The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) and Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT) met in theNational Assembly on Wednesday to elect the Speaker and Deputy Speaker. There were nominations for the posts from both the parties.
Wangchuk Namgyel, 55, Nyisho-Sephu constituency in Wangduephodrang was elected as the Speaker after securing a total of 30 votes of the 47 members in the Parliament.
Tshencho Wangdi, 34, Kabisa-Talo constituency, Punakha was elected as the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly after securing a total of 31 votes. Both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker elects are from the ruling party.
The Speaker-elect Wangchuk Namgyel has MA in History from University of Madras, India and Post Graduate Diploma in Education, Samtse. In a career spanning over 27 years, his professional career mainly revolved around education where he held several leadership positions.He was a former principal of four high schools and also served as a District Education Officer, Joint Director of Scouts and Chief of School Monitoring.
Wangchuk Namgyel said that it was a great honor for him to be elected as the Speaker, and that it is a huge responsibility that has been bestowed upon him.
“Firstly, I will try my best to dedicate and deliver the best that I can, with sincerity and honesty as the Speaker of the National Assembly, henceforth. Secondly, with my years of professional background in the education field, I have been blessed with healthy public relations, which I will use to my advantage in serving the country by soliciting their views.And, the most important, I will work hard, prepare and carry out in-depth research works to shoulder the responsibilities without fail,” said the Speaker-elect.
The Speaker also mentioned that he is not the kind to shy away from seeking the help from those who have more experience and better understanding of the issues and learn from the best.
Deputy Speaker elect, Tshencho Wangdi has MA in International Relations from Webster University, Thailand. He also completed a six-year Buddhist studies from Tango Buddhist College, and has BA in Political Science and Sociology from the Royal Thimphu College.
Tshencho Wangdi was an entrepreneur and a travel consultant prior to joining politics. He also contested for the National Council elections this year but could not secure the majority votes.
“With my educational background in Buddhist philosophy, political science and Master’s in International Relations,I’m confident that I will be able to carry out my duty with due diligence and sincerity. I have the fundamental understanding of the functioning of the Parliament and politics, which is attributed to my years of education in various disciplines,” said the Deputy Speaker.
Tshencho Wangdi also said that he opted for the aforementioned academic disciplines in consideration with his interest to pursue a career in politics.
The General Secretary of DNT, Phurba, said that the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker candidates were nominated based on their competencies and capability. “We know that Wangchuk Namgyel and Tshencho Wangdi both have the knowledge and skills required for the respective posts.Since the Speaker is mandated to ensure that the proceedings of the house are conducted accordingly, preside over the deliberations of the house, required to ensure order and decorum in the House among many other important roles, and given their academic and work experiences, they were deemed suitable for the positions,” said the General Secretary.
The positions of the Speaker and Deputy Speakers are important in democratically elected legislatures around the world.The Speaker is expected to remain impartial and neutral on matters before the House.
Bhutan’s Speaker of First Parliament of the National Assembly was Tshogpon Jigme Tshultim affiliated to the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, followed by People’s Democratic Party’s Tshogpon Jigme Zangpo in the Second Parliament.
