At the outset, I salute and thank all the writers for sharing their concern over the topic.
I don’t understand where is our country heading? No vision, no mission, no scope. As a Bhutanese, you just need to think and put it right but not in haste which might be very difficult correct later and might put oneself in awkward position. We had the benefit of starting late developmental activities for not having to risk from the failed projects. But why can’t our MPs in NA and NC wait and learn and sail as the breeze takes.
I was furious and couldn’t belief that McKinsey is proposing for 250000 tourists a year. I don’t about their McKinsey’s profile but the report was just like building a castle in the air. When our tourism infrastructures fails to meet the demand of 20000 tourists a year how can they target to bring in such huge number of tourists. Mind you it is 1250% increase. There are lots of things to do.
Now, in the haste of implementing the Mckinsey’s foolish economic or business plan, the government is thinking of 100% foreign investment. Like somebody cited above; are we selling our nation to foreigners? What a shame to whosoever supported this plan or proposal. Just because it will generate few tens of job opportunities for Bhutanese that too at the lowest rank like waiter, bar tender, some assistants – very narrow view. Are our MPs happy to have few Bhutanese people taking few thousands of ngultrums while foreigners taking millions and billions of ngultrums. What kind of plan or proposal is this?
I remember reading in Bhutan history that slaves were abolished by His Majesty the third. Not very far, all Bhutanese are slowing getting there. If all greens for the investment are taken by foreigners what is there for fellow Bhutanese? Unproductive, rugged to scrape and live on to serve these foreigners. And I don’t know whether somebody will questions the present MPs for introducing this policy?
If there is scope of investment opportunity, why are you not allowing our national financial institutions to operate. For instance, I heard pension has unproductive money lying ideal in bank. For pension, 20 billions in 2003 and 20 billions in 2009 is of same value rather they are losing money because of market inflation. In the NA session, rather than discussing on such plan and proposal, they are busy with the discussion on constituency development fund which matter most to them immediately.
Ask yourself, where are we heading? What scope do we have? We depend on external imports for almost everything, even for rice which is main food crop. Soon the so called middle class people in the country will be going hungry as the food crops are becoming expensive. The middle class people are none other than salaried person of the civil society. On the pretext of encouraging farmers to grow food we don’t control price of cereals and vegetables. Where are the mechanisms for such control? What if majority of Bhutanese society can have a decent meal? Is that what GNH implies? What happen to our buzz word of ‘food self sufficiency’? More and more fields across the country are left fallow. why? Think fellow countrymen and we seriously need to think. The other problem in our system is that there is no incentive for thinkers, researchers, scientists, or provide opportunity to enlighten and to get better degree. Are we satisfied with master degree? When around the world even PhD can get a decent job. All these have led to frustration and felt strongly of the no scope for those thinkers and ultimately brain drains.
I think I have provoked enough but got to think seriously.

As far as I know, Lyonpo Khandu has been Bhutan’s Trade Minister atleast 3 times so far. After all that, it is disappointing that he thinks Nu.20 Million is all it should take for Bhutan to grant 100% foreign ownership to a outside investor.

What is Nu.20 million? Is Lyonpo aware that there are luxury cars that cost more than that? Does Lyonpo know how much Hotel Zhiwaling cost to build? Is Lyonpo for protecting domestic interests and capabilities?

Does it ever prick Lyonpo Khandu’s conscience, whenever he is passing by Bumthang, to see that Bhutan has allowed hoteliers such as the Amankora to build such insultingly tasteless and grotesque structures along side our beautiful national icon such as the Wangduechoeling Palace in Bumthang? What is the DPT government thinking exactly?

One of the reasons I voted for the DPT is because they comprised of senior Ministers with experience. I get this feeling that as they get older and more experienced; they are getting less and less wiser.