The Bhutanese Leading the way.
His Majesty the King graced the opening ceremony of the 4th Session of the 2nd Parliament on November 12.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Jigme Zangpo, expressed gratitude to His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo for gracing the opening ceremony. “The presence of His Majesty signifies the importance that His Majesty attaches to the Parliament,” the Speaker said.
He said that the Members of Parliament (MPs) have always provided undaunted support towards the deliberations held in the house. The Speaker emphasized that such support, in the best interest of the country and the people, be upheld by the MPs during deliberations.
He also said the people in Bhutan are bestowed with good opportunity and fortune because of the dynamic legacy left by a selfless Monarch, the Fourth Druk Gyalpo Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
“His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo has strengthened our relations with the international community, and moreover, introduced the noble philosophy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) for the benefit of the country and the people,” the Speaker said.
The Speaker of National Assembly said the country is peaceful, happy and prosperous due to the development philosophy of GNH. He said the security, sovereignty and culture of Bhutan are strong along with economic prosperity and enhanced education and health systems.
The Speaker reflected on the launch of the 60th Birth Anniversary of His Majesty the Fourth King, “I, on behalf of the people and the Parliament of Bhutan, would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. I would also like to offer our prayers for His Majesty’s good health and long life.”
In his address, Speaker Jigme Zangpo also highlighted the visit of the Prime Minister of India to Bhutan in June this year. The Prime Minister of Bhutan also visited India on two occasions.
“His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo and Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen visited various sacred places in India and the school in Himachal where Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen studied. Their Majesties also met with senior government officials of the Indian state. On behalf of the Parliament, I would like to express my gratitude to His Majesty the Druk Gyalpo for further strengthening the Bhutan-India relations,” the Speaker said.
He said that the recent visit by the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, had further strengthened the friendly relations shared by the two countries.
The 4th Session of the 2nd Parliament will see deliberations on the Office of the Attorney General of Bhutan Bill 2014, Entitlement and Service Conditions (Amendment) Bill for the holders, members and commissioners of the Constitutional Offices of Bhutan 2014, Jabmi (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2014, Companies Bill of Bhutan 2014, Enterprise Registration Bill of Bhutan 2014, Brief on Doha Amendment to Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Statute of International Renewable Energy Agency, report on the implementation status of the resolution of the 3rd Session, and report on the review of the Election Act of Bhutan.
Further, the Local Government (Amendment) Bill, National Assembly (Amendment) Bill, National Council (Amendment) Bill and report by the public accounts committee on the Audit Performance Report and the report on the need for PAC Act will be tabled.
Furthermore, 23 agenda items were received from eight dzongkhags for incorporation into the 4th Session’s agenda. These were deliberated in the preliminary agenda meeting of the MPs held on 5 November 2014. During the meeting, it was decided that 21 of the issues received from the dzongkhags were administrative related issues, and hence, were forwarded to concerned ministries for implementation. Therefore, only two points received from the dzongkhags merited to be deliberated in the current session.
Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen, Members of the Royal Family, clergy, government officials and representatives of the international community were present during the opening ceremony.
