EDITORIAL

Gyalsung is becoming a real force that is shaping the character and future of Bhutanese youth. With close to 10,000 Gyalsups now joining more than 56,000 Desuups, Bhutan is carrying out one of the biggest nation-building efforts in its modern history. At a time when many countries are becoming more …

The debate over the MaX system and the Bell Curve is no longer simply about performance rankings. It has evolved into something deeper: trust. The Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) is right in one crucial aspect. Bhutan cannot return to a culture where almost everyone is rated “excellent” and accountability …

Bhutan’s GST experiment is increasingly looking like an expensive solution in search of a problem. Four months into implementation, the numbers already raise serious doubts about whether the country should continue down this path. The government’s own figures show that GST collected Nu 3.17 billion in net revenue over four …

Bhutan is increasingly confronting an unintended consequence of mass migration to Australia. As more Bhutanese families return home with children educated abroad, schools are discovering that many of these students struggle to cope with Dzongkha, especially when it is a compulsory pass subject tied directly to promotion. The issue is …

The recent spike in fuel prices has placed Bhutan in a familiar but uncomfortable position of being  dependent, exposed, and largely in the dark. From Nu 63 to over Nu 100 for petrol, and with diesel effectively cushioned only by a staggering Nu 1.16 billion in subsidies, the official explanation …

The tragic death of a 17-year-old former monk in Sarpang raises uncomfortable questions that go beyond the narrow confines of a legal verdict. While the court has done its duty within the limits of the charges brought before it, the outcome leaves behind a deeper unease that cannot be ignored. …

There are stories that disturb, and then there are stories that indict. The recent reports from Norbuling Rigter College fall firmly in the latter category. In the first case, a young student lies in a hospital bed, his speech reduced to typed words, his future uncertain after a brutal assault …

There can be no doubt about the sincerity and good intentions of the two Governments, the Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue and Customs and the GST project team in introducing the GST. These are patriotic and dutiful Bhutanese public servants working very hard to make GST a success so …

The current fuel shock and huge fuel subsidies of Nu 1.3 bn a month will hit Bhutan’s finances hard. It exposes in many ways the economic fragility of Bhutan and also areas where we can improve on. For a long time, Bhutan enjoyed cheap fuels prices from April 2023, in …

The government’s decision to subsidise diesel under the National Fuel Price Smoothening Framework (NFPSF) comes as both a relief and a warning. Relief, because soaring global fuel prices, driven by geopolitical tensions are already pushing up the cost of living. Warning, because such relief comes at a steep and unsustainable …