Nepotism – a rampant and spreading social evil

“Nepotism” is a word much talked about in Bhutanese circles. I have never experienced it myself though I have heard about it and seen a few cases myself.

To share an incident which I witnessed, I had gone to the hospital with a friend of mine to meet her grandmother who was a heart patient undergoing electro cardiogram (ECG).  We were waiting for her grandmother when I noticed the ECG room locked. When I asked about it, one of the patients waiting outside  said the machine was not working and most of the people had been send back for the other day.

But just sometime later, I saw a few people with a patient in a wheel chair along with the doctor who was heading towards the room and opened the door.

They came outside after a few minutes. Seemed they were done with their test. I felt this is something that is not a good thing to be continued with.

It is happening all around: are in services, in jobs, in schools, in politics, in businesses and in fact in every organization.

One such incident happened to one of my colleagues who is a reporter at present. He once sat for an interview in a reputed foundation. As soon as he entered, the interviewee’s first question was, “Are you Dasho’s (name could not be remembered) son?” My friend was shocked for a while. Before he could answer somebody interrupted saying,  “No, he isn’t”. Then and there, their interest in him declined. He went through the interview but he did not get the post. What could have happened if he had been the said Dasho’s son? He would have   been selected for sure.

In  another example, at a private school  the cut-off point for  admission was 56% and it was on first-come-first basis. If the forms that need to be filled up finishes, no extra candidate will get a chance for admission. But then, a student with 58.4% got admitted despite there being no more forms because he had links with the   school authority.

Everyone likes  privileges or being favored but we have to ask ourselves if we are doing it at the cost of less fortunate ones.

Undoubtedly, nepotism is rampant in the country and it is a wide spread social evil.

I just have to experience it myself.

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33 comments

  1. Nepotism is rampant everywhere in Bhutan, just one example, take a look at all those people working the Ministry of Foreign affairs and you will see that very few of them were actually appointed on merit. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you do a cover story on it and interview all those officers.

    This is definitely not to say that it is not happening elsewhere.

    • That’s Why its know as Ministry of Family Affairs (MFA).

      • Not only in ministry of foreign affairs, look at  Druk air corporation. The station in charge in Bangkok is supposed to be one year rotation, proposed by management to give equal chance to the traffic officers, to make it more transparent they initially conducted exams  and recorded their results and told them, they will be sent merit vise. Every one was happy, motivated and eager for their turn to come. But you know what happen, the nepotism jumped in and some of the guys who sat for exam didn’t get chance
        this is totally unfair, if some one really digs in detail the corruption is unbelievable     

  2. Samden Drup Matsug

    I know this is a dangerous move but our people like it and things get done with such move. One glaring example is to get security and audit clearances. Almost all the HROs will tell you that if you know somebody the clearances can be issued within the stipulated time otherwise it will take weeks. So if you don’t have anybody either by direct relation or somebody who knows you will make your life miserable. These people are employed to provide services but it happens otherway round. I am scared it is incurable disease that our country is heading.

    • I disagree with you on Security and Audit Clearances outright. Both these services are easily available online and for SC it takes hardly 2-3hours if all your information is correct and up to date.
      If you want things to be done fairly I guess we must first learn to contribute. What I have observed is that when others are served, you feel it is unfair but when you get served you feel happy…this is our we Bhutanese people are.
      In my case, even if my friend is a teller in the bank, I wait for my turn because I know on the one hand my friend will be pressured with guilt and on the other hand, other people are also waiting just like me. Some might even get beaten up for being late.
      I also don’t ask my friend in the hospital to put me earlier, because I know everyone who is there are sick and want to go home as soon as possible.

      Do you even think once?

  3. people who don’t like nepotism should also not like the quota system because ultimately it is the same thing., anti-merit. 

    • Nepotism and quota system just can’t be the same as tingting thinks.

    • bhutan needs to become a meritocracy and the quota system attacks the system of merit just as nepotism does. Only fools will be won over by the ‘compassionate’ argument that the quote theory depends on. Sorry, Bhutan needs merit and merit alone. The big world outside isn’t that big on compassion when it counts. we need to depend on ourselves for our survival. Ask Tibet and Sikkim.

  4. BHUTAN IS NOT GNH COUNTRY BUT COUNTRY OF NEPOTISM, FAVORITISM AND CORRUPTION.

    • I totally agree with you Kado, Bhutan can be called the place of GNH only if they get rid of Nepotism, Favoritism and Corruption. As media has proven enough evidence. But Why ACC is taking time to release the investigation report on Gyelposing.

  5. who will curb this word nepotism. every body wants to do and act inthe name of serving tsa wa sum. top to down the line need this word. 

    • Who will curb nepotism? certainly not the present PM whose acknowledged weakness even among supporters is his nepotistic tendencies. 

      • I acknowledge that the one weakness the PM has is his indulgence in nepotistic practices. If he has not learned from his past mistakes, then he is rightly being criticized, The practice of nepotism, however, can not be blamed on the PM alone, it has happened in the past and it will continue to happen in the future. 

      • true nepotism has happened in the past. no surprise. But as an elected PM with a whopping majority and pet poodles for MPs, he could have done anything to fix nepotism. His problem is that he is LEADING the way. sheeesh!

        • Haha, I thought the practice of nepotism has been fixed in many places by the ACC, if there are still cases of it,  since you seem to be the self appointed moral police man out here, you should be the one dong something about it, instead of just making noise.

        • you seem to think a lot of things. ACC is only JUST getting started. If they come up with the real facts in the gyelpoishing land scam case then we can say that the battle against corruption has finally begun. cases like the NRDCL case were politically motivated and many others were in the similar boat. 

          Until that is proved, you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be makin’ noise!

          • Haha, politically motivated, you got to be one big idiot to believe that. Anyway, it is obvious that you are somehow related to the NRCDL MD, so no surprise that you feel that way. All the evidence given by the OAG seems to be of little insignificance to you. 

            At least you have shown why you hate the RGOB and it has nothing to do with the RGOB per se, it is all personal.

          • As for the gyelposhing case, please read my earlier comments, I too want the guilty to be punished, but because of the high level people involved in it, it is most likely that, that will not happen. 

  6. Only intolerant people would like others to believe that the quota system and nepotism are the same thing. While the quota system may have it’s pros and cons, the practice of nepotism only has demerits which is clear for everyone to see. 

    And wonder of wonders, how do people even go on equating the quota system to Tibet and Sikkim losing their independence, any way great analysis!

  7. Hell wit those powerful hellers… same here. damn it… so..dats y bomb blast..i will blast it one day….

  8. Yeah..ur right… its reali hell with those poerful hellers… dats y bobm blast… 

  9. Thanks for the courage to write…such article. hats off!

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