Expensive talk

Posted inEconomy34 Comments
The Ministry of Agriculture says that the prices of local vegetables is increasing. They are right. In fact, the prices of local vegetables have not just increased; they have skyrocketed. Between this time last year and now, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, the price for local cabbages increased from Nu 37.43 to Nu 48.75. That's an increase of 30.25%. The price of local chillies increased from Nu 270 to Nu 300 or by 11.11%. And the prices of potatoes and beans have jumped by a massive 47.22% and  39.40% respectively. So what's driving the prices of local vegetables? …

Studying pedestrian day

Posted inGovernment96 Comments
On pedestrian day, the number of vehicles driven is halved, and the number of people walking is doubled. At least, that's what a study by the National Environment Commission says. Good. But what would be better, essential in fact, is for the government to study the impact that pedestrian day has on the quality of our lives. And the impact that it has on doing business in Bhutan.

Royal Grandmother

Posted inHealth, Monarchy3 Comments
My last post was about Dr Aubrey Leatham, a leading pioneer in cardiology and the development of pacemakers. Dr Leatham, along with others, like Dr Albert Craig, had been invited to Bhutan by Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother, Ashi Kesang Choeden Wangchuck, to care for His Majesty the Third King. Between then and now, Her Majesty the Royal Grandmother has also spearheaded innumerable programs to care for the health of the people. They include, among many others, the introduction of, for the first time in Bhutan, drugs to fight leprosy and tuberculosis. What’s more, Her Majesty, now in her…

Thimphu High Street

Posted inMonarchy8 Comments
Thank you for taking part in the last Big Picture. Your answers were varied - Changangkha, Phobjikha, Gangtey, Wangdue, Paro, Bumthang, Dagana, Lhuntse and Thimphu town - and rightfully so. The old photo, after all, could have been taken anywhere in Bhutan. The picture, as you can now easily see, was taken outside the Tashichhodzong. It shows the beginnings of modern Thimphu complete with offices, shops and, in the background, the dzong undergoing major renovation and expansion. Dorji, "Pothery" and "River" all identified the place correctly. But the first correct answer came from Ugen, who wrote, "Settlement outside Tashichhodzong…

About relief

Posted inGovernment, Monarchy29 Comments
Consider this: His Majesty the King issued a Kasho yesterday granting Nu 200 million towards the reconstruction of the Wangduephodrang Dzong. Nu 100 million was granted from the armed forces, and Nu 100 million from His Majesty's Kidu Foundation. Now consider this: The government has allocated Nu 20 million per year to the Druk Gyalpo's Relief Fund until the balance reaches a ceiling of Nu 100 million. The Relief Fund was passed by the Parliament in the last session. Nu 20 million per year is woefully inadequate. I said so in the Parliament. And I wrote about it. How…

Shopping for poi

Posted inCulture, Economy1 Comment
Walk into a shopping mall, and you’ll be greeted by customers sampling various perfumes. Walk into the Norling Building in Changangkha, and you’ll also be greeted by customers sampling various perfumes. But there’s one big difference. The customers in the Norling Building, in Nado Poi shop to be exact, would be trying out different types of poi – traditional incense sticks for religious offerings. That, at least, is what I saw the other day. I went to Nado’s to buy some poi, and bumped into a group of Taiwanese tourists. They, like children in a sweetshop, were excitedly trying…

Ambassador for life?

Posted inLegislature126 Comments
Should Parliament make the Prime Minister GNH Ambassador for Life? The proposal to make the Prime Minister GNH Ambassador for Life was tabled by the Speaker. But it was not discussed in the National Assembly. Yet, the proposal was forwarded to the National Council. And it was almost included in the Assembly’s resolutions as a proposal that had, more or less, been accepted. The Speaker also made indirect reference to the proposal in his address during this session’s closing ceremony. So should Parliament make the Prime Minister GNH Ambassador for Life? No. First, the Parliament did not follow due…

Rule of the mob

Posted inDemocracy67 Comments
Last week, when the government introduced the Land bill 2012, I had exhorted the MPs to reject the motion to discuss the Bill. The prime minister reacted strongly to my statement, disagreeing with all my arguments. I had wanted to respond to the prime minister's strident remarks, but had not been given leave to do so. It would have been good if we had had the opportunity to discuss my arguments and the PM's counterarguments in a bit more detail. But we didn't. There were several issues that I thought merited the Assembly's, and the nation's, attention through discussion,…

Extraordinary

Posted inGovernment, Legislature21 Comments
Something extraordinary took place in the National Assembly last Tuesday. The government introduced the Land Bill 2012 in the Assembly. But they did not move a motion to deliberate the Bill, as was expected. Nor did they move a motion to withdraw the Bill in accordance with legislative procedure. Instead, the government proposed that the next Parliament deliberate the Bill. And the National Assembly endorsed the government's proposal. So what's out of the ordinary? One, the government introduced a bill that they never intended to discuss. But why would the government go through the trouble of introducing a bill,…

The power of the land

Posted inGovernment, Legislature33 Comments
The following is a translation of my statement in the National Assembly yesterday: Today we are discussing a matter of profound significance – land. The historic First Parliament of Bhutan has already deliberated many issues of great importance. Today’s topic of discussion, concerning the amendment of the Land Act, is also extremely important. The decisions we take will have a long-term impact, for better or for worse, on our country and our people. It may appear that our kingdom has been blessed with plenty of land. This is true, but the amount of land actually available for agriculture and…

Taxing issues

Posted inEconomy, Government12 Comments
The National Assembly passed the Tax Revision Bill last week. The Bill is now with the National Council. The Council will discuss the Bill, but, because it is a “money bill”, the Council can only make suggestions and recommendations that the National Assembly may, or may not, chose to accept. (Last year, the Assembly did not accept any of the Council’s recommendations on the budget and tax revision bills. In fact, the Assembly just skimmed through the recommendations, barely discussing them.) The National Assembly has passed the Tax Revision Bill. But, we didn’t discuss it properly. After the Bill…