PM stresses to rescue parties financially

April 7 : Prime Minister Jigmi Y Thiney pointed out that there was no option in extending state funding to rescue the political parties, financially bankrupt since 2008.

Thinley defended that Bhutanese citizens have not understood the importance of democracy as a system, and until such feelings start culturing, the parties must survive with state funding.

However, he also said that the present constitution clearly lack provisions that allow state funding for parties.

Meanwhile, the opposition leader in his blog, tsheringtobgay.blogspot.com, criticized such a statement from the PM and wrote, “I smell danger.”

“Why do I smell danger? Because I am becoming increasingly convinced that, constitutional or not, the government plans to bulldoze state funding for parties in the next session of the Parliament,” wrote Tshering Tobgye who leads People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Thinley’s party, Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, is operating with an outstanding banks’ loans of about Nu 25 million, while PDP has overdraft of Nu 18 million.