The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Be it the corporate world or the government one of the most important attributes of leadership is to lead by example.
However, two recent instances have shown our politicians being great at prescribing medicines but unwilling to swallow some of their own.
The first is the case of the Prime Minister on behalf of the ministers approaching and asking His Majesty the King for Soelra to keep the duty Prado Vehicles. This bold move by the elected government put His Majesty the King in a position in which His Majesty could not say no without thoroughly embarrassing the first democratically elected Prime Minister and Ministers.
However, the elected government before making such a move should have considered the fact that the country is facing one of its worst ever financial crises like the Rupee and Credit crises, which in large part is due to their mismanagement of the economy.
The elected government should also realize that the country’s debt is at around Nu 78 bn which is around 80 percent of the Gross Domestic Product and is slated to increase in the coming years.
Ordinary people are facing unprecedented financial hardships with people losing their jobs especially in the private sector and businesses are either closing down or on the verge of closure.
Even in stable professions like the civil service and corporate sector the value of their pay has dwindled due to record inflation levels, which as per the latest data is caused more by domestic facts like house rents etc. Furthermore due to the financial crisis that is expected to last many more years, they will not be getting a pay rise anytime soon to meet inflationary pressures.
It was not long ago that the Prime Minister and his ministers blamed ordinary Bhutanese for the rupee crisis and preached austerity by imposing a series of bans on various items including vehicle imports.
However, they did not find it inconvenient to ask for and accept expensive vehicles that where paid for by hard earned tax payers money.
The Prime Minister in an interview said that his ‘forehead tickled’ when they asked donors for developmental assistance. One would not be wrong in guessing that the donors would be ‘tickled’ themselves to learn that the elected leaders of a least developed country have up to five luxury vehicles parked in their garage paid for by tax payers.
Another example is in the recent meeting at the Bhutan Chambers of Commerce and Industry where the Prime Minister took a strong stand against requests to allow mining in some areas.
In so many words he said mining benefits only a few, it is bad for the environment; it is not in line for GNH and etc. Prior to this the government, in both national and international forums have railed against mining as being polluting and anti-GNH and etc. We have in fact even lectured the world about not pursuing a certain path of development and have even passed a happiness resolution in the UN.
However, the ground reality is that family members of relatives of the Prime Minister have applied for and also operate multiple mines across Bhutan.
It was also recently under his government’s tenure that two mines have been approved for his family members while more are being processed.
There is of course nothing legally wrong with the Prime Ministers family members and relatives owning mines as long as rules are followed, but the head of the government has to learn that charity starts at home.
With the evidences above one can’t avoid the uncomfortable feeling that the Prime Minister and his colleagues say something but do something else.
“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”
― Albert Schweitzer
Double jeopardy! God bless the Land of Happiness and its poor people!!!
Wow Wow Wow
What The Bhutanese had writtn in here would be biggest Slap to the first elected Minsters after getting the Prados by putting a shameful request to His Majesty. Like what is written in this article, His Majesty could not have said no on Prados when the request came from the leaders like PM and other Ministers. I don’t know how they could have muttered such a request to HM. They were well paid and well respected but at the end of their term i think they will not even leave a pencil they had used.
We have many people in rural and even in urban Bhutan who have no safe and reliable drinking water and no proper shelter. The amount that will be used for buying new Pardos could be used to uplift our fellow citizens. Now who is going to stop this kind of system. NOBODY.
I am not blaming the present government but I am blaming our system which we don’t know when it was instituted. But now we have more educated and sensible people in Bhutan. They can and should set example and i thought the first democratically elected government could set a good example but i guess No.
I am sure the present ministers have enough income to buy Prado on their own rather than submitting request to HM. I think that was too childish Act.
But we hope there could be somebody in future who will bring a much need system and change in Bhutanese society.
PELDEN DRUKPA GYALO
wake up Bhutanese voters…….. dont be carried away by PM’s threku.. vote for the selfless leader nt selfish cum hypocrite..
shameless…the same people who took away the vehicle imports and quotas for simple family cars…making rich richer and poor poorer
I will rather not be carried away by the reports of this newspaper.
The salary of our Ministers are not less than 80000 per month. Plus numerous other benefits in the form of allowances and travelling abroad could have well earned more than 100000 per month, at the least. As a civil servant, we merely earn less than 20000 per month, which half of it is being snatched away by greedy landlords because those ministers and MPs cannot even implement the Tenancy Act for the good of general public. We live on merely 10000 for everything. Ina ddition, we share some of it with our parents and relatives who depend on us. Still with the remaining and loans, we try to buy a small family car for persona use. That is how rest of the hard working bhutanese make their living. On the other hand, people who are paid highly get everything free from bungalows to car at the cost of taxpayers money. How could this be fair? Because the salary they were paid are meant to be used for living like others. They should buy their own personal car like us. Ok, if our country is rich like one of the middle east countries, i have no problem in paying our ministers millions but look at us we do not even have a enough farmers to grow our own vegetables, and build our own homes. Let alone think of developing our own software. We have lot to do to stand on our own feet. We even do not have good public toilets in thimphu city that Tourists could proudly use. Our roads are all failing with holes everywhere. Our education system is not even able to produce competent technical graduates to build roads, develop our own software and other infrastructure. In the face of such situation, the very leaders that we have entrusted to lead us by example wants everything from government cars to apple laptops in the end of their term. This is a bad example to our future leaders. We cannot afford to do this because our country needs crucial investment at this hour. We need to invest in so many areas to make us self sufficient. With 52 million (1 million usd to purchase prados for the next batch of leaders) will be sufficient to strengthen our education system. I am sure Prados could well run for 10 or more years without problem. Why can’t our leaders adapt to new way of life, even when our economy is under great stress due to R problem. I don’t get it.
I feel sorry for poor Bhutanese, perhaps no one can help poor people including me.
It is a SHAME PM. I agree with Karma. You should submit a copy of letter to PM karma
Common posters! Do not get carried away on the reporting by this paper. You investigate, analyse and make your own judgement.. This paper is hypnotizing the innocent bhutanese citizens.
I investigated. I analysed. And I find this reporting true and came about the conclusion that JYT is the most hypocritical man in the world.
And I also analysed and made my judgement about you that you are a gullible man who is easily hypnotized by JYT and you have a small statue of JYT on your altar.
Flabergasted…I conclude that Druk and Facts are closely related to JYT, close enough to reap the benefit of the perks
Analysed and investigated, concluded… DPT Ministers are shameless hypocrites. By appealing His Majesty they have put His majesty in a position where he couldn’t say no. The Ministers have never thought about the country and the economic doldrums it is currently facing. They are fine as long as their pockets get filled. What a shame!!! We need true patriots to save our country. These crooks are wolves in sheepskin.
first thing the elected government did: increase there satlary by 3fold………….with pages of in between……………………………..
last thing they are doing is looting in the name of kidu
An ordinary citizens aren’t allowed to fish and our rich and powerful are allowed to destroy whole mountain through mining.Just two days back, in order to provide a decent protein rich meal to his two children and wife, a man in Paro goes out for fishing at night,because he cant afford to buy it from his salary.Poor him,he loses his life and never return home.The rich destroy mountains and steal lands,nothing happens.No body notice it.The poor guy did it (just fished) and got killed.Wow what a harsh reality! Life for fish?????I sometime wonder why our rivers are not crowded with thousands varieties of of fishes with the strict and high handed fish conservation policy/rules implemented over several decades!May be all healthy ones migrate to india,get caught there and then imported back. Really confused wih all the harsh ground realities in the land of GNH!
I am disgusted with the DPT government for asking His Majesty for vehicles, computers and phones, which cost the cash-strapped nation millions at a time when the country could least afford such bleeding generosity which, in the first place was not meant for their private use but for the offices they held. Anyway, now that they looted the country shamelessly, I hope we have seen the last of their lot. Their short-sighted policies and wanton ways have led the country’s finances down the drain and they should be ashamed to use these ill-gotten luxury goods. In a way this teaches us a great and timely lesson. Our government should stop buying such expensive cars and gadgets for office bearers and teach by example and insist on simple, small cars, especially for local travel.
The other news item which really got my goat was how the Lyonchhen and Lyonpos were dictating on the upcoming election and the possibility of candidates from various parties opting to joint the strongest party after the first round. I am shocked that they think this would be bad for Bhutanese democracy. On the contrary, I think this would be the best thing because only if better candidates were allowed to join the surviving other party that we could have a viable Opposition. These old timers are not bothered about democracy or the country try but their own seats. Otherwise, what ideological differences are they talking about? Bhutanese parties have not one iota of ideological differences to worry about. In fact in my opinion, we should not even have party politics in our small, ideologically homogeneous polity. Allowing the best candidates to join whichever party goes into the second round will offer the Bhutanese electorate a better choice and the result will be a better balance in the next Parliament which will only strengthen democracy. So these old fellows are poop scared that their victory is not guaranteed. In other words, they are trying to protect their seats, not national interest.
Hi You three guys above Flabbergasted,Toka and Dorji, You guys seem to be really disgruntled why? You are born human beings with five senses intact and strong solid bodies. You can join politics, become ministers, clean up systems to your choice instead of writing all nonsensical issues. Action speake louder than words. Please do as suggested.
For all the people of bhutan this is what happening around and under our nose but we didnt even noticed it…. huh we can do nothing about it….poor bhutanses peoples…
Shameless leaders!!
Shamefull ytse