers” would be able to receive updates as SMS’s. And…

Social forestry

Posted inNature
Social Forestry Day is good time to reflect on the health of our forests, and to help nurture them by planting trees around our homes, schools, villages, towns, and in barren hillsides. So we – my family, that is – were happy that we had the opportunity to do something different yesterday: we saved a few trees! Yes, I’m being dramatic, I know. What we did do was uproot a few of the smaller trees (small plants actually, especially rhododendron) along the Taba - Langjophakha road and transplant them in front of our house.  The trees were destined to…

Unanimous support

Posted inLegislature
Support for the Royal Monetary Authority Bill was unanimous. Every one of the 66 MPs present in the Parliament today endorsed the Bill. But if the Bill is so popular, why hadn’t the two Houses each passed it on its own? Why was a joint sitting needed? In fact, there were differences. And the most critical one concerned the chairperson of the RMA Board. The RMA Board comprises of seven members – the governor, two deputy governors, and four other members. The governor is appointed by His Majesty the King at the recommendation of the prime minister. The two…

Parliament passes Tobacco Control Bill

Posted inLegislature21 Comments
Yesterday, as expected, the joint sitting of the Parliament passed the Tobacco Control Bill. Support for the Bill was almost unanimous. 61 of the 65 MPs present and voting endorsed the Bill, whereas only 4 of them rejected it. I was in the minority. Tobacco control is a good idea. But the Bill that we just passed is not. The main principle in the Bill does not make sense: that people are permitted to consume tobacco, but that the sale of tobacco products is illegal. And that the sale of tobacco is illegal, but that tobacco consumers are permitted…

Tobacco control

Posted inLegislature
Today is world no tobacco day. And, not coincidentally, the Parliament, in a joint sitting, discussed the Tobacco Control Bill. The bill had already been debated in both the Houses last year – today’s discussions were to iron out the differences between the two Houses. Parliament will probably pass the Tobacco Control Bill tomorrow. And I am concerned. I’m concerned that we will pass a law that the government will not be able to enforce: a law that criminalizes the sale of cigarettes, but permits smoking, even in designated public spaces. The proposed law imposes hefty penalties on people…

Thanking His Majesty

Posted inLegislature, Monarchy17 Comments
Earlier today, His Majesty the King was received in a traditional chipdrel procession to the inaugural ceremony of the fifth session of the Parliament. My statement, expressing the opposition party’s gratitude to His Majesty, is available here.

More than taekwondo

Posted inEducation
Thimphu Club won the most medals in the recent under-15 tae­kwondo championships. Thimphu Primary School came in second. And Zilukha LSS third. 105 students from 9 clubs had participated in the championships that had been organized to commemorate Bhutan Taekwondo Federation’s silver jubilee. Not bad, I had initially thought, till I looked at the medal standings properly. Of the 9 clubs only two were from government schools. Five of them, on the other hand, were from private schools. The remaining two were not school based – one, the winner, is part of the Federation, and the other, White Tigers,…