DPT leaders

Posted inPolitical parties42 Comments
Allegations that Dasho Chang Ugyen had illegally acquired 10 acres of community and government land in 1987 has drawn widespread outrage and public condemnation. The allegations come even as the Gyelpozhing land grab case is still being investigated. Both the land cases involve the senior most DPT leaders. The president, both vice presidents and several senior members of the DPT are alleged to have acquired large tracks of land illegally. Some commentators here have pointed out that the land was acquired many years ago, much before DPT was established, and that, as such, DPT should not be linked to…

Father and child

Posted inCulture2 Comments

Two characteristics that all Bhutanese men should be proud of: knowing how to cook, and taking care of their children. I, like most Bhutanese men, like to cook. But my wife has made it quite clear that I’m more of a nuisance than a help in the kitchen, and my family only grudgingly accept what I cook. So my main responsibility at home revolves around taking care of our children. I enjoy that responsibility, and feel fortunate that I, like most Bhutanese men, can spend quality time with my children.
Today I looked for Bhutanese fathers with their children. And within minutes – literally minutes – I was able to capture these ‘father and child’ moments:

Lop Ugen Dorji, Kelki HSS, with Phakchung Dolma, 4 years, and baby Pema Yutsi on a walk

Kinzang Wangdi driving behind bikers Sangay Ngedup, 9 years, and Kinga Yeedzin Dema, 7

Happy Losar!

Posted inCulture1 Comment
Art by Chimi R. Namgyal, a self-taught digital artist, who creates the most amazing 'paintings'. The printers were not able to do justice to Artist Chimi's work, so I'm still trying to get the job done, at another press, in a manner that will reflect the original quality. Please email me if you'd like a copy of this 'belated' Losar card. Meanwhile, I wish all my readers a very happy Losar!

The Bhutanese

Posted inMedia78 Comments
The Bhutanese, Bhutan’s latest newspaper, was launched today, coinciding with His Majesty the King’s 32nd birth anniversary, in a quiet ceremony in their offices in Chubachu. The Bhutanese is our 11th newspaper. But it is the first to use the broadsheet format. So while we’ve become used to reading small, comfortable tabloid papers, The Bhutanese offers the feel of a bigger and more real newspaper. They’ve used the extra space well. In their very fist issue they take on the “DPT vice president involved in Nu 300 mn Thimphu land scam”, the “Commission Raj in the health ministry…”, arbitrary…

“Khandu-Om” is right

Posted inYouth15 Comments
“Youth Unemployment – A serious concern for Bhutan?” That’s what BBS asked yesterday, on People’s Voice, a popular Sunday show. The debate was timely, given that thousands of students are now entering the workforce. But public opinion on this important topic was overwhelmingly one-sided: 733 of the people who took part in the vote said that youth unemployment is a serious concern; only 87 said that it isn’t. My blog post earlier this month, when the Class 12 results were announced, drew similar responses. But one of them, by a “Khandu-Om”, put the blame squarely on me. Here’s what…

Real accountability

Posted inGovernment17 Comments
Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, the works and human settlement minster, was reportedly “shocked and alarmed” at news that his ministry was underutilizing its budget allocations. The Ministry of Works and Human Settlement has apparently used barely15% of this financial year’s budget although more than half the year has already elapsed. Is Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba really shocked and alarmed? I hope not. After all, we expect our ministers to have a good idea of how their respective ministries are performing or underperforming, as the case may be. So if he is really shocked, if he is really alarmed, we should be…

Big blue

Posted inSports3 Comments
My oversized jaws continues to be the brunt of many jokes. Replying to my last post 'nagilabgey' answered that "OL's jaws" are the second largest structure in Thimphu! My jaws are big, but they're not that big. They certainly are not the second biggest structure in Thimphu. That distinction belongs to the BBS radio tower in Sangaygang. The BBS tower, measuring about 41 meters, was built in the 1980s to transmit shortwave radio waves. Since 1999, the tower has been used to broadcast TV and FM signals in addition to shortwave radio. Actually, I had another structure in mind…

Radio gaga

Posted inEconomy3 Comments
Tourists visit Bhutan for many reasons. Most do so to catch a glimpse of the last Shangri la, that is, to experience our unique culture and enjoy our pristine environment. But many tourists visit our country for specialized purposes, and because those purposes can be fulfilled here more so than in any other country in the world. For instance, tourists visit us to do the arduous Snowman Trek, ride the treacherous Drangmechhu, or complete the grueling Tour of the Dragon. Enthusiasts pay to look for rare butterflies, catch a glimpse of stunning birds, or soak in the beauty of…

State of our civil service

Posted inGovernment36 Comments
I watched the last part of the People's Voice debate on BBS TV this evening. The motion was "Civil Service - efficient and accountable?" The team arguing against the motion won by a huge margin, 692 votes to 184 votes. Obviously, they were able to convince the viewers that our civil service is NOT efficient and accountable. But the votes are compiled from viewer SMSs (only one SMS per phone number is recognized). So the result also reflects widespread discontent at the state of our civil service. What do you think? Is our civil service efficient and accountable? Please…

Exciting news

Posted inMedia15 Comments
There’s excitement in the air. The media fraternity has finally launched the Journalists Association of Bhutan. The journey has been long: it began way back in 2006, and has included a UNDP funded project and the establishment of the Bhutan media foundation. So, naturally, our journalists are excited. I'm excited too. I congratulate our journalists. And I wish them success in their mission to improve the quality of journalism in Bhutan. Congratulations also to JAB’s office bearers, especially to their first president, Passang Dorji. But there’s another reason for that excitement. The media fraternity has been preoccupied by a…

Walk the talk!

Posted inGovernment17 Comments
South Korea is home to 50 million people. They have the 13th largest economy in the world and are a member of the G-20. They are the world’s leading exporter of some of the best electronics (think of Samsung), home appliances (LG), cars (Hyundai Kia) and ships (Hyundai). They have hosted the Olympics, the World Cup and the Asian Games. They have the world’s best education system, enjoy one of the highest internet penetration rates, and boast a popular culture that has taken much of Asia by storm. But in spite of all their successes, South Koreans are still…

Reckless power

Posted inGovernment10 Comments
The minister for economic affairs, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, is in New Delhi. He’s meeting his counterparts in the Indian government to discuss the hydropower projects currently under construction. And he’s attending the empowered group meeting that will consider future hydropower projects, including those that will be developed as joint venture projects by public sector companies of the two governments. I hope that Lyonpo Khandu will remember the question that I had submitted during the last session of the Parliament. I didn’t get to actually ask it due to time constraints. But, as required, I had submitted my question in…

Nervous and scared

Posted inEmployment20 Comments
The Class XII results are out. 8,576 students took the exams last year. And a good 86% of them passed. They’ve completed school. Some of them will go to college. Some will undergo training. And the rest will enter the world of work. They’ve begun a brand new chapter in their lives, a chapter that should be full of promise and excitement. So we should be happy for them. And we should be excited for them. But I’m not. I’m not happy. And I’m not excited. Instead, I’m nervous. And I’m scared. More than 7,300 students passed the Class…

About financial crisis

Posted inMiscellaneous2 Comments
If you, like me, want to know more about the global financial crisis, here’s a quick two-step process. First, get hold of Justin Cartwright’s novel Other People’s Money. Okay, it’s fiction. But it’s very readable. And you’ll find that the story, which revolves around a failing London bank, provides an enjoyable introduction to why financial institutions collapse, and how rich bankers, powerful politicians and influential journalists conspire to prevent the bank from crashing. Justin Cartwright’s story also mentions Bhutan – not as the land of gross national happiness, or as an up and coming financial centre, but, interestingly, as…