Change: that’s what PM says always

Thimphu, April 13, 2009: Change, change and change. That’s what has been the popular chestnut for Prim Minister Jigmi Y Thinley since he entered politics as appointed minister for foreign affairs in 1998. The latest of this reverberation was heard during his address to the gathering of South Asian Management Forum in Thimphu. 

Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley

When he met with a representative of Bhutanese Refugee Children Forum in Bankok in October 1998 during the regional conference on HIV/AIDS, Thinley had promised changed in the country or else resign from what he was doing – politics.

That was when he started talking about democracy and change. He has changed it finally but the changed benefited him, not those hooked during the absolute rule. This time, in addition to change, he voiced for sustainable change of democracy leaving lines for speculation if conspiracies have already begun to wedge out the budding democracy. 

He said change for the sake of change, which Bhutan is now witnessing, is not desirable even as the whole world may change. 

Management experts from the region during this bi-annual function discussed varieties of issued affecting the region such as democracy and governance, banking, business reforms, and management education.

The experts underlined the need to be cautious for protecting the South Asian economy from the global meltdown since the crisis has affected little here until this day. 

Dr Gour Gobinda Goswami of Bangladesh said countries with free press have less corruption than those where the press was controlled, adding that freedom of press plays a considerable role in controlling corruption, irrespective of the level of economic development of a country, openness, democratic situation, etc.