The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The PM said the government will religiously follow and implement the Kashos unconditionally
His Majesty The King on 17th December 2020, during the National Day address, announced that two Royal Kashos on Civil Service Reform and Education Reform would be issued.
The Royal Kashos were symbolically handed over to the people on 1st February 2021.
The Royal Kasho on Civil Service Reform decrees that a Civil Service Reform Council be established to recommend to the Royal Government the directions for fundamentally restructuring the civil service so that it has a renewed vision for the twenty-first century.
The Royal Kasho on Education Reform decrees that a time-bound Council for Education Reform be established to prepare a visionary and workable roadmap for the twenty-first century to support the Royal Government of Bhutan (Kashos on pg 4 and 9).
The Prime Minister Dasho (Dr) Lotay Tshering said, that he feels very blessed and excited that the two Kashos are coming during the current government’s tenure. He said even the Gyalsung program was announced during this tenure and works have started and implementation will also be happening.
“It is really heavyweight, landmark and historic. By any scale I am really excited and it is a lifetime opportunity that the Kasho is being delivered during our time,” said Lyonchhen.
“With the two Kashos it is very obvious that His Majesty did not get these ideas overnight. His Majesty must have had them for decades. Now His Majesty thinks it is the right time and we are also in governance,” added Lyonchhen.
Lyonchhen said everything is ready to welcome it and whatever it takes the government is ready to implement every word, inspiration, worry and aspiration of His Majesty.
“In governance of all the activities this would be the only one that the next generation would remember and not the bridges, buildings and roads that we have constructed,” said Lyonchhen.
He said the impact of these two Kashos is going to transform the country and the way we do things as it touches the core elements of the Bhutanese structure which is the civil service and education.
Lyonchhen said the Kasho is not just for the third government, the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) or the Ministry of Education. He said it is for every Bhutanese now and those coming in the future.
“Unless, you and I and all others change the transformation will not come. If you read through and in between the lines of the Kasho His Majesty is commanding every Bhutanese to get up and be ready for the future or the 21st century world,” said the PM.
“It will be for the unborn grandson and granddaughter. This is how far reaching the impact of the Kashos will be,” added Lyonchhen.
Stressing on the sacredness and importance of the Kashos Lyonchhen has placed the two magnified copies of the Kashos in Dzongkha in a Choesum in his office while the two English versions are framed on his desk with silk scarves around them.
Lyonchhen said that he has informally heard that the original two Kashos are still in the Goenkhang and getting blessed and accumulating merits and will come out at an appropriate time.
“It is a historic and landmark event in the country and we should not preempt anything on this and it is only right to pace it out slowly. I don’t we can just take the Kasho and do it or implement it overnight. It will take its own time and we will be blessed at a very appropriate time and formation of both the Councils will also come in a timely manner,” said Lyonchhen.
The PM said the mere fact that the Kashos have come through the media means that the Kasho is for everybody, and everyone who has access to the media has access to the Kasho now. He said that he took honor in being given the Kasho personally that evening (through the media) as much as other Bhutanese got the honor of receiving the Kasho first hand.
Lyonchhen said that in the past Kashos would be very broad and would be 10 or 15 lines with broad outlines and most of it will be decided by people who will decide to frame the formula. Lyonchhen said that this time around the the formula is already set there.
He said the Kashos have gone to such detail that it would make the work of the councils more focused and much easier.
Lyonchhen said that as the Prime Minister two things will come to him.
He said one is to follow word by word, dedicatedly and religiously, whatever is being designed by the expert team -as a concerned Bhutanese. He said that as a Bhutanese he is here to follow it unconditionally.
“Secondly, since we are in governance now the implementation will come on us and we will do it fair and square with no likes and dislikes. But on what to do let us not react and let it come with its own time and merit,” he added.
“The problem comes the moment one sits down and thinks how will it happen, how it will impact my business, how it will impact my promotion, or my opportunity and what can I do to please the system -then the failure has already started,” said the PM.
He said if each and everyone of us are unconditionally willing to accept and follow it then we already stand transformed.
“For me as long as the clarity is there and it is coming from the Golden Throne it must be taken unconditionally and followed religiously. Then I think the success has already started,” said the PM.
Giving the example of great art the PM said that to get the best art, the best field is a white board to draw what one wants to draw.
He said His Majesty should be given a clean board to prepare Bhutan for the 21st century.
“That is why as a Bhutanese and as a government we have the best artist with us in His Majesty The King to draw the art that His Majesty has on his mind,” said the PM.
“I just want to give His Majesty a clean white board and let His Majesty draw the drawing. It is simple,” said the PM.
Lyonchhen said here there is no assumptions on what is the role of RCSC, civil servants, or X, Y and Z.
Lyonchhen said His Majesty’s vision is there in the lines and also in between the lines.
He said that these are the transformational lifetime initiatives of a Monarch and not an ordinary officer.
“Just imagine how many times His Majesty must have thought, how many times His Majesty would have played with all these words one by one and how many times His Majesty would have weighed the pros and cons,” said the PM.
“So once this comes out I am telling you it is not going to be easy. We must take all aches and pains to make it happen. We all on a very unconditional note should be willing to offer His Majesty a very clean white board. Then anything written there will take its desired shape desired by His Majesty The King,” added the PM.
Lyonchhen said His Majesty’s Kashos have pinpointed the issues and also given the prescription.
“If we cannot implement this then Bhutan does not stand transformed then we do not have a good future,” said the PM.
Lyonchhen sais it is time we all must change and business as usual is not good enough anymore.
Talking about the long term impact of the Kashos the PM said when his great grandchildren reads the Kashos they will realize Bhutan had such an enlightened King and this is why Bhutan has reached this level. He said they will think why won’t Bhutan be like this now as it was already thought about 120 years back.
Lyonchhen said that the Kashos are a nationally transforming initiative by a Monarch.
The RCSC Chairperson Karma Hamu Dorjee in a statement said, “Upon the release of the Royal Kasho on 1st February 2020 on the Civil Service Reforms, the RCSC would like to express that we are profoundly grateful to His Majesty the King for this command and we see this as an extraordinary opportunity to bring about necessary reforms in the civil service. We remain fully committed to all efforts to translate His Majesty’s vision and aspirations into action.”
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