Public opinion matters

May 13, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous
The results of our first poll are in. Of the 46 voters, 59% rated our new site as good or excellent. 40% said that our site could be improved or was bad. And 1 voter – this works out to 2% of the total votes – had no comments. I thank each and every one of our readers who took the time to participate in our first ever poll. Since most of you feel this site is ok, I will continue to use it. But, expects slight changes – I’ll be constantly trying to upgrade and improve our website.…

Your avatar

May 7, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous1 Comment
Okay, our new site is up and running. And you would have noticed that reading your comments is easier and more enjoyable. That’s because all of you are using usernames. And unique usernames make following comments and discussions easy. But most of you have not created avatars. Avatars can be photographs (like Abi and I have used) or caricatures or any other picture you think is appropriate to represent you or your mood. They are not necessary. But, like usernames, they’ll make following your discussions lively. They are also fun. Abi Narayan showed me that easiest way to make…

Our new address

May 5, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous
Welcome to your new site! As promised, I’ve added a little bit of colour to this site. And I’ve changed the format slightly to make visiting this blog easier and, hopefully, more meaningful. But the site is not final – it’s work-in-progress. So please let me know what you think of it. And I’ll try to incorporate as many of your views as possible. Actually my friend, Abi Narayan, will. He’s the one who has put in many hours to improve my earlier boring site. And he’s done it all for free. Thank you very much, Abi.

Star gazing

May 3, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous
Yesterday, our government organized the 8th Film Festival Awards. Our government’s sponsorship of the celebrations is indicative of their support for the movie industry. This is good.Our movie industry has played an important role in promoting our national language and culture, in generating employment and in providing countless hours of entertainment. I thank them and congratulate them for continuing to take Bhutanese cinema to new heights.Congratulations to the winners of the 8th film festival awards – you are our stars.(Till last year the film festival awards were organized through private sponsorship, mainly by the Zimdra Group.)

Happy Losar!

February 25, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous
Losar Tashi Delek! I offer prayers that the Year of the Ox will bring even more peace, prosperity and happiness to our beloved monarchs, to our great nation, and to our people.And as we begin a new year, I thank you for reading and contributing your valuable comments to this blog. You have nurtured the fire within me. Thank you very much.Pictured is New York’s famous Charging Bull. This website has the interesting story of the 7000 pound bronze sculpture which was installed illegally in Wall Street.

Book it!

January 21, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous
“Far apart and close together” is an informative book that celebrates the enduring friendship between Switzerland and Bhutan. The book comes with a DVD on GNH.Every MP was gifted this delightful book.Did we accept the bag which cost Nu 1,800? Absolutely not, that would be corruption. Did we accept this book, valued at Nu 2,700? Absolutely.

Comment on comments

January 6, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous
I don’t want to moderate your comments. Your views, as far as I’m concerned, are as important as anybody else’s, including mine. That’s why I have chosen not to remove – or reply to – any of the comments attacking me. But, I cannot, and will not, allow personal attacks on any other person. These I will remove immediately (I've already removed a couple of comments on the PM). Also, every reference to His Majesty the King will be monitored – “…His person is sacrosanct” (Article 2.15 of our Constitution). That said, I’m not a journalist. So I will…

No to bags

January 2, 2009Posted inMiscellaneous
The first item the National Assembly debated yesterday was bags. To be precise, bags worth Nu 1800. It turns out that traditionally, members of the National Assembly are given a bag each at the start of every session. This tradition is not uncommon – countless bags and satchels have been distributed in workshops and seminars throughout the kingdom. For this session of the National Assembly, the DHI offered to present the bags.Trouble is we are not allowed to accept gifts valued above Nu 1000. So the honourable members unanimously decided not to accept the bags.This is significant and historic.…

Resolutions for 2009

December 31, 2008Posted inMiscellaneous
Frankly, I’m surprised at how many people have been reading my blogs. And very grateful. I want to thank all of you for your support. Whether you agree with my views or not is unimportant. That you take the time to visit and read and comment is important. And for that, I thank you all very much.This is my final post for 2008 – my resolutions for the New Year. They’re in no particular order.1. To read at least 12 books. Or, better still, at least one book each month. Anything remotely resembling a piece of legislation will not…

Running against corruption

December 9, 2008Posted inMiscellaneous
As I left for Trongsa this morning, I drove by runners participating in World Anticorruption Day. The turnout was impressive – hundreds of people, young and old, women and children, businesswomen and men, and bureaucrats and politicians had turned out to show their resolve to fight corruption.Today's run was important, and it was especially significant that some politicians participated. I didn’t run. So instead, I’m writing.Shortly after the first parliamentary session ended, the ACC organized a presentation for MPs. Our Honourable MPs rose, one after the other, denouncing corruption, vowing to fight it, and promising full, unconditional support for…

Happy International Disabilities Day

December 3, 2008Posted inMiscellaneous
Today is International Disabilities Day. Our people with disabilities, especially the youth, received the perfect gift –a special audience with His Majesty the King who also presented them with individual tashi khadars, and a three-storied cake to enjoy during their celebrations.I gate crashed the celebrations. More than a hundred people with disabilities had gathered at the RBP mess to commemorate this important day and to enjoy His Majesty’s special soelra. The students with disabilities put on quite a show, from “singing” our national anthem in sign language to performing traditional songs and dances.The festivities reminded me of the significant…

Why I’ve decided to Blog

November 20, 2008Posted inMiscellaneous
I've started this weblog to: interact with people more effectively encourage open debate on public issues share my ideas with the public accept public criticism for my ideas and actions encourage our youth to be more politically aware start a blog before my children do so