His Majesty The King awarded the Lungmar Scarf to the Lyonchhen, Dasho (Dr) Lotay Tshering, for his unwavering effort and dedication in fighting the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, during the 113th National Day celebration in Punakha.
The Prime Minister Dasho (Dr) Lotay Tshering expressed his gratitude and mentioned, in his official PMO Facebook page, that such a noble approval came in as a surprise to him.
His Majesty The King Conferred the Red Scarf to Dasho Pem Chewang, the Secretary of the National Land Commission, and Chairperson of the Eastern COVID-19 Task Force.
His Majesty The King conferred the Red Scarf to Dasho Sonam Tobgay, the Chief Election Commissioner, and Chairperson of the Southern COVID-19 Task Force.
“Far from comprehending whether I am deserving of such an accolade, I cannot call to mind a single word that pronounces the gratitude I feel for His Majesty, for the honour or for such an occasion. However, I know for certain that I can only express my gratitude by living every resolve and responsibility that comes with the award. It only means that I have to make every minute, and not just hours, count,” the Prime Minister said.
Lyonchhen wrote, “These special recognitions are a reminder that we should not digress from the reality. That we have our King to inspire and guide. That we have the love and support of the people of Bhutan to see us through the remaining years of governance, as well as for the remaining part of my life.”
His Majesty awarded the Bura Marp or Red Scarf to the Health Minister, Dasho Dechen Wangmo, in appreciation of the capable manner in which she has performed her duties to safeguard the nation against COVID-19.
Lyonpo Dasho Dechen Wangmo conveyed her gratitude on her Facebook page, and thanked His Majesty for the trust to serve the nation, and to the people for their confidence and support.
His Majesty also conferred the Red Scarf to the Chief Election Commissioner who is the Chairperson of the Southern COVID-19 Task Force, Dasho Sonam Topgay, and the Secretary of the National Land Commission and the Chairperson of the Eastern COVID-19 Taskforce, Dasho Pem Chewang.
“It came as a surprise, we were not told in advance, and this has been a tradition. I was really moved. I consider this as a great honor bestowed on me by His Majesty The King, and I believe that this is a recognition, and more importantly, I felt that this recognition assumes great importance because of the fact that it was bestowed on me on the very auspicious occasion,” Dasho Sonam Topgay said.
He added that as soon as his name was announced, he got the sense of great responsibility been placed on his shoulders.
“Immediately, I pledged to myself that I would work with utmost dedication, loyalty and integrity to serve the Tsa-Wa-Sum,” he added.
Dasho Pem Chewang said, “With the recognition comes additional responsibility, and this calls for me to take additional duty to serve the people and the country with extreme devotion. It is such an honor to receive the Red Scarf from His Majesty in a very historic place and on a very special occasion. I feel blessed.”
‘Lungmar’ is a compounded form of two words, Lungserma (red-gold) and Marp (Red). The scarf existed during the time of His Majesty the Third Druk Gyalpo, and it was reinstituted, with the former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay as its first recipient.
Similar to the Bura Marp, the Lungmar is conferred in recognition of a person’s excellent services to the nation, and does not represent the wearer’s post. For this reason, the recipient may wear the Lungmar for life.
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