Here's an insightful cartoon from Bhutan Observer. The message is loud and clear. There's no need to elaborate. But one dangerous element is missing in the murky background: the rupee crunch and the growing economic crisis, about which the prime minister has not yet uttered a word.
Article 7 of the Constitution is about our fundamental rights. Section 3 of that important article declares that "A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to information". By this provision, any citizen has the right - a fundamental right - to ask the government for any information. And the government must provide that information, whatever it may be. That is because the fundamental right of the citizen to government information, as granted by the Constitution, is unqualified. And it is unconditional. "A Bhutanese citizen shall have the right to information" - that's all the Constitution says, simple and straightforward.…
Students and teachers of Thimphu’s schools came together in Changangkha to commemorate World Water Day on 22 March. The celebrations included a wide array of well-thought-out presentations and entertaining performances highlighting the importance of water. I was given the opportunity to talk to the students. So I told them a story, one that is relevant to this year’s World Water Day theme: "water and food security". But one that is also relevant to the current rupee crisis. Here’s a quick summary of my story: Nob Gyeltshen is 77 years old. He hails from Dorithasa, a small village in the…
My wife and our daughter, aged 12, walk home every afternoon. They enjoy their walks, but they’ve been harassed by all sorts of men including commuters, taxi drivers and even school students, in uniform, younger than our son. The eve-teasing is offensive and hurtful. Yet, they’ve continued to walk, even if they have to suffer sexual harassment, hoping that, sooner or later, we, men, will learn to respect our women, and permit them the freedom and simple pleasure of walking home from school or work. During their walk today, they met the procession of vehicles carrying effigies and other…
Two years ago, I had been surprised to hear that the cabinet had issued each minister with an additional car, a Wagon R. I had been surprised because that additional perk does not feature in the government's approved list of "Entitlements of Cabinet Ministers and Equivalent Posts", and because the additional expense had not been declared when the budget was discussed in the Parliament. Now I'm surprised to hear that each minister has been receiving "an allowance for cooks and housekeepers from the cabinet". I'm surprised because this perk is not part of the government's approved list of "Entitlements of…
Elections are the single most important part of a democracy. They allow people to participate in the democratic process by directly choosing who they want as their representatives in the parliament. And they provide political legitimacy to elected representatives and to democratic governments. That's why it's important to allow as many people as possible to take part in elections. So, naturally, I'm happy to hear that the Election Commission has decided to allow Bhutanese citizens living in America to use postal ballots in the next elections. They were not allowed to do so in the past, and, as such,…
A couple of friends and I went out for lunch the other day. We ate at Cousins, a new restaurant that specializes in authentic Bhutanese food. You'll find the restaurant on the first floor of the new building opposite the BNB. The food at Cousins is good. We had ribs (with dried red chillies and spring onions in a hot garlic sauce),chopped dried beef (in a chilli and cheese sauce), kewa-datsi, dal, rice and, for desert, fresh apples in cream. The food, like I said earlier, was good. And it was mainly traditional Bhutanese fare. But in fact, there…
Thimphu's main roads are fairly good. They are not necessarily beautiful, but, in spite of limited resources, they are, by and large, smooth, wide and well-managed. The smaller roads, however, tell a different story. Many of them are narrow, riddled with pot holes, and have not seen any form of maintenance for years. Naturally, many local residents are frustrated. One such resident is Aum Thinley Lham. She lives in Taba and, for the longest time, has complained bitterly about the state of her road. But instead of continuing to grumble, she has decided to take matters into her own…
After more than a year of chronic drug shortages, the prime minister has asked the health minister for a report on the problem. I'm surprised. Hospitals throughout the country have been facing a serious shortage of drugs for more than a year. The problem has been widely reported and analyzed by the media. The opposition party questioned the government during the 7th session of the Parliament. And the National Council questioned the government during the 8th session. So I'd have thought that the prime minister would be well aware of the problem. I'd have thought that would have discussed…
Here's another picture for my 'father and child' series: Tobgay and his wife, Sonam, with their children occupying a vantage spot at the Chukha Dzong courtyard. The family had traveled from Bjabcho to attend the consecration of their dzong, and had made sure that they would enjoy a clear view of the folk and mask dances during the festivities. The consecration ceremony was graced by Her Majesty the Queen and presided over by His Holiness the Je Khenpo.
A severe rupee shortage threatens to cause an economic crisis. But the government is in denial. As recently as last week, the finance minister blamed the media for blowing up the issue. On the other hand, the RMA governor has declared that, “we have no money.” And he has already stopped issuing rupees to commercial banks. He has also warned that we can no longer sell our foreign reserves to buy rupees. The RMA has had to borrow rupees to allow for the import fuel and other essential items. But traders are already complaining that they cannot do business.…
Being too cautious with small amounts of money now, could cost you a lot of money later. All of us are familiar with this universal truth. In fact, there's a well known idiom for it: penny wise, pound foolish. But what about the opposite? What if you spend a lot of money now, and end up having to count every penny later? That would be foolish, plain and simple. No idiom is needed, and none exists, to describe such fools. The government spend more than US$ 10 million to hire McKinsey. That works out to about Nu 500 million.…
Last month, on 17 February, at about 8:45 PM, a policeman was shot and severely injured when gunmen opened fire on the Rinchending check post. Moments later a bomb blast ripped through the check post. The United Revolutionary Front of Bhutan, an armed outfit based in Nepal, has claimed responsibility for the attack. URFB is just one of the many Nepal-based organizations committed to spreading terror in Bhutan. Last week, on 1 March, less than two weeks after the attack on the Rinchending check post, the prime minister announced that he is willing to repatriate bona fide Bhutanese living…
The government has decided to discontinue the constituency development grant. That is good news. The government had bulldozed the CDG through the Parliament, without a full debate, without a vote, and without any support of the National Council and the opposition party. The ECB had objected saying that the CDG undermines free and fair elections. And the media has repeatedly questioned the legality of the grant. So the government’s decision to discontinue the controversial grant comes as really good news. But there's bad news too. The prime minister has not accepted that the CDG was a mistake. He has…
It's been three months since two students died and 31 became very ill at Orong HSS due to chronic vitamin deficiency. It's been three months, and finally, last Friday, the education minister announced his response to the disgraceful state of nutrition in our schools. First, the the education ministry has submitted a proposal to increase the school feeding stipend from Nu 700 to nu 1000 per month. Second, the ministry has formed a task force to investigate what happened and to assign responsibility to those involved. And third, the education and health ministries have decided to work together to…