EDITORIAL

Visiting foreign dignitaries and even scholars have, time and again, commented on the simplicity of the Bhutanese people, and also their deep wisdom. This wisdom is not only seeks to bring balance in the natural and spiritual aspects of our lives, but also in the political aspect. The same political …

After more than two months of hectic campaigning, promises, debates, politicking and even some mudslinging by some of the political party candidates, finally, it comes down to the voters to make the call on July 13, 2013 with the press of an electronic button. The race at this time and …

With the candidates and supporters of Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) both calling a win, the results on July 13, 2013 is anybody’s call. However, irrespective of whichever party that forms the government, be it DPT or PDP, there are several challenges in store. The biggest …

The recent doubling of LPG gas price and the tripling of Kerosene price in Bhutan due to the withdrawal of subsidies by the Government of India (GOI) will hit many household budgets hard, particularly the families that survive on a shoestring budget, which would constitute the majority of the Bhutanese …

The 2013 election race is being criticized for many reasons, and chief among them are the mudslinging matches between various candidates, which at times have even gotten personal. However, another rapidly emerging problem is that candidates from both People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) have a diverging …

  When the Gyelpozhing story first came out in the news, it was met with fervent denials from the incumbent government, along with pleas of innocence lead by the former Prime Minister. The unquestioning news coverage of those initial pleas of innocence by some major media houses lead many in …

The wife of the former Education Minister buying land near the Education City site through a loan taken by the former Education Minister may not be illegal, but it does represent an enormous conflict of interest. The Education Ministry is one of the key stakeholders in the multi-billion Education City …

With the primary round of elections in May and the upcoming general round of elections in July, the national focus has shifted from the state of the economy to the electoral race. However, Bhutan’s economic woes seem to be going from bad to worse with no end in sight. The …

Bhutan’s first democratically elected Prime Minister- the DPT President is angry, and many of his supporters and some neutral observers would say he has the reason to be so. The DPT President, for some time now, has been subject to a barrage of unverified and malicious articles on various social …

One interesting development in the 2013 elections is an increasing realization that as elections, now and in the future, gets more competitive – they cannot be won without strong grassroots party structures. This is being observed due to the re-emergence of the party tshogpas, as a political force, and a …