Archive for the ‘ Opinion ’ Category
When we discuss about the worries of population explosion, should we not also try to ponder upon, how the processes of increase of population reached to the present extent, which is illusive, uncertain and of no transparency. We need to understand the following aspects of the history of demography for the purpose of educating the future generations, creating adequate awareness on the topic and possibilities of any degree of misinterpretations. Sooner the so-called democracy manifests into a real democracy, the better it will be for both the people and the palace, as the prosperity and happiness akin to the sun and the moon will be shone on the palace and the people of Bhutan alike […]
The much-hyped LG Election is now completed, which is claimed to be held in the “best satisfaction”, where the King expressed his gratefulness to the Election Commission of Bhutan, all civil servants, teachers and armed forces, and the dratshang. “With your hard work and prayers, we have conducted the historic first local government elections under democracy,” said the King. The so-called young democracy headed by the King with the Prime Minister behind the steering wheel is extremely careful to hold all the elections apolitically. It is because the palace gifted democracy cannot accommodate the civil supremacy in the democracy, which is claimed to be functioning under the farsighted leadership of “His Majesty”.
As rightly quoted by the “Kuensel”, which reads, “Gups are important, as they deal with people every day, and know the needs of the people well”, as having said by the King […]
To expect an overnight shift in Government policies under the prevailing situation will be naïve. I however hope that the recently elected grassroots leaders will be resolute and firm in their stand in discharging their democratic duties.
The Local Government Act stipulated that candidates must be apolitical. As of now only the elections have concluded. The real challenge lies ahead. The apolitical credentials of local leaders will be put to the test in the 2013 General Elections. There we will have our answer.
Democracy in Bhutan is young. The institutionalization of a vibrant democracy takes time. I hope the people’s whole hearty participation in democracy at the grassroots level will educate and ingrain a democratic culture in our citizens. It is however, sad that a large majority of Bhutanese exiles were not able to participate in the election. We hope it will be different in 2013 […]
It sometimes traumatizes people who were the eyewitnesses and victims of the oppressive regime that launched the merciless crackdown first on the Lhotshampas followed by Sharchops community. The resettlement program has given the community not only relief from the throbbing life under bamboo huts, but also gives an opportunity for their children to be educated in the western world and equip themselves for a better future both in terms of political and economic strength so that they could be well equipped to shoulder the greater responsibility of carrying out the mission of true democracy and development in Bhutan.
It is a matter of high appreciation to the core countries […]
Some of the major politicians are quarreling amongst themselves on the strategy to follow. There has not been a single effective attempt to mobilize the international political scene and to get the cause of the refugees on the international agenda. The Bhutanese do not have a Dalai Lama that can speak for them, who is regarded as an international figure of importance. They dearly miss effective leadership. Bhutan has taken advantage of that in the past twenty years by keeping silent and by lying and cheating on the international political scene.
Within the SAARC countries, the case of the refugees has not been seriously discussed or handled. Bhutan and more importantly India blocks discussions on that level. The UN is dominated by countries that prefer a contained situation to a possible conflict with the buffer state Bhutan that is geographically and politically squeezed […]
I am also grateful to my colleagues: especially the editors, board members, and correspondents at the Bhutan News Service (BNS). It is because of their continuous dedication and effort that the Agency is being honored today. In every respect, I will consider this honor as the one to all exiled journalists, who are dedicated to safeguarding Bhutanese citizens right to information.
Despite many challenges, the team of BNS continued to work to offer a reliable, responsible and objective news service. We regularly covered stories about the hardships faced by our fellow community members—groups, families or individuals. We were and are always ready to celebrate, through our news coverage, the success stories that involve our community.
His Majesty has traveled the length and breadth of our country and personally granted land kidu to tens of thousands of farmers. He has walked – sometimes for days on end, in the sun, rain and in the snow – to meet our remotest villagers, and has cooked for them, slept in their houses, and granted kidu to the destitute, the needy and the infirm.
He has visited almost every school, from community schools to colleges, to talk with, to play – at times even barefoot – and to guide our students.
In last November, when King Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck visited Jakar Higher Secondary School, he had played a lot of funs with students in their teens, some in their viable-diable age. As he spoke to them, one of his sentences was notable for many who availed a chance to listen at him.
He lucidly told them that every college student must enjoy his life of being young and unmarried, but should never miss to study hard. By that time, he was 30.
On contrary to his advice, as he turned 31 on February 21 this year, the King started preparing to disclose his relationship with one 21-year-old college […]
The leaders in Kathmandu gave faint assurance to vote for Bhutan; political instability complicates assurance, as who may be at the power at the time of election is unpredictable. Asian nations’ vote to select Bhutan to represent them and later through an election in the UNGA to the UNSC membership will shape Bhutan’s image and build a affable trend of peaceful coexistence of big and small nations in Asia.
On the part of Bhutan, the leaders must intensify their diplomatic lobby. On the human rights ground, Bhutan should do two things—accept all the Bhutanese people, evicted by the former regime, from exile to create clean human right records, and avail more democratic liberties to the people in the country.
Prime Minister Thinley’s fluctuating remarks, from labelling all refugees as ‘illegal immigrants’ to his recent statement that some are indeed genuine Bhutanese, also reflect a nebulous approach. In 1992, at an international conference on Bhutan in London, Thinley, then home secretary, presented a paper in which he defended his government’s position against southern Bhutanese, labelling them as illegal immigrants. During the recent visit, Thinley’s delegation in Kathmandu was accompanied by Khandu Wangchuck, minister for economic and foreign affairs, who in 2006 called the refugees ‘readymade terrorists’. Such backgrounding certainly makes one wonder whether, instead of waiting for another round of talks to materialise, refugees should ponder third-country resettlement, launched by the UN’s refugee agency in 2007 […]
