Talk of rights

March 15, 2009Posted inLegislature
Yesterday, the ministry of economic affairs announced in Kuensel that today, 15th March, is World Consumer Rights Day.According to their announcement, the annual event is “a time for promoting the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.”And according to the announcement, the ministry of economic affairs has drafted the Consumer Protection Act which will be submitted to the Parliament soon.This is good news. Our government seems serious about promoting consumer welfare and protecting consumer rights.But is it really serious? Consider…

Interpreting our Constitution

February 11, 2009Posted inLegislature
“WE, the people of Bhutan ... do hereby ordain and adopt this Constitution for the Kingdom of Bhutan ...” proclaims the preamble of our constitution. And Article 1 declares that “This Constitution is the supreme law of the State.” And that “The Supreme Court shall be the guardian of this Constitution and the final authority on its interpretation”.If legal interpretation of the Constitution was needed it should have been provided by the Royal Courts of Justice which includes the Supreme Court, the High Court, Dzongkhag Courts and Dungkhag Courts. The Supreme Court has the final authority on the interpretation…

How (not) to lift the meat ban

February 9, 2009Posted inDemocracy, Legislature
Well done, Bhutan Observer, for continuing the debate on the proposed amendment the Livestock Act 2001 (read their articles Meat ban debate and Killing ceases when eating stops).I say “proposed amendment” because the proposal to lift the ban on selling meat products during the 1st and 4th months of our traditional calendar has not completed the constitutional process. So it is not yet law.To become law, Article 13.1 of the Constitution requires that “A Bill passed by Parliament shall come into force upon Assent of the Druk Gyalpo”. And Royal Assent has not been granted so far. In fact,…

Consulting democracy

January 10, 2009Posted inDemocracy, Legislature12 Comments
The National Assembly has decided to amend the Livestock Act (2001) to remove the ban on the slaughter of animals and the sale of meat during the first and fourth months of our calendar. I did not support the proposal to amend this Act. I did not support the proposal for a very simple reason – none of us had bothered to consult the monk body. And there are about 15,000 monks. That's a lot of them. Enough to be taken seriously especially on issues concerning religious matters. For a vibrant democracy: consult. And consult widely.

Parliament’s second session

December 25, 2008Posted inLegislature
The second session of the Parliament started yesterday. His Majesty the King, in His Royal Address, commanded that democracy has started off well in our country, but that a lot of work also remains to be done. His Majesty the King reminded the nation that the main purpose of democracy is to further strengthen our country, and to realize the aspirations of the people. And that to achieve these goals, we must work together, as one family. On behalf of the opposition, I proposed a vote of thanks to offer our deep gratitude to His Majesty the King for…

Parked Constitution?

December 21, 2008Posted inGovernment, Legislature
On 12 December the prime minister inaugurated the Wangchuck Centennial Park. This is good news and bad news.The good news is that Wangchuck Centennial Park, our country’s second largest, covering 3736 sq km across four dzongkhags, connects the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Park in the west with Bomdeling Wildlife Sanctuary in the east. The entire northern belt of our country is now protected, allowing for even better management of our rich biodiversity. The park will also protect our water systems, essential for hydropower, and provide ecotourism opportunities for our farmers.The bad news is that the park is illegal. According…