EDITORIAL

Don’t let people lose hope

The main factor that marked the election of the PDP government and its immediate aftermath was a high sense of hope among the people that it would get the country out of the rut it was in. This was visible during the election campaign period itself when the majority clearly …

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Old Wine in New bottle

The only economic sector where we can make a quick and impactful recovery is tourism, and while there has been improvement in the numbers this year compared to last year, there is still a long way to go. If Bhutan had time on its side we can wait, but we …

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Changing the Mindset to Tax

Passang Tshering, the Executive Director of Bhutan Toilet Org in a vlog about unpaid dues at Palas, a canteen turned shop outside Sherubtse College, found unpaid dues of Nu 500,000 to Nu 1 million going as far back as the 1970’s and in decades after that. This included later Ministers, …

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The need to really change

His Royal Highness The Gyalsey receiving blessings for the Royal Charter on the Gelephu Mindfulness City from the sacred Machen Lhakhang in Punakha is an auspicious and important step as it is seeking the most sacred of blessings to carry out profound new changes. Much has been written about what …

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The ministerial choices

The logic behind the choice of ministers by the Prime Minister has remained a mystery until now. The PM in an interview to BBS-1 revealed the reasons behind the choices he made. The PM made it clear that factors like age, gender and regional background did not matter. It was …

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The VIP Culture

On Sunday evening thousands of Bhutanese headed out to offer Khadars to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and the Speaker. There were long lines everywhere with some taking 1 hour 30 minutes to reach the minister. This time could have been much faster if the late coming officials did not …

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Bhutanese lives are cheap

Bhutanese people may not like the heading above, but it is a fact of life. Around 11 months ago on 3 March 2023 the nation was shocked as a helicopter crash took the lives of a mother and younger daughter. The father and elder daughter were also in the same …

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The ministers

One of the first tasks for the newly elected PDP government elect will be for the Prime Minister elect to select his ministers. There has been much speculation, suggestion and hopes, but the PM elect has let it be known that the selection will be driven on merit and the …

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Talk it out

The General Election results are a matter of concern given the regional divide. It is symptomatic of deeper issues that needs to be explored and addressed. However, there already is a move towards not talking about it and pretending that nothing happened. The regional divide was already there since the …

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What the new Govt faces

After 9th January Bhutan will get its fourth elected government and the tasks before it will be enormous. The first task will be to go through the draft 13th plan and give it a final shape by approving or disapproving what is there and inserting their own programs and pledges. …

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