The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The newly appointed Gelephu Thrompon Tshering Norbu, who secured 713 votes to win the election shared his thoughts on winning the thromde election and he promised to work on resolving the issues pertaining to basic amenities such as shortage of drinking water, maintaining roads, drainage, flood protection walls and street lights shall be on focus.
1. Your thoughts on winning this election?
It was in an incredible victory against the backdrop of COVID-19 pandemic situation. However, with the strong coordination and the way election was conducted by the ECB, it ensured strict adherence to COVID-19 SOP by the voters. In terms of victory, the huge margin outcome was not expected; however, we were confident about the victory given the way campaign strategies was framed by my team.
Without the unwavering support of voters this victory wouldn’t have been possible. I want to offer my gratitude to all the people involved both in the think tank and people at grassroots level.
2. What would be your first step among the pledges you have made?
First, it is of paramount importance to review the progress made by the Thromde office thus far and closely contemplate on the challenges Gelephu Throm is facing in its development process. Working on resolving the issues pertaining to basic amenities such as shortage of drinking water, maintaining roads, drainage, flood protection walls and street lights shall be my focus. This is because without having strong basic foundation we cannot venture into other areas of development. At the end of the day ensuring trust surplus amongst investor shall be vital in taking Gelephu towards progressive change.
3. What do you think are the biggest obstacle you will face as a Thrompon and how do you intend to fulfill all of your promises in a five year term?
There will be challenges to fulfill all the pledges addressed during the campaign but I am hopeful to achieve it by using coherent strategies which include timely consultation with the public; effective coordination with relevant government stakeholders; and effective communication with the government of the day.
4. In your earlier interview with you, the core reason for contesting in the 2021 election is to take Gelephu towards new direction of development, opportunities and transform Gelephu into the model city of Bhutan. How do you plan to implement this?
Gelephu is a different Throm in terms of the comparative advantages it has when compared to rest of the throms in Bhutan. It is the only Throm with an Airport coupled with strategic location with easy access to international border and to six dzongkhags domestically. Gelephu has lot of potential to achieve economically than what it is at present. When I stood for Thrompon election I made voters and the residents clear about my intent to make Gelephu a clean and safe city with spread out economic development. This is what I mean by “new direction.”
5. At times of COVID 19 pandemic and Gelephu sharing porous border, how do you plan to keep the people of Gelephu safe from the virus?
At the moment curbing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic will be paramount. Therefore, cooperating and coordinating with the COVID-19 National Taskforce Team shall be key as nothing is more important than the lives of fellow Bhutanese people as His Majesty The King himself has been on frontline to ensure the country is safe from the pandemic.
