Tshering Tobgay

BCCI’s new leaders

April 4, 2009Democracy, Economy

On Thursday, during its 24th Annual General Meeting, the Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industries elected Topgyal Dorji as its 5th president, and Chen Chen Dorji and Thinley P. Dorji as vice presidents.I offer my heartiest congratulations to the incoming president and vice presidents. The three unrelated Dorji’s have an important common mission: to force our government to get serious about private sector development.

Unresolved audit issue

April 2, 2009Government

It’s quite common to hear government officials complain: “I’m willing to help but, if I do, Audit will fix me up.” This refrain is not an excuse to avoid work. Instead, this shows how nervous most officials get when dealing with the RAA.This is unfortunate. This is unfortunate because all public servants actually accept and support the need to enhance responsibility and accountability in the government, especially when it comes to matters concerning use of public money.Yet most officials are wary of the RAA. And it’s not because they fear getting caught doing something wrong. More often, it’s because…

Lazy banks

April 1, 2009Economy

My last entry provoked Zekom to exclaim: “…calling Bhutanese Banks conservative is a praise they don’t deserve. I’d call them lazy!”She is correct.Because our banks our lazy, money lenders are doing a thriving business throughout rural Bhutan, where our farmers are compelled to take loans at exorbitant rates. It’s common for money lenders to charge farmers interest rates of 5% per month, which works out to 60% per year!This, of course, is illegal. The Moveable and Immoveable Property Act (1999) stipulates that “… no lender other than a registered financial institution which has been duly licensed to engage in…

Banking on our banks

March 31, 2009Economy

Our banks continue to make generous profits. Last year, BNB made Nu 310 million, a whopping 124% over the previous year, and BOB made Nu 168 (see Kuensel article). Not bad, considering the size of our economy. And, considering that they’ve been consistently declaring very attractive dividends.How do banks make money? Primarily by paying depositors a certain interest rate, and charging borrowers a higher interest rate. And obviously, the larger the spread between the two rates, the bigger the profit that banks earn. But what about bad loans, loans that banks cannot recover? That’s the risk that banks take,…

Mobile banking

March 28, 2009Economy

Wouldn’t you be happy if you could get your bank balance on your cell phone instead of having to go all the way to the bank?Wouldn’t it be good if you could instruct your bank not to honour a cheque that you’d issued mistakenly?Wouldn’t you like it if your bank informed you every time money was withdrawn from or deposited to your account?And wouldn’t it be convenient if your bank reminded you when loan repayments were due?All this, and more, are available with the BNB’s mobile banking service which was launched yesterday. I’m excited about this new service, so…

Educating doctors

March 27, 2009Education, Government

On 23rd March, the Ministry of Education announced rules on the recently approved medical scholarship grants (see the rules). The rules clarified how the government will implement the grants. But we should be concerned at least on two counts.One, on the impact on current private students. According to the rules private students currently studying in universities recognized jointly by RCSC, MOH and MOE in the SAARC region, Thailand and Cuba are eligible to apply for the scholarship. Of them 15 will be awarded the medical grant.Obviously, every private medical student by now expects the grant. And convincing them that…

Doing the work

March 27, 2009Nature2 Comments

Regular readers of this blog know that every once in a while I present an issue without making a judgment or giving my views. I just present the facts as I see them.Why do I do this?Firstly, to make us think. Merely raising an issue forces me think much more deeply about it. And I am hopeful that it makes you, the reader, also spend some time reflecting on the issue.Secondly, to solicit your views. Your views are important to me and, I would like to think, to other readers as well. And, by the way, yes, I welcome…

Construction waste

March 25, 2009Nature

This afternoon, while travelling to Punakha, I saw garbage dumped below the highway at several places about 10 kilometers from Thimphu. The waste, which was obviously from a construction site, had been transported by truck and dumped in the forest near Memelakha.

The winner takes it all

March 25, 2009Democracy, Legislature7 Comments

I commemorated the first anniversary of our country’s first general elections by pouring over the election results. And, in doing so, I was reminded of the pain and disappointment on that historic day. I was also reminded of the dangers of our electoral system.Of the 253,012 votes cast, 83,522 were cast in favour of PDP. That works out to a little over 33% of the total votes cast. The rest, that’s about 67%, were cast in favour of DPT.But PDP won only two of the 47 constituencies. That’s barely 4% of the total number of constituencies. So although PDP…

A unique example

March 24, 2009People, Political parties

Last year, in Sherubste College, a student asked me: “We’ve been told, many times, that democracy in Bhutan is unique – please tell me how it is unique.”The fact of the matter is that all democracies are based on, more or less, the same principles, and none can claim to be really unique. But, on the other hand, no two democracies are exactly the same, making every democracy, unique in its own way. So to claim that our particular form of democracy is unique, in the way it is structured for example, would not make much sense.But in one…

2nd general convention

March 23, 2009Political parties

The PDP held its second general convention yesterday.Despite strong appeals, from every party member, PDP president Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup resigned, taking full “moral responsibility” for the party’s loss in Bhutan’s first general elections.The general convention confirmed the following nominations:President: Tshering TobgayVice Presidents: Damcho Dorji, Ritu Raj Chhettri, Yeshey DorjiSecretary General: Sonam JatshoTreasurer: Namgay DorjiSpokesman: Dr Tandin DorjiThe general convention also approved a new executive board.

PDP general convention

March 21, 2009Political parties12 Comments

Tomorrow, 22nd March, PDP will hold its general convention.We anticipate a large turnout. People from every dzongkhag have telephoned to inform us that they’ll be participating in the meeting.The convention is open to all party members. To attend, please be at the RAPA hall by 9:30 AM.

Women warriors

March 21, 2009Civil society, Monarchy, Women

Fourteen villages in my constituency, most of them in Gakiling gewog, do not have electricity. Every night, women in these villages turn their rangthang, a traditional stone mill, grinding buckwheat, maize and millet for several hours in virtual darkness. Working the rangthang is hard work in the best of conditions. But in the dark, by a hearth that offers more smoke than light, grinding food is a lonely and backbreaking exercise. Yet is must be done, for they must feed their families the next day.So yesterday, when 35 women from similar villages across Bhutan announced that, in three months,…

Kajana fire

March 20, 2009Villages

At about 1:30 AM on 14th March, a fire raged through two adjoining houses in Kajana in Haa.The first house belonged to Aum Dema, aged 60. Aum Dema wasn’t home during the fire – she was at her daughter’s house because she didn’t want to spend the night alone. She would have had to spend the night alone because her husband, Ap Passang, was in Danadingkha Goenpa. And Ap Passang was in Danadingkha fighting a forest fire … as a volunteer. He’d volunteered to spend the night in the goenpa to make sure the forest fire didn’t restart.Aum Dema…

Preparing for storms

March 19, 2009Nature, Villages

A week ago, strong winds damaged 20 houses in Haa, most of them in Katsho. The storm had blown off most of their roofs.I’m in Haa. And I was delighted to see that most of the houses have already been repaired.Wind storms are not uncommon in Haa. Just last year several houses had been severely damaged, mostly in Samar.In fact, wind storms are not uncommon in most parts of our country. My colleague, Dasho Damcho, is currently in Laya meeting farmers still recovering from the effects of last week’s storm. And, barely a year ago, strong winds swept through…