Kajana fire...

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 lost everything in the Kajana fire. She lost all her possessions including her five cows, all prized jerseys.

The other house belonged to Ap Sangay. He lost his home, his belongings and all the timber for the new house he was building. He wasn’t home. But his family, thankfully, is safe. His family is safe because his son, Sonam Dorji, rescued the other children.

The fire almost spread to Aum Chimi’s house. If it had, it would have spread through Kajana village. And destroyed most of the houses.

The other residents of Kajana are grateful for two factors that saved their village. One, they have a farm road; and because of that, two, the police firefighting team were able to prevent the fire from spreading.

I salute Ap Pasang, Sonam Dorji and the police firefighting team in Haa.

Preparing for storms...

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 Eastern Bhutan on two occasions.

So we need to prepare ourselves.

We need to design better and stronger roofs for our traditional houses, especially since the use of CGI is increasing.

And we need to improve the rural insurance scheme. At Nu 150, the current premium is low. But at only 20,000 for a blown roof, the benefits are hardly enough to rebuild and replace a CGI roof.

Pictured is Ap Sanchu’s house in Wangtsa. Photo by Tshewang Dorji, Katsho GAO

Opposing the oppostion...

My last entry made Di demand that the opposition leader oppose the government’s decision directly and firmly. This is what she said:

“dear OL, are u not going to say anything to oppose this directly to the cabinet? this is wrong wrong wrong. this goes against every morals, values and ethics we have ever been taught. this is showing us that the people who are incapable and the least deserving get the best in life. It is a mockery to everything we have been taught is right. Do u not have duties and rights, as the opposition leader, to oppose this firmly?”

Di is right.

I have the duty to oppose the government when their decisions are unlawful or are not in the best interest of the tsa-wa-sum. I have this sacred duty at two levels: first, personally, as a citizen of this great country; and second, officially, in my capacity as opposition leader.

My last entry was a “personal” attempt to oppose our government’s decision. Through this blog, I have made my personal views on the medical grant issue public. Naturally, I hope that my humble views may receive favour of our government’s attention.

Similarly, but more importantly, many of you have also expressed your personal views in this blog and other on-line discussion fora. I believe our government will give serious consideration to all constructive comments, regardless of how they are communicated.

But what will I do officially? As opposition leader, I still do not know the full story. I don’t know the real objectives of the grant, the number of private students it would cover, criteria for selecting students, obligations of the students, financing source, and how the scheme will be implemented from the new academic session onwards. I also don’t know if the government is considering similar assistance for private students specializing in other professions.

So, as opposition leader, I have spoken with people in the cabinet secretariat, ministry of education and ministry of health. I have also written “officially” to the ministry of education, who will presumably implement the scheme, requesting for information. Their feedback, your views, and the government’s response will determine if I, as opposition leader, should “officially” oppose our government’s decision.

Our government will make mistakes. But know that the opposition’s earnest belief is that, when that happens, our government will admit their mistakes, apologise for them and take corrective measures – all this without “official” opposition.

On a related note…

The public has been quite vocal. This is good for democracy.

But our media has not given any attention to the public’s growing concern on medical grants. This is not good for democracy.

Visit di’s blog

A bold scheme...

Our government’s decision to award grants to private medical students is bold. But it is wrong.

It is bold because it shows that our government can take unconventional measures to get things done – in this case to train more doctors.

But it is wrong because awarding grants to private medical students will not increase the number of doctors. Current private medical students will graduate and become doctors even if the government doesn’t intervene. So helping them will not add to the pool of doctors.

It is wrong because the unexpected grant will benefit current private medical students unfairly. They would enjoy the government’s generosity without having to compete for it.

It is wrong if our government’s decision is, as our education minister reportedly told Kuensel, “… in response to requests made by students”. We have thousands of students studying privately abroad. And it must be that many of them would have even more compelling requests for support.

It is wrong because our government has taken this decision without first understanding how the scheme will be put into practice. Or, for that matter, if it can be put into practice. The “implementation modalities” are only now being developed even as the public continues to voice serious concerns.

And it is wrong because our government should not single out medical students when the country also faces severe shortages of professionals in other areas. These include lawyers and pilots, chartered accountants and chefs, professors and architects, engineers, and even teachers. Will the government help these private students as well?

We need our government to be bold. But that’s not all. Our government must be bold and right. Otherwise we, the people will loose trust and confidence in our own government. And that wouldn’t be good.

Our government should retract its decision.

Returned rightfully?...

On 7 March, BBS reported that: “The land occupied by the Paro Valley Area Development Project was finally handed over to the landowners today. It was handed over by the Agriculture Minister Lyonpo Pema Gyamtsho to the Member of the Parliament from Lamgong-Wangchang constituency in Paro, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk.”

The principle of returning the land to the public is right. The land was acquired by the government in 1990 and compensation paid to the farmers. But it was never put to its intended use. So though it’s been almost two decades, there is a strong case to return the land to the farmers.

But the way it was done was not right.

First, according to the Constitution and the Land Act, only His Majesty the King may grant government land.

Second, the land should have been handed over to the farmers or the gup or the thrizin … and not to the MP of the constituency, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk.

Photo from BBS website

Medical grants...

Many of you have commented on the government’s decision to provide financial assistance to private medical students. And some have telephoned me.

I don’t know enough about this sudden development to comment publicly. So I’ll talk to people who do know. And learn.

I notice that all the comments I’ve received so far denounce our government’s decision. So I urge those in support of the decision to share your views.

Talk of rights...

Yesterday, the ministry of economic affairs announced in Kuensel that today, 15th March, is World Consumer Rights Day.

According to their announcement, the annual event is “a time for promoting the basic rights of all consumers, for demanding that those rights are respected and protected, and for protesting the market abuses and social injustices which undermine them.”

And according to the announcement, the ministry of economic affairs has drafted the Consumer Protection Act which will be submitted to the Parliament soon.

This is good news. Our government seems serious about promoting consumer welfare and protecting consumer rights.

But is it really serious? Consider this: the Tenancy Act, which came into force almost five years ago, was designed to protect the rights of tenants – the consumers of “rental units”. But the Act has hardly been enforced, leading Kuensel to question if the “Act was being violated in spirit and letter.”

Yes, our rights, as consumers, need to be understood, respected and protected. So yes, a Consumer Protection Act may be required.

But let’s first enforce the Tenancy Act. Let’s demand that our rights, as tenants, “are respected and protected.” And let’s protest the “market abuses and social injustices” which undermine these rights.

If we can’t protect the rights of tenants, the government’s talk of protecting consumer rights will remain just that … talk.

Water solution...

In “Weather dependent” I’d celebrated the snowfall, without which our farmers wouldn’t be able to plant potatoes. But I’d also agonized that too much snow could be bad for potato cultivation.

These mixed emotions prompted one Anonymous to comment: “You complain when there is no snow and complain again when there is snow. Nothing new – that is the way Bhutanese are and you are a true champion.”

Precisely.

And I’ll keep complaining: it snowed here, but I learnt that other parts of Bhutan, Gakiling and Sombaykha gewogs for example, got hardly any precipitation. There I saw many farmers look helplessly on as the harsh sun scorched their maize and buckwheat saplings even as they barely sprouted. These farmers already fear their worst harvest in many years. This is bad news for, even at the best of times, their farming is barely subsistence.

What can we do? This is what Aum Zekom advises: “See a rough stretch of wilderness just above the farmer in the middle of this photograph? In Sri Lanka, where rain-water harvesting has been practiced for centuries, one finds a small earthen pond in such a position. Apart from using the pond for irrigation when monsoon rain is late, the pond’s seepage into the ground water system below moistens the soil, helps break down organic matters, prevents loss of top soil, etc., and raises land productivity significantly.” (see “More potatoes”)

Sound simple? It is! See what’s being done in Sri Lanka (I recommend downloading the full report). And in Tanzania.

Let’s not condemn our farmers to the vagaries of nature. We are blessed with a bountiful monsoon – let’s make better use of it.

Pictured is our team walking through a parched field in Gakiling.

Home from home...

I’m back. And I’m sorry for the confusion my last entry created.

Anonymous Migmar wondered how I’d posted “Celebrating women” with “No road, no electricity and no telephone” in the two gewogs I was visiting. So he asked: “… are you back in Thimphu or is someone from your office upgrading your blog… he..he Explain.”

Aum Zekom suggested that I could be “blogging mobile” as “At some of the highest passes, you can catch the airwave to connect your cellphone.”

Here’s the explanation: I wasn’t in Thimphu; no one had posted the entry on my behalf; and none of the many high passes that we traversed had cellphone connectivity. And the VSAT station in Sombay Ama, which had recently been re-commissioned after almost a year in disrepair, didn’t provide internet access.

So here’s the answer: I was dishonest. I’d written “Celebrating women” in Haa the night before I headed to Sombaykha. I then saved it, but scheduled to publish it only at a later day, on 8th March.

A small trick. But one that raised many eyebrows.

I’m sorry.

Pictured are the first three people we met in Shebji, the first village in Sombaykha.

Celebrating women...

Today the world celebrates the achievements of women. Today is International Women’s Day.

When I last checked, the IWD website had registered that 841 events would take place in 54 countries to observe International Women’s Day. And according to a press release from RENEW, Bhutan alone will hold five events – in Paro, Phuentsoling, Sarpang, Thimphu and Trongsa.

Her Majesty Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuck, the founding president of RENEW, will grace the celebrations in Trongsa and address the nation. This is fortunate. Her Majesty works tirelessly to raise awareness and improve the conditions of our women. And to create social, economical and political opportunities for them.

So let’s listen carefully when Her Majesty announces this year’s IWD theme: “Women and men united to end violence against women and girls”

Let’s obey Her Majesty’s appeal to “Say No to Violence against Women: it is not in our culture!”

Let’s acknowledge Her Majesty’s constant reminder on RENEW’s website that “Home is a place for love and happiness, not for violence”

And let’s honour Her Majesty by celebrating our women – not just today, but tomorrow and everyday.

Her Majesty’s portrait from RENEW website