One, I went through Transparency International’s Corruption Perception index report for 2011. Bhutan is rated 5.7 (10 means perceived to be very clean; 0 means very corrupt) and is ranked a decent 38 out of the 182 countries and territories that were studied. Bhutan’s rating of 5.7 remains unchanged from the 2010 corruption perception levels. Not bad, but we can, and must, do better.

Two, I tuned in to see BBS’s live debate on the topic “Is Bhutan doing enough in fighting corruption?” The debate, which was organised jointly with IMS, had six panelists, all honourable members of the Parliament. The debate would have been a lot more meaningful if the panelists were chosen to defend two different sides of the motion – one team contending that Bhutan is doing enough to fight corruption; the other arguing that Bhutan is not doing enough.

Three, I closed my poll that asked “Is ACC taking too long to start investigating the Gyelpozhing land case?” The big majority – 300 of the 352 who took the poll – answered “yes” the ACC is taking too long.

Four, I drafted a letter to the ACC encouraging them to investigate and resolve the Gyelpozhing land case as soon as possible. The case is significant as it raises serious questions on the conduct of our senior-most public officials, many of whom hold powerful offices. Did they, for example, violate laws in the way that land was acquired and distributed? And was conflict of interest standards compromised by senior officials who applied for and received land?

Five, I drafted a letter to the Royal Audit Authority requesting them for a copy of their report on the special investigations that they carried out on the lottery operations. I had asked for the report in June this year, but was denied it. I’m hopeful that, for the sake of transparency and accountability, the RAA is now prepared to make the report public.

I’m continuing my tour to the dzongkhags – to congratulate the new local governments, to report on the work of the opposition party, and to discuss what we should focus on during the remainder of our term.

I’m in Dagana. Today, after we visit the Impressive Daga Tashi yangtse Dzong, we go to Dagapela, and from there we trek to Lhamoizingkha. I’m looking forward to visiting this part of our country before they become accessible by car.

I haven’t been able to get my laptop online. That’s why I haven’t posted anything new. But I can access the Internet on my phone. So I’m able to update my Twitter and Facebook accounts. Please stay in touch through them.

With my best wishes,

Tshering

We are now back in Trongsa, our first stop on the tour. From here we had traveled to Bumthang and then on to Lhuntse, Mongar, Trashiyangtse, Trashigang, Samdrup Jongkhar, Sarpang and Zhemgang. Tomorrow we head to Wangdiphodrang, and then to Thimphu.

In these dzongkhags I reported to local government leaders and civil servants to describe the opposition party’s roles and responsibilities and to explain the priorities of the opposition during the past three and a half years. I also solicited feedback on any weaknesses, mistakes and shortcomings of the opposition party, and called for issues that we should focus on during our remaining 18 months in office.

I’m now back in Trongsa, where I’m enjoying Yangkhil Resort’s painfully slow wireless services!

First, we voiced concern that the NPPF pension scheme was sustainable for only 30 years.

Then, we discussed the merits of a defined-contribution plan over the existing defined-benefit plan.

And then, we expressed alarm that the government was interfering in how our pension scheme was being run.

Let’s keep talking about pensions. There’s good news. And there’s bad news.

The good news is that, despite increased competition in the financial sector, NPPF seems to be performing well. In the last year, the membership base has increased by 5.4%, from 40,222 to 42,393 members. Revenue generated increased by 14.57%. And the total fund grew by 18.6% to Nu 8.97 billion.

The good news is also that NPPF’s pension scheme could soon become available for workers in the orgranized private sector.

The bad news is that our pension scheme is become even more defined by benefits. Retirement pension benefits have now been increased to 40% of final salaries. This is bound to make our pension scheme unsustainable, especially after returns on NPPF’s investments start to inevitably drop due to the growing competition in the financial sector.

The bad news is also that some six serving ministers are already drawing pension benefits.

Our ministers collect pensions because they have retired from the civil service. And because they’ve reached the retirement age. They’re entitled to draw pensions. But, as serving ministers, they still have regular incomes. So the very purpose of pensions – i.e., to provide predictable income when income from formal employment is not longer available – seems to be lost.

In a defined-benefit plan, pension rates are based on the salary of a member with little regard to how much that member has contributed.  Such a scheme naturally encourages members to collect their pensions as soon as they reach retirement age, even if they are still formally employed. That’s why our ministers collect their pensions although they have regular salaries. The system encourages them to do so.

In a defined-contribution plan, pension rates are based on the contributions of individual members. So the more a member contributes, the more that member will collect during retirement. Such a scheme would encourage members to make contributions as long as they have regular jobs, so that they enjoy bigger benefits when they no longer have regular jobs.

NPPF knows that defined-benefit plans are not sustainable. The experience of many countries has already demonstrated that.

So NPPF should migrate to a defined-contribution plan. The transition will be difficult. And it will be painful, especially for members who will retire in the next few years. But it is possible, now. Our pension scheme is still young; contributing members outnumber pensioners by a huge margin; and returns on the pension investments have been good. Plus, our government may be willing to chip in to defray some of the immediate costs associated with migrating to the more sustainable defined-contribution plan.

We haven’t done this for a while. The first person to get the big picture wins a copy of “Treasures of the Thunder Dragon: A Portrait of Bhutan”.

Safe, sound and dry

I just got off the phone with Colin McCowan, popularly known as “Mister Col” by Bhutanese studying in Brisbane, Australia.

Col says that he’s in touch with all 25 Bhutanese students in the Brisbane area. And that all of them and their families are safe.

The floods have wrecked unimaginable damage in Queensland. So I’m grateful that our students and their families – all 60 of them – are safe and sound.

Mister Col: thank you for taking care of our students.

A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to re-frame or re-interpret the first part. It is frequently used for humorous or dramatic effect. For this reason, it is extremely popular among comedians and satirists.

• I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
• Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.
• I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.
• Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.
• The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list.
• Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
• If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong.
• We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public.
• War does not determine who is right – only who is left.
• Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
• The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
• Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good evening’, and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t.
• To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.
• A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station.
• How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
• Some people are like Slinkies … not really good for anything, but you can’t help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs.
• Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish.
• I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks.
• A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don’t need it.
• Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says “If an emergency, notify:” I put “DOCTOR”.
• I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you.
• Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?
• Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America?
• A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
• You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice.
• The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas!
• Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back.
• A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip.
• Hospitality:  making your guests feel like they’re at home, even if you wish they were.
• Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with.
• I discovered I scream the same way whether I’m about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot.
• Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go.
• There’s a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can’t get away.
• I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not sure.
• I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila.
• When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.
• You’re never too old to learn something stupid.
• To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target.
• Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.
• Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.
• A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.
• If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child?
• Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine

Thank you

The Royal Body Guards are celebrating their golden jubilee today. The banner, featuring RBG’s famous “Gho Company”, congratulates and thanks the commandant, officers and all ranks of the RBG, past and present, for fifty years of dedicated service to the tsa-wa-sum.

RBG’s announcement on this important day follows:

Royal Body Guards was raised on 27^th December 1960 to undertake the security responsibilities of His Majesty the Third King. It then just consisted of one Company of 120 men including officers under the Command of 2^nd Lt. Tshering Nidup who was later promoted to the rank of Colonel and had the Distinction of being the first Commandant of Royal Body Guards.

Since then RBG grew in numbers and relevance to take up very important assignments in the service of Tsa-Wa-Sum. Today RBG is being commanded by Major General Dhendup Tshering DW, DT under whose leadership RBG promises to make steady progress.

On this auspicious occasion of our 50 years service; officers, men and civilian employees of RBG offer our solemn pledge to serve with loyalty and dedication.

Here’s the question:

What does HPM stand for?

Thimphu mourns

Thirty two people were cremated today. 18 of them were pilgrims who died in the recent plane crash in Nepal. The rest were from other parts of the country – they were bought to Thimphu when their families learnt that that His Majesty the King was personally supporting the cremations, and that His Holiness the Je Khenpo was presiding over the final rites.

Thousands of mourners, from all walks of life, gathered in Thimphu’s cremation grounds to stand by the bereaved families of the air crash victims. The outpouring of public support reconfirms how readily we are able, and willing, to come together, as one family, whenever we are faced with adversity.

But we are fortunate that we’ve been able to hold the cremations at all. The air crash, after all, occurred in the high mountains, in a foreign land, and barely five days ago. In most such cases it would be near impossible to bring home the remains of even one victim. Yet, in this case, every one of the bodies were retrieved from the crash site, transported to Katmandu, identified, embalmed and brought home, all in record time. And, given the circumstances, in a manner that caused as little suffering and grief as possible.

All this, and much more, was possible because His Majesty the King personally oversaw the relief work, and ensured that the victims and their families were given complete and unconditional support. The Gyalpoi Zimpoen’s office and government officials worked round the clock, in Nepal and at home, to make sure that the families of the victims would be able to provide funerals for their loved ones, at home, with dignity, and in accordance with our traditions and beliefs.

A terrible tragedy is coming to an end. But through it, I am reminded that we are indeed fortunate to be Bhutanese.