Ache Lhamo

Posted inEducation9 Comments
Sonam Dorji, 12 years, Class 5 Rinzin Norbu, 12 years, Class 4 Sangay Dorji, 12 years, Class 4 Namgay Chojay, 13 years, Class 4 Thinley Norbu, 11 years, Class 4 These five students go to Monmola community primary school, in distant Serti gewog, in the Shingkhar Lauri region. And boy, they can dance. I met them during my recent tour to Jumotshangkha, in the eastern-most part of our country. And they honoured me with an active performance of the very lively Ache Lhamo chham.  The students say they took over a month to learn the historic Ache Lhamoi chham. They were taught…

Disloyal? Unpatriotic?

Posted inDemocracy26 Comments
The opposition party's statement on the government's failed UNSC bid drew a strong response from the prime minster. Instead of clarifying the government's position, or responding to the our request for a full disclosure of the expenses incurred, he called my remarks "disloyal and unpatriotic". We will not engage in personal attacks. But we cannot ignore the PM's malicious assault which was obviously intended to malign the opposition members and undermine institution of the opposition party. So we felt compelled to issue the following  statement to the press last Friday:   The Opposition Party deeply regrets the unwarranted remarks…

Ill conceived and misguided policy

Posted inGovernment45 Comments
My statement to the press yesterday: Yesterday the UN General Assembly voted to elect non-permanent members to the UN Security Council. Bhutan, along with Cambodia and South Korea, competed for a single vacancy for the Asia Pacific Group of countries. Bhutan secured only 20 of the 192 votes cast and was eliminated in the first round of elections itself. South Korea beat Cambodia in the second round of voting, and was elected to the Security Council. The Government has expended considerable time and resources trying to secure a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Our Mission to…

Weather service

Posted inVillages9 Comments
I woke up to a glorious morning today. The skies were clear. And the heavens promised a warm, sunny day. That's how it's supposed to be at this time of the year - warm, sunny and bright: perfect weather for harvesting paddy. And that's why some of our farmers, prompted by BBS's forecast for sunny weather, have begun to harvest their crop. But the farmers who harvested their paddy a few days ago and, as is required, left them to dry in their fields were in for some anxious moments yesterday. It had rained the previous day and almost…

The art of politics

Posted inPolitical parties39 Comments
Dasho Gado Tshering is taking the art of politics to new heights. The former health secretary resigned last year "... on moral grounds after an ACC investigation revealed serious lapses in the procurement of GOI-funded medical equipment before 2008." A few months later he announced that he would join politics. He has said that his decision to join politics was at the behest of the people of Haa. And he has insisted, consistently, that the people of his constituency will decide which party he will join. Dasho Gado Tshering is popular in Haa. So most people believe that he…

Report cards

Posted inMiscellaneous6 Comments
Here's some fun, on another gloomy Pedestrian Day, courtesy "Bhutanomics", a website many have been frequenting recently. I'm tempted to run a poll to see whose report card is the funniest (i.e., the most accurate).  

Amazing social media

Posted inGeneral11 Comments
Social media is amazing. Click on a few buttons, like a page, follow a friend, and, voila!, you know everything that's going on around you. To politicians, that knowledge is invaluable. It allows them to hear the people, to listen to them, to feel their pulse. But social media has an even bigger gift for politicians. It facilitates communication. It allows politicians to interact continuously with people, easily and directly. Yes, social media is amazing. That's why I, as a politician, am active on Twitter and Facebook. That's also why I'm on Youtube and Bambuser and Linkedin and Instagram.…

Democratic parties

Posted inDemocracy19 Comments
Bhutan joined the world in celebrating International Democracy Day over the weekend. In Thimphu, a panel discussion was held to promote a better understanding of democracy, and to talk about why it is especially important for citizens to enjoy their rights but also to fulfill their responsibilities in a young democratic country. There's no doubt that such discussions are important. They will go a long way in educating our people; in building strong foundations for our democracy; and in making sure that, through democracy, the promises of peace, liberty and prosperity are fulfilled. So we must have more of…

Clear to run(?)

Posted inDemocracy, Political parties82 Comments
About 6 weeks ago, at a press conference, the prime minister claimed that the Election Commission of Bhutan should disqualify the opposition party from taking part in the next round of elections for failing to clear its debts by the 30 June deadline. Remarkably, the prime minister also suggested that the two members in opposition should not be permitted to run in the next elections … not as members of their current party, not by starting a new party, not by joining another party. As it turned out, the election commission, having reviewed the status of the two existing…

Aiming for gold

Posted inSports8 Comments
Our population base is small. And we lack the resources. That’s why it’s almost impossible to bring home medals in any sport from any recognized international competition. But what if we had about 1500 sportsmen, spread across the country, all using the latest equipment, and all putting in long training hours to compete in one national tournament? If that were to happen, we would then surely achieve the best international standards at that sport. In fact, that did happen, very recently. A record-breaking 260 teams, consisting of 1,560 archers, took part in the Yangphel Open Archery Tournament. The tournament,…

Comments rule

Posted inMiscellaneous22 Comments
This blog has enjoyed tremendous success. That success – measured by the number of readers who visit this blog every day – is not just because of my posts. Instead, it’s driven mainly by your comments. Many of your comments are informative. They are thoughtful. And they are insightful. In fact, many of them are better than the original post. That’s why they generate so much attention. And that’s why there’s such vibrant debate. So naturally, I am deeply grateful for your comments. That said, some of the comments have also been spiteful. They’ve been written with the sole…

Hejo vs Denchi

Posted inGovernment154 Comments
About two years ago, I'd written about a group of residents in Hejo, Thimphu. Their land had been taken over by the government. But they had not accepted the government's compensation for their land. They claimed that the government's compensation rate - set by the Property Assessment and Valuation Agency, PAVA - was too low. They protested that their land, located adjacent to Thimphu's dzong and close to the capital's business center, fetched much higher prices in the market. And they pointed out that even PAVA's rates were considerably higher for land that is located further away from the…

Keeping watch

Posted inMedia42 Comments
Today's issue ofThe Bhutanesehas only three announcements (one each by BOB, CBS and TCB), and one felicitation message (by Lhaki Group).

Public resources control media?

Posted inGovernment, Media86 Comments
About four months ago, on 28 April, The Bhutanese complained in their editorial that the government was increasingly “using their advertisement revenue to ‘fix’ critical papers …” Last Saturday, Business Bhutan published a copy of a circular, marked “confidential”, directing all departments within the Ministry of Information and Communication “not to provide any advertisement, announcement, notification, circular, etc” to The Bhutanese. The letter, dated 2 April, was issued at the instruction of the Minister. Lyonpo Nandalal Rai, the minister of information and communications, has clarified that the circular was a result of miscommunication; that he had meant “Bhutanese media”,…

Acting late

Posted inDemocracy35 Comments
Four years ago the prime minister pledged to enact a right to information law. The prime minister didn't give a definite time frame, but he promised that it would be done "soon". It's already been four years since the government made that promise. And we are still waiting for them to keep their word. Now, however, finally, there seems to be some movement: the Department of Media and Information has conducted an RTI awareness workshop, and the Ministry of Information and Communication has distributed a draft RTI Bill for public comments and feedback. But all this is for nothing.…