On tour

Posted inGeneral10 Comments
Dear friends, I'm continuing my tour to the dzongkhags - to congratulate the new local governments, to report on the work of the opposition party, and to discuss what we should focus on during the remainder of our term. I'm in Dagana. Today, after we visit the Impressive Daga Tashi yangtse Dzong, we go to Dagapela, and from there we trek to Lhamoizingkha. I'm looking forward to visiting this part of our country before they become accessible by car. I haven't been able to get my laptop online. That's why I haven't posted anything new. But I can access…

11-11-11

Posted inMonarchy14 Comments
History has not witnessed a king, who, at the peak of his glorious reign, renounced the throne to bequeath a functioning democracy to his people. In this, and all others, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, who has dedicated his body, speech and mind in the service of his people, is beyond compare. To him, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, The Great Fourth, architect of Bhutan’s peace, prosperity and happiness, role model and hero, embodiment of Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, I offer this humble tribute to cherish and celebrate his precious legacy:  

Home is where the hurt is

Posted inGovernment59 Comments
The prime minister was in New York when the September 18 earthquake struck. He’d left Bhutan on 12th September to address the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly on 23rd September. Most heads of government would have rushed home if, during their absence, an earthquake that hit their country caused widespread destruction. Our PM did not. He chose to stay on in New York. And from there, instead of returning home, he chose to go straight to Tokyo to address the 24th Congress of Architecture on 28th September, and then to Kolkata to meet the chief minister and…

DHI and us

Posted inGovernment27 Comments
Kuensel quietly carried a corrigendum today clarifying that DHI had not given iPhones to the PM and the cabinet. And in it, the editor helpfully points out that: “Officials from the PM’s office, meanwhile, said the reference was to an occasion that happened in 2009.” The corrigendum is helpful. But it is quiet. Too quiet. Kuensel must now ask the PM – not “officials from the PM’s office”, but the PM himself – why he did not clarify that he was talking about something that took place almost three years ago, and why he misinformed the public about DHI…

i-Question

Posted inGovernment22 Comments
Did DHI try to bribe the prime minister and cabinet ministers? If, as the PM claimed in Kuensel, DHI had indeed offered them “the latest generation iPhones”, then that would amount to blatant corruption. And the Anticorruption Commission should investigate it thoroughly. Why should this particular gift be seen as “blatant corruption”? Because three years ago, during the new year, DHI had given Nokia cell phones to all officials holding cabinet rank, including the PM and the opposition leader. But, as far I know, most of the recipients did not accept the gifts; most of them had returned the…

GNH vs GPH

Posted inGovernment8 Comments
Yeshey Dorji, a prolific blogger (and an excellent photographer), weighed in on minister Khaw Boon Wan’s controversial comments by concurring with the view that since we want to emulate Singapore, for us Singapore could well be the Shangri-la. But regardless of where Shangri-la may lie, Au Yeshey admits to finding GNH confusing, and raises the alarming prospect that GNH may actually undermine personal happiness. This is what he writes: “GNH, GNH. GNH - Oh God, it is so confusing. This GNH has me totally baffled. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced that the principles…

Food for thought

Posted inInternational16 Comments
Khaw Boon Wan, a Singaporean minister, recently declared that “Bhutan is not the Shangri-la on earth”, and that the Bhutanese are an “unhappy people” for who “Singapore could well be the Shangri-la!” Mr Khaw’s remarks, which were made in Singapore’s parliament, have upset a lot of people in our country. That is natural. He has attacked our image. He has challenged GNH. And he has insulted our people. So, many of us are angry. Even so, we should listen to him. And if what he has said carries even a grain of truth, we should listen carefully. We should,…

Investigating Gyelpozhing

Posted inJustice21 Comments
Last Saturday, more than two months after Business Bhutan broke their story about alleged land grabbing in Gyelpozhing by senior public servants, the Anticorruption Commission announced that they: “… are in the process of studying laws related to land, policy issues, analysing and re- viewing the complaints they received with regards to Gyalpoizhing land case.” The Gyelpozhing land case has raised serious questions about alleged corruption involving our senior-most public servants when land was acquired and redistributed in Gyelpozhing. This is a big case. And it is an important one. So the ACC is correct in studying the case…

Good governance

Posted inLocal Government5 Comments
The Thimphu Thrompon recently ignored the “attic rule” by allowing the attics on 31 buildings to be replaced by an additional floor each. The government, which had earlier not responded to the Thrompon’s proposal to nullify the rule, reacted by quickly approving the proposal last Friday. On Monday, members of Dagana’s Dzongkhag Tshogdu, led by their Chairman, reported to the Home Ministry to complain that their dzongkhag didn’t have a fulltime dzongdag, a dzongrab and several sector heads. They had traveled to Thimphu to request the government to appoint fulltime staff to these important positions. What’s the connection between…

Good ideas

Posted inPolitical parties27 Comments
Reports by BBS have confirmed recent rumours that Dasho Penjor Dorji and Dr Tandin Dorji are each starting a political party. That is good news. The next parliamentary elections will take place in 2013, in less than two years. So if we are to have more than two political parties by then – if we are to have a primary round of elections the next time around – it’s time to start openly working to establish new parties. The reports about new political parties in the offing should also be received as very good news, as new parties will…

Thank you

Posted inMonarchy1 Comment
The Royal Wedding celebrations moved to Paro yesterday. The festivities, which took place on the historic grounds of the Ugyen Pelri Palace, marked the end of the week-long official celebrations and were hosted by Their Majesties the King and Queen especially for the people who had worked to ensure the success of the Royal Wedding. The Royal Wedding and the accompanying celebrations were indeed a resounding success. And we, the people of Bhutan, owe our gratitude to the hundreds of people who worked round the clock to make them so. First and foremost, we must thank the Prime Minister,…

The best possible shed

Posted inVillages20 Comments
I'm in Shaba, a small village in Sombaykha. The recent earthquake damaged all 12 of its houses. Luckily, no one was injured. And thankfully, most of the houses have suffered only minor damages. But one house was hit hard. It has been damaged beyond repair. It's still standing. But barely so. And it is no longer safe. That house belongs to Ap Zhep, aged 70, and his family. Fearing aftershocks, every family scrambled to erect temporary shelters for themselves immediately after the earthquake. And because Ap Zhep was practically homeless, the entire village got together to build him a…

Yes we can!

Posted inYouth30 Comments
The Eighth Asian Youth Congress concluded in Thimphu last Thursday. The congress, made up of youth leaders from the Asia and Pacific regions, aims to build a global network to fight drug abuse. About 130 youth participants from 14 countries attended this year’s congress. 100 of them were from Bhutan. At the end of the 4-day congress, two participants were jointly awarded the International Youth Award. The winners were Azmeel Mohamed from the Maldives; and our own Yangchen Dolkar. Yangchen is a student at Dr Tobgyel School and, at 14 years, was one of the youngest participants. Still, the…

Truly shocking!

Posted inMedia9 Comments
Bhutan Today’s headline this morning was shocking. “People living in miserable conditions: OL” it screamed. Shocking! But not quite true. The recent earthquake destroyed many houses. According to government reports more than 4000 houses have been damaged. So many people are unhappy. And they are frightened. And they are impatient. They want the authorities to finalize their insurance claims, so that they can start dismantling and rebuilding their homes before aftershocks inflict further damage to them. In the meantime, people whose houses have been destroyed beyond repair or are no longer safe, are living in makeshift tents, in temporary…