My Response to the Responders of OL’s Statement on PM’s Recent Malicious Comments

If I may add, let's be clear that in a democratic setup, 'speaking out' is a crucial element not only to keep the government under check and balance but also instill sense of ownership  to the people. Complacency is the greatest enemy of democracy. We cannot progress by letting someone to act at his/her whims. The OL's uncommon statement (in fact first of its kind comment) is mere a clarification. In fact, what Opposition did in response to the govt's action is extremely inadequate.

If you are up-to-date of the happenings, you must be aware of how this government is excessively putting the nation into a risky state. Without an iota of doubt, this government is proving anything but competent. The comments such as the one made by no other than Prime Minister of Bhutan is an indication how Bhutan has become vulnerable in the hands of present government. Irrespective of how the govt wronged, some people have become accustomed to construing anything pointed against the government as ‘politically motivated’ or something like ‘revenge’ while some people act smart under the guise of neutrality.

I shall like to believe that under normal condition, though the govt has absolute executive power, to cancel planned activity right away by Prime Minister without justifiable reason such as the one in Bumthang could be difficult. But from what we have witnessed so far, it makes sense to believe that this govt can do anything irrational. Pema Gatshel Dzong construction which was already initiated was left to suffer under the guise of fund constraint while Sarbang Dzong Construction which was nowhere in picture in recent time has been proposed to construct by this new government. I’d like to again relate  govt’s irresponsibility to that of PM’s visit to eastern Bhutan; When PM visited all Dzongkhag of Eastern Bhutan, he has deliberately ignored (as I now understood) Pema Gatshel Dzongkhag, the stronghold of DPT supporter and the Dzongkhag of former PM.

 

My recent customized poll in face book shows that 73% of the people who have voted strongly agreed for govt to step down while only 13% has disagreed with the idea. I think it’s definitely a cause of concern for the country. In this time of uncertainty, I can only say that we should be prepared for the worst if complacent is our choice.

The rudiments of haves and have-nots in Bhutan

The most notorious of all who's responsible for widening the gap between rich and the poor is the inadequate fiscal and taxing policies in the country. Civil servants or corporate employees contribute a decent share of his/her meagre salary as Personal Income Tax to the government but the businessmen who earn in millions don't have to pay even a single ngultrum as PIT because they could make it fool proof. On the pretext of 'illiterate,' their business income is also grossly manipulated by hiding their true account of business. It's generally accepted norms that the tax on Business are levied based on the visual inspection and approximation of physical stocks at that point of time which are mostly undervalued/manipulated (with exception of few cases).

The other notorious factor responsible for income disparity is the govt's policy of going soft (with less tax) with the so called 'small' business group. The government's strategic idea that business ventures would grow by giving them tax holiday is making the situation worst unintentionally.

 
What we see as consequences of above facts is that while people working on salary could hardly make their ends met, many businessmen could afford luxurious life with expensive cars, furniture and other properties. Therefore, it’s sensible to simply believe that we needed to revisit the whole system before it goes out of control.

India’s Interference in our 2013 General Election is Unfortunate.

There's is a growing number of Bhutanese with anti-India sentiment especially after the 2013 General Election. The India's unexpected interference in our national election has left permanent dent that'll never be cleared in the minds of people of Bhutan through generations. No matter how and what India do to Bhutan, she will never regain the trust and heart of the Bhutanese like before. This was the greatest blunder India had committed to an absolutely harmless tiny kingdom. Due to the geopolitical reality, Bhutan may suffer from arbitrary subjection of India but Bhutan will never bow to lick her shoes.

The culture of 'preferent’ political party has been established which I believe is most dangerous for the security and sovereignty of the kingdom. What India failed to see was that whoever comes to power is only for temporary. It may have fulfilled its wish to have its preferred party in power for once but I don’t think people of Bhutan will be fooled twice. India has demonized DPT apparently for no credible reasons and forced him to turn away. If DPT forms the next government, by default, there's likely that its policy will be inclined towards north. Such a trend is not good for the country but this is what it has been conditioned by India.  

With Congress increasingly facing stiff completion from BJP and the likeness that it my exit from government, Bhutan has good opportunity to exercise autonomy in affairs related to foreign relation including the strict control of development of hydropower projects in Bhutan. When it comes to assistance to Bhutan, BJP may not match Congress but BJP is certainly liberal in matters related to foreign affairs. However, whether Bhutan could seize the opportunity is a big question as we don’t have government who could do that job.

Hydropower Projects in Bhutan are ‘India-tied’ and meant to Service India

If the de facto position as it stands today is anything to indicate, Bhutan is under the 'electricity-colonization' of India. No matter what one may put in, in reality, under the guise of friendship, knowing the geopolitical reality of Bhutan, India for her own interest has manage to squeeze undue benefits from the hydropower cooperation with Bhutan. It's a common sense to simply understand why Bhutan's hydroelectricity is meant to service India.

The billions of ngultrum that are pumped into for construction of hydropower projects in the country are almost all drained off to India as everything is provided by India. The contractors, consultants, professionals, management of projects, technology and products are India-tied and India takes the lion’s share of benefits during the construction stage. There’s little Bhutan could gain during the construction phase.      

If we recall, during the tariff fixation of Tala project, India didn’t budge to give in for a justifiable electricity price & pricing mechanism as it was evident from many rounds of frustrating talks (more than 10 rounds) between the officials of India and Bhutan. India has always played upper hand on deciding electricity tariff as Bhutan has no means to negotiate.   

While some major hydropower projects in India (E.g. Teesta Hydropower Project) are developed in partnership with foreign companies from abroad, all mega hydropower projects in Bhutan is circuitously conditioned to be pure Indian version. In other words, Bhutan has become the place of testing and experimentation of India’s technology and products, while India herself enjoys the advance technology and products from abroad. Bhutan has no autonomy over the business of electricity on her own land; not even in equal terms of a State in India.

Some efforts are being made by the govt. of Bangladesh to partner with Bhutan for development and trade of electricity but to no avail not because Bhutan is not interested but mere fact that it’s under India’s control. At one time, Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup, the then the Prime Minister of Bhutan, had tough time answering to a query by a notable Bangladeshi journalist on why Bhutan cannot cooperate with Bangladesh on electricity. After a momentarily pause and careful thought, he replied, “At the moment we are comfortably arranged with India.” The SAARC Energy Grid proposed by member nations also saw a deadlock with India (Big brother of SAARC) showing no interest for obvious reasons. If SAARC Energy Grid comes through, Bhutan is likely to enjoy the free market price of electricity.      

India is one of the largest importers of crude petroleum and is constantly under the dictation of brazen price hike from the international suppliers from time to time. However, there’s nothing India could do to stop the unmerciful price hike as there’s always takers. On the other hand, India enjoys the luxury of very low electricity tariff for import of electricity from Bhutan. Although there’s provision in the Agreement to revise tariff every after five years, India seem less bothered irrespective of cry from Bhutan. The tariff once fixed is not subject to any adjustment such as inflation and depreciation of value of money. Therefore, Bhutan is not only suffering with low tariff but also suffers from inflation from year to year.   

A simple analysis would show that the annual turnover rate with respect to investment for Tala Hydropower Plant is 21.23% whereas it’s 55.55% in case of Dungsam Cement Plant. Tala Hydroelectric power Plant, constructed at the cost of Nu. 41.26B with an annual generation capacity of 4865 GWh electricity fetches annual gross revenue of about Nu. 8.76B (at tariff rate of Nu. 1.8 per kWh). However, Dungsum Cement Plant constructed at the cost of Nu. 10.8B is projected to earn annual gross revenue of Nu. 6B(Kuensel 24 Dec. ’13).

Therefore, irrespective of what the government says, it makes sense to simply believe that Bhutan’s electricity is under the strict control of India. Despite all these realities, the choice of government isn’t bad after all as something is better than nothing. The effort of the govt. should be to break away from iron grip of India diplomatically and in a holistic way. 

The Abrupt Cessation of JYT’s Celebrated Career is a Closed Book to the Nation

Barely after four months of JYT’s mysterious exit from Members of Parliament, it’s yet another mystery added to the utter astonishment of many supporters with JYT’s stepping down as the president of DPT. This is apposite from the context of ensuing events unfolded following General Election 2013. As some believe, the possibility of his resignation under duress cannot be ruled out. Nevertheless, it’s a subject of deep contemplation though. But for whatever reasons, it’s not the right time to resign at this point of time.

Such a distinguished leader, whose popularity and experience of governance is at peak, whose leadership is needed for a young and immature democracy, it’s saddening to see him out of public service prematurely. He has been the key player (apart from HM K4) in making Bhutan one of the most admired and a peaceful nation in the world at this time of age. I always believe that Bhutan has been blessed with leader like him and I am of the view that we may not get good leader as JYT in years to come.

There’s a gross misconception to construe JYT’s age as old enough for retirement as perceived by many. By Indian standard, the average age of politician is around 80. JYT’s age is just 61years which is a prime age for leaders. Retirement age for CEOs of the many notable companies normally have age limit around 75. His leadership as president of DPT and prime minister under democratic setup is just five years old and to think of ‘change’ at this point of time is in fact out of context. Some people are paranoid of this elusive catchword ‘Change’ without understanding what it really means as if Bhutan suffers from adversity. Are we looking for replacement of unprecedented peace and prosperity we are enjoying?

DPT under the leadership of JYT has emerged as a party who practices clean democracy, upholds principle of equity and justices, and takes hard decisions for the national interest at the risk of being unpopular in the eyes of voters. DPT is an embodiment of a group of society who truly believes in independence and clean democracy. However, without the influence of JYT, some people are of view if DPT could ever maintain its original ambience. Will DPT stand on its foot without excessively stooping too low to undue external influences?  

There’re people who think otherwise; JYT’s exit would allow DPT to be more independent and be more robust in their cause for clean democracy. This is because there’s a general reading that JYT wouldn’t let his Party to exercise its rights to the full extent to negotiate for any actus reus that comes along its way.

What has been explained and made official are not sufficient enough to justify his subsequent resignations. Whether the resignation is by the own free choice of JYT or under duress or under certain compelling situation, it’s a matter of concern for the country to have missed one of the most capable leaders in history. DPT with the new set of leaders has to prove and make their presence felt through over time because people take time to understand and assimilate. The abrupt ending of JYT's celebrated career is a mystery and a potential hypothesis that would explain how democracy flourished in Bhutan.

JYT’s Mysterious Exit - A puzzle left for the future contemporaries to unriddle

Ex-Prime Minister Jigme Yozer Thinley was unquestionably at ease as if he had already known the outcome of election when the election result was announced that revealed the defeat of DPT in the General Election by PDP. As reported by a media, JYT was kind enough to congratulate current Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay through SMS immediately after the result was out after a failed attempt to connect him over phone, which by and large is unlikely given the circumstance. His post election address to the nation also reflects how honorable JYT was composed and determined to serve the nation in spite losing the General Election unfairly.  He said that DPT has set exemplary precedent as first ruling government and that DPT as Opposition will again set the benchmark how an Opposition should be. “I’m not sad from the loss, because my responsibility as always is to keep myself and my people strong to strengthen our democracy,” a newspaper quoted him as saying. There was no cloud of doubt that JYT will resign at that point of time.

The DPT’s post election meet convened amongst supporters, members and party workers from across the country at Thimphu on 15^th July, 2013 culminated into strong 15 points election petition. The meeting that dragged on for two days saw people express dissatisfaction in strongest term on the ‘unfair election.’ “People are sad not with loss. People are disheartened with the unfair means used that are in contravention with laws,” a party worker was quoted as saying.

As reported in the Kuensel issue of 20th July, 2013, of the 15 issues, some of the main ones included politicisation, or involvement of officials within His Majesty’s secretariat and the timing of their granting of kidus, in terms of census and land to people. The PDP claiming itself to be a party of the King and some of its candidates claiming to have joined the party following the King’s command was also among the issues.

The other issues included as per Kuensel are; Allegations of the BCCI president telling people that PDP was established to protect the institution; PDP’s pledges to give people census, land and luring armed forces, which were royal prerogatives; the issue of disallowing representatives, or party appointed observers at the closing of electronic voting machines (EVM) at numerous polling stations across the country; complaints of postal ballots that were sent on behalf of students and spouses and family members of the armed forces; Involvement of military officials, especially in relation to postal ballots, their use of coercion, forgery and involvement of retired military officials in the electoral process; involvement of local government officials in persuading voters by campaigning openly and calling meetings; involvement of interim government advisor like Dasho Karma Ura, a civil servant who was supposed to remain apolitical and facilitate free and fair election taking sides; Dragging in country’s foreign policy, particularly that of Indo-Bhutan relations and how the DPT government strained it.

As demanded by the people, DPT as a representative of about 45% voter population made a decent move to simply report the political wrong-doings to be addressed so that they do not occur in future which in fact may protect the interest of democracy in Bhutan. It was declared that DPT’s 15 elected members would not assume the role of Opposition until the 15 points petitions were addressed. “It’s in deed in your hands to decide whether we assume the role of the opposition,” party president, JYT declared to the supporters and members.

Soon after the DPT’s 20 member representatives received audience with His Majesty the King on 21st July, 2013, DPT had decided to assume the role of Opposition in its executive meeting conducted on the same day. A newspaper described; ‘10 party workers including an elected candidate, looking rather dismal, conveyed the news.’ Party coordinator Dago Tshering was quoted as saying that His Majesty had assured them that “he’d look into the matter and instruct Election Commission of Bhutan accordingly.” This has been the last reported update on the 15-points grievances.

To the utter shock of nation, Hon’ble JYT had put in his resignation on July 31 even before the inauguration of the new parliament. It was indeed highly unusual/unexpected move by a person of such caliber. The abrupt ceasing of his celebrated career before time in such a strange way sounds unwarranted. ‘To give chance to the aspiring young politicians,’ was the official reason stated for his resignation. The Bhutan’s first Prime Minister, whose services to the nation  is immeasurable, whose leadership has earn acclamation from amongst the world leaders and whose leadership scares even mighty India has finally exited from active politics under mysterious circumstance. 

Different accounts of inconclusive stories have been making rounds as to how and why JYT resigned. The truth can be revealed only with time. It’s thus the puzzle left for the future generation to crack and unveiled the mystery in the years to come.

Plea to the Government to Display Sacred Relics at Phuentsholing

People of Bhutan are highly indebted to the government for bringing in the 50 sacred relics from India. It’s a lifetime opportunity for the devotees to see such rare and sacred relics. I am sure people are eagerly waiting for the events and blessings. It’s generous on the part of coordinators to display the relics not only in Thimphu but also other places in Bhutan.

For the western sector, the display will be only at Thimphu. This means, people of Samtse, one of the most populated Dzongkhag and Phuentsholing, the second largest populous town in Bhutan have to travel to Thimphu. With this arrangement, most people will not be able to avail the opportunity because of the time and money factors. Only few could make the trip to Thimphu and majority will not be benefited.       

Phuentsholing has the population of about 30,000 and it’ll be of great help to these people if the sacred relics are displayed here at Phuentsholing. By majority rule and if the intent of the coordinators is to reach majority of population, Phuentsholing definitely deserves the opportunity to have the relics displayed here. Besides, it'll be a huge blessings for the town as a whole.    

Phuentsholing was deprived of such similar opportunity in the past. This time too, there’s no plan to display the relics here. As it's known, during any religious functions, it used to attract huge devotees.

Therefore, for the greater benefit of majority of people, I on behalf of residents of Phuentsholing earnestly request the concerned authorities to kindly arrange to display the relics here at Phuentsholing. It’ll be also of great help to the people of Samtse as they don’t have to travel to Thimphu for the blessings. My plea to the concerned authorities, please!