EDITORIAL

As the Prime Minister recently announced the Seventh Pay Commission, the news was greeted happily by civil servants, but there was a sinking feeling among the private sector. The sinking feeling is not jealousy that civil servants are getting a pay increase, but the realisation that the private sector is …

The old saying goes that ‘information is power’, but in today’s age, information is also money. It is no secret that land in Thimphu is very valuable and highly coveted. In some aspects, the Australia Rush was triggered by the need to own that plot or building in Thimphu. The …

The proposal by the Ministry of Finance, with support from the Asian Development Bank and in consultation with the Royal Monetary Authority, to study the feasibility of an Asset Management Company (AMC) comes at an important juncture for Bhutan’s financial sector. The latest figures are concerning. NPLs stood at Nu …

There is something  wrong with a system in which an informal trade is tolerated for years, unofficial payments become an open secret, and then the same traders are suddenly treated as criminals when enforcement tightens. That is what appears to be happening with Bhutan’s scrap trade through Jaigaon. For years, …

For Bhutanese families, Australia’s latest student visa changes could fundamentally change the way studying in Australia is planned, financed and pursued. The most immediate change is that international students will generally no longer be able to bring their spouses or family members. Those already in Australia will not be separated, …

The scrap business may be small, but what is happening to it at the Bhutan-India border exposes a much bigger problem. If trucks carrying legitimate commercial goods can be stopped in Jaigaon by people claiming political connections and forced to pay money, this is not merely a scrap industry problem. …

The Royal Audit Authority is right to tighten the rules on audit clearances. Bhutan cannot have a system where audit observations remain unresolved for years while officials move from one post to another and the same problems are inherited by their successors. Officials who make poor decisions, ignore procedures or …

Nepal’s catastrophe is not a tragedy to watch from a safe distance. It is a warning from the mountains. On August 26, a glacier and rock collapse above the Nepal-Tibet border unleashed a devastating flood. Hundreds are dead and thousands are missing in Nepal and Tibet. The disaster destroyed roads, …

With 31 MPs, the ruling People’s Democratic Party should have had no difficulty securing the post. Yet Opposition BTP candidate Tempa Dorji won 24 votes against 23 for PDP’s Lyonpo Tandin Wangchuk. The secret ballot has exposed the depth of discontent within the ruling party. The identities of the eight …

The reaction to the Shaba Higher Secondary School case is deeply troubling. Instead of questioning how a teacher allegedly struck a 16-year-old child 22 times with a rubber pipe, sections of social media supported it. Some argue nostalgia-driven populism: that corporal punishment made past generations respectful and successful, and today’s …