Commentators

August 5, 2010Posted inMiscellaneous
I’m surprised at the number of comments generated by “Foreign trips”.  And I’m surprised that many of them are by first-time commentators. But, somehow I’m not surprised that virtually all the new commentators supported the prime minister’s frequent travels abroad last year.

Inflating prices

July 29, 2010Posted inEconomy
The effects of inflation on the prices of essentials ... Items Rates May June July Stone Free Rice (ST Rice) 980 1050 1100 Nestle Every Day Milk Powder 190 215 245 Red Label Tea Leave  (500 gms) 145 145 145 Natural  Gold Refined Oil (1Kg) 55 60 65 Maida (1Kg) 20 22 22 Salt (1Kg) 10 10 10 Sugar (1 Kg) 40 40 45 Amul Butter 100 110 120 Amul Cheese 190 205 225

Foreign trips

July 23, 2010Posted inGovernment63 Comments
The prime minister, in his State of the Nation address, reporting to the Parliament on foreign relations: My trips to India, Japan and Italy this year were also very useful in deepening our relations with these countries. I agree. But, the prime minister understated his international travel account. The following, in fact, is a record of his trips outside Bhutan during the 2009-2010 fiscal year: July 2009: Goodwill trip to India August 2009: Fukuoka, Japan to deliver address on GNH November 2009: Itaipu, Brazil to deliver address on GNH February 2010: Delhi, India to attend Sustainable Development Summit February…

Monsters!

July 23, 2010Posted inMiscellaneous
You would have noticed that avatars of monsters now accompany your usernames. The monster IDs are automatically generated. And they are unique to you (as long as you use the same email address.) I’ve unleashed the monsters because none of you were using avatars. I hope you like them. But I hope you eventually create your own avatars! When it comes to usernames, however, it's a completely different story... Early followers of this blog will remember that on the original site, readers could post comments anonymously. You can still do that. But, whereas you didn’t even need to use…

Implementing the Constitution

July 19, 2010Posted inMonarchy

For the people ...

Several people have asked me for an English translation of the expression of gratitude that I had offered to His Majesty the King during the inaugural ceremony of the fifth session of the Parliament. A busy schedule, arising from the fifth session, distracted me from translating the statement.
But yesterday, after posting the entry about the signing of our Constitution, I suddenly decided that the translation had to be done immediately. Here it is …
Expression of Appreciation to His Majesty the King
Introduction. It’s been hardly two years since the introduction of democracy in our country. Democratic Constitutional Monarchy has started off well, and as such, our country has received considerable international appreciation and acclaim for a successful transition to democracy.
But more importantly, our people are already enjoying the benefits of the new system of government.
We have been able to achieve a great deal of development within such a short span of time, because of the blessings of the Triple Gem; the support of our guardian deities; the prayers of our clergy; the good fortune of our people; and because of the wisdom, foresight and guidance of His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo.
Most importantly, it is because of the noble deeds and exceptional accomplishments of His Majesty the King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck.
To most people, democracy means that the complete powers of governance are in the hands of the people. And, that is correct. But in order to administer these powers on behalf of the people, our Constitution accredits a range of institutions. These are, for example, the National Council and the National Assembly, the ruling party and the opposition, the Lhengye Zhungtsho and civil servants, the judiciary, and the Constitutional Offices. The respective powers, roles and responsibilities of these institutions are enshrined in the Constitution.
But of all these institutions, that of the Druk Gyapo is, by far, the most important. According to Article 2 Section 1 of the Constitution, “His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo is the Head of State and the symbol of unity of the Kingdom and of the people of Bhutan.”
All of us are fully aware of His Majesty the King’s noble deeds, actions and achievements. So on behalf of the opposition party, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude by recalling a few of His Majesty’s accomplishments during the past two years. I thank the Honourable Speaker for allowing me to do so.
One: land. In accordance with Article 2 Section 16 (b) (The Druk Gyalpo, in exercise of His Royal Prerogatives, may grant … land kidu and other kidus), His Majesty the King has, during the last two years, traveled throughout our country to grant audiences to people living in our remotest gewogs and villages, and to personally experience their living conditions and greatest difficulties.

Day of destiny

July 18, 2010Posted inMonarchy
On this day, two years ago, His Majesty the King, by warrant under His hand and seal, sanctioned the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan. To commemorate the historic event I visited the Tashichhodzong earlier today. In its Kunrey – the sacred chamber where the Constitution was signed and officially took effect – I offered butter lamps and prayers, and reflected on how we, parliamentarians, have served or failed our Constitution so far.

State of the Nation

July 16, 2010Posted inGovernment, Legislature
The projected order of business for the Fifth Session of the First Parliament for Bhutan had, among many others, the following two entries: Thursday, July 1: Presentation of the Annual Report on the State of the Nation, including Legislative Plans and the Annual Plans and Priorities of the Government, to the Druk Gyalpo and to the Joint Sitting of the Parliament. Monday, July 12: Deliberation on the presentation of the Annual Report on the State of the Nation including Legislative Plans and the Annual Plans and Priorities of the Government by the Prime Minister As we all know, the…

Pride or disgrace?

July 15, 2010Posted inLegislature
The Parliament met in a joint sitting yesterday to conclude its fifth session. And just like that, the first Parliament of Bhutan has already completed half of its 10 regular sessions. So I’ve been thinking about the past five sessions, and researching how we, your members of parliament, have bought you pride or disgrace during the course of our work. I may write about it, but sometime later. In the meantime, I invite you to share your thoughts on how we have fared so far. Which were our best moments? Which were our worst? And which made you laugh?…

Polling McKinsey

July 13, 2010Posted inGovernment27 Comments
During question hour today, I asked the prime minister to explain what work McKinsey were doing that couldn’t be done by our own civil servants. And in my leader to the question, I’d reported that the civil servants I’d spoken with had confided that they were not impressed with the work that McKinsey had done so far. Naturally, the prime minister saw it differently. He claimed that every civil servant he’d talked to had been impressed with McKinsey’s work and had lavished praise on the world’s leading consultancy firm. Perhaps. But still, let’s conduct a poll – we haven’t…

Favouring foreigners over locals

July 13, 2010Posted inGovernment, Legislature
The National Assembly passed the Financial Services Bill last week. I voted against it. I did so because the Bill seems to favour foreign investors over our own people and companies. Section 50, on restrictions on ownership of financial institution and investments by financial institutions, reads: No person shall hold more than the following percentage of interest in shares of a financial institution: (a) in case of an individual, 10 percent, (b) in the case of a company not being a financial institution, 20 percent (c) in the case of a company being a financial institution, as per the…

Advocating champions

July 8, 2010Posted inGovernment
The prime minster, an advocate of cycling and walking to work, referred to a certain setback in his State of the Nation address: I would also like to report that the government has not given up on its dream to make Thimphu a bicycle and pedestrian city despite the initial setback. What is that “initial setback” that the prime minister lamented? After all, the government has made no serious attempts to promote cycling (apart from installing a few bicycle stands in the capital) or to encourage walking (besides the agriculture minister’s famous HEHE walks). Bicycles. In particular the 400…

Wanted: free, frank and thorough discussions

July 7, 2010Posted inLegislature
Today, for the second time in less than one year, a joint sitting of the Parliament will discuss the Civil Service Bill. Parliament had discussed and rejected the Bill last year due to irreconcilable differences on some fundamental principles of the bill. I hope that this time we, parliamentarians, can find a consensus to pass this very important legislation. But that will depend on our willingness and ability to engage in free, frank and thorough discussions on the differing interpretations of the Constitution’s provisions about the civil service. That did not happen last year. There was very little debate…

Taxing explanation

July 6, 2010Posted inGovernment
The prime minister devoted a substantial part of his State of the Nation address to justify the government’s recent tax hikes. And to discredit the “vocal few” who challenged the government’s ill-conceived tax policies. The prime minister: Much has been said of the fiscal incentives and tax increases in certain areas. It has been alleged that the government is being insensitive to the difficulties that these will cause to our poor and ordinary businesspeople and that they will suffer the most. However, one should not allow oneself to be influenced without seeing the full picture. One needs to be…

Working with NC

July 6, 2010Posted inGovernment, Legislature
The prime minister, in his State of the Nation address, on differences between the National Council and National Assembly: Already several issues have arisen between the National Council and this House which inevitably raised the question of seeking the guidance of the Supreme Court even before it was established. Now with its establishment, the wisdom of the judiciary too will be tested if indeed constitutional issues are brought before it. My hope is that, through the ongoing dialogue between the two houses, these issues will be resolved without judicial intervention. Very good. Now prove that there's some genuine commitment…