With thanks

March 7, 2013Posted inDemocracy, Monarchy2 Comments

The following is a rough translation of my address yesterday, in the closing session of the parliament.

HM-kengkhar
The People’s King

Today is an auspicious day: it is the closing ceremony of the 10th session of the first parliament. Today is also an historic day: it is the closing session of the first elected parliament after Bhutan became a democratic constitutional monarchy. On behalf of the opposition party, I offer thanks to His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen for gracing the closing session of the parliament.
In the past five years since the introduction of parliamentary democracy, His Majesty the King has worked tirelessly and contributed so much to the nation and the people that it is impossible to recount them all here. In fact, it is difficult to even offer a summary, because no such articulation would do justice to His Majesty’s contributions.
Nevertheless, on behalf of the opposition party, I take the privilege of offering our sincere gratitude to His Majesty the King for the continuing, steadfast and unwavering support and guidance that the country has been blessed with. And so I would like to take the privilege of highlighting just a few areas and projects through which His Majesty has led the country with vision and dynamism.
First, by granting royal kidu, His Majesty the King has changed the lives of countless people. His Majesty has granted land to the landless and the poor. Thousands upon thousands of people in the villages who couldn’t pay for their excess land were granted exemption, and their excess lands were regularized in their name. This went on to address the biggest concern for countless people in the villages and helped them lead a normal life. It gave them hope to continue living in the villages at a time when rural to urban migration has become a grave threat.
His Majesty’s kidu program has been extended to poor students to help them go to school. It has given the rural and poor students an equal opportunity to go to school and shape a career for themselves. His Majesty also supports many elderly, poor and needy citizens all over the country. The Kidu program ensures that no one is left behind and His Majesty has personally met all of the recipients to understand their problem.
Second, it was unfortunate for our country to have suffered from so many disasters in the past five years. We had entire towns and a dzong destroyed by fire. We experienced windstorms, floods and earthquakes posing a lot of hardship for the people. We even had an unfortunate plane crash where some Bhutanese citizens on pilgrimage died in Nepal. But whenever a disaster struck, His Majesty personally and immediately went to comfort the people. While His Majesty’s mere presence gave people hope and comfort, relief funds and support helped them rebuild their homes and lives.
Third, as a deeply religious country, the two great religions of Bhutan have spread even more and taken greater hold. It is because of His Majesty’s personal work and example that the people have even greater faith and belief in our religions. In this context, I would also like to thank His Holiness the Je Khenpo, Trulku Jigme Choida, for his exemplary leadership, and the five lopens, the clergy and the monks, lay monks, and nuns of all faiths for their continuous prayers for the nation.
Fourth, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, His Majesty the King has strengthened the security of the country. His Majesty has guarded our external boundaries and protected the country from all internal threats. In addition, His Majesty initiated the De-Suung program which has strengthened community vitality, patriotism, and volunteerism. The De-Suung volunteers are the first ones to reach any disaster affected area. They seem only eager to help and such positive enthusiasm would not have been possible without His Majesty’s vision and leadership.
Sixth, it is amazing to recount that His Majesty has personally met almost all the people in the country. Despite the busy schedule, His Majesty has given audience to people from all sectors at the Royal Palace. His Majesty invited and personally attended to people from the civil service, corporations, local governments, business community, farmers, musicians, movie industry, media, bloggers and many others. His Majesty listened to them, took stock of their problems, joked with them, advised them and the most important, inspired them to achieve greater heights. In addition to that, His Majesty has been visiting schools constantly. Ever since ascending the throne, His Majesty has graced every graduate orientation program, whether it is university graduates, vocational graduates or teachers, and has been personally giving away the graduation certificates no matter how large a group is. His Majesty has always reiterated that the youth are the future of the country and has always kept them in the loop with constant interaction and in the process advising and supporting them.
Seventh, His Majesty the King has taken Bhutan’s international relations to new heights. His Majesty has generously granted audiences to international visitors to Bhutan, and has visited many countries. Each visit has brought unparalleled goodwill and standing. While making new friends, His Majesty has taken the friendship with India to a new level.

Code language

March 1, 2013Posted inEconomy, Education5 Comments
What we, as a country, need to do to rescue the Thimphu Tech Park. Yes, it will take a full generation to get there. But that's why we must start immediately, with a sense of urgency. http://youtu.be/nKIu9yen5nc

Impostor!

February 27, 2013Posted inDemocracy, Media14 Comments
Impersonating anyone on social media is easy. All that's needed is to create an account using that person's name, photo and other relevant information. And the impersonator is in business. We've seen one person impersonate the prime minister on Twitter. And another person, also on Twitter, has been going around as MP Tshering Penjor. More recently, someone has opened a Facebook page pretending to be me. I don't mind impersonators on social media, especially if their purpose is to expose and make fun of the stupidity and excesses of public officials. This type of satire could generate much-needed laughter,…

A birthday greeting

February 21, 2013Posted inGeneral
On the joyous occasion of His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk’s 33rd birth anniversary, the People’s Democratic Party joins the nation in offering our deepest respects, heartfelt felicitations and prayers for His Majesty’s long life and a long prosperous reign. Long Live the Druk Gyalpo! Bhutan has been blessed with a succession of enlightened monarchs – selfless and benevolent kings who have always placed the interest of the nation above all else. They have ensured the peace, security and stability of our country; they have bestowed liberty, justice and happiness on our people. Bhutan continues to be…

Illegal censorship

February 19, 2013Posted inMedia19 Comments
Bhutanomics is a political satire blog set up by "Bhutan analyzers" who are committed to keeping a check on the "ballooning egos of the powerful so that they don’t forget the people are watching." The blog was launched in March, last year. And within no time, they attracted a large and faithful following which seemed to keep growing. Traffic to the blog was so high that the administrators were forced to upgrade and expand their website infrastructure several times. Then, all of a sudden, on 12 January, Bhutanomics went dead. Their website was inaccessible. In fact, users of Tashi's or Samden's ISPs…

Entitlement urgency

February 17, 2013Posted inDemocracy, Government15 Comments
Most of you sided with the government's proposal to force early elections that I wrote about in Dissolving the government. Thank you for your comments. (For the record, PDP would benefit from early elections too. Unlike the three new parties, we already have a presence in all 20 dzongkhags. And that means that early elections would almost assure us of getting past the primary round.) By law, the government can recommend the premature dissolution of the National Assembly. So I have no problem with the legality of the government's proposal. It's the principle that concerns me. If the government's…

End violence against women!

February 14, 2013Posted inWomen2 Comments
Today is Valentine’s Day. It is a day to celebrate love. The simple and pure message of love transcends all society, and so the Day is observed by all, all over the world. This Valentine’s Day is special because the world is also observing the One Billion Rising, a call for one billion women and all men who support women’s rights to walk out of offices and homes to “strike, rise and dance!” Bhutan will also join the noble cause. And, in true Bhutanese spirit, Her Majesty the Queen Mother Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck will lead the way, offering prayers and butterlamps…

Dissolving the government

February 13, 2013Posted inGovernment, Political parties23 Comments
In his inaugural address last Friday, the Speaker announced that the government has proposed for the early dissolution of the National Assembly. According to Article 10, Section 24 of the Constitution: “… While the National Council shall complete its five-year term, premature dissolution of the National Assembly may take place on the recommendation of the Prime Minister to the Druk Gyalpo …” So yes, the government can recommend the dissolution of the National Assembly before the completion of its term. The government can do so. But they should not. Why? Because, the government is forcing early elections for their…

Inviting questions

February 12, 2013Posted inLegislature8 Comments
The 10th and final session of the 1st Parliament got underway last Friday. During this session, the National Assembly will discuss just two bills: Contract Bill of Bhutan, and Alternate Dispute Resolution Bill. In addition, the National Assembly will consider the National Council's comments on Road Bill and Domestic Violence Prevention Bill which were adopted by the Assembly in the 9th session. The Disaster Management Bill will be discussed in a joint sitting to iron out differences between the two houses. Question Hour, when MPs get to question the government, are held on Tuesdays and Fridays. I've prepared some questions, but…

Happy Losar!

February 11, 2013Posted inGeneral5 Comments
I am guilty. My last post was on November 23. That means that I have not updated my blog for about two and half months – 79 days to be exact. That’s a long break. I took the break to collect my thoughts. I also took the break to focus on party matters – to consult and work more closely with my PDP colleagues in the lead-up to this year’s elections. I’m happy to report that, so far, our journey to the 2013 elctions is proceeding well. So far, so good. I have been very fortunate that my blog…

Ache Lhamo

November 23, 2012Posted 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?

November 18, 2012Posted 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

October 20, 2012Posted 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

October 11, 2012Posted 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

October 10, 2012Posted 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…