The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Ever since the inception of the Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC) project, one of the main questions of the people from the remaining 19 Dzongkhags has been on how it will or will not impact them.
The Diamond Strategy announced by His Majesty during the 117th National Day now makes it amply clear that the GMC project is not just about GMC, but the best practices and lessons from there will be replicated all over Bhutan.
Ever since public discussions on the GMC started last year, His Majesty has been very clear in terms of ring fencing the project and trying new innovations there. The hope was that once GMC works then it can be replicated in other parts of Bhutan with new GMCs coming up.
In some ways the diamond strategy announcement is bigger than even the GMC announcement of last year or new GMCs coming up because it will extend the best of GMC to the entirety of Bhutan in the long run.
His Majesty is wise in saying that while GMC races ahead the rest of Bhutan cannot be left behind with a gap too big between them when the time for convergence comes.
The diamond strategy is a welcome development as it confirms that GMC is not just about GMC, but it’s a national renewal project that will involve everybody.
Once things work well in GMC there can be no excuses for the rest of Bhutan as GMC is very much a Bhutanese entity, and so whatever innovations happen within it will also be Bhutanese and thus ready to be adopted in the country.
With the GMC project the impression among some was that while the economic activities take off there the rest of Bhutan will move at its own pace. This is no longer the case and happily so.
As the GMC project unfolds, we have to pick up what is best from there and what works and if required we have to be ready to make major changes in our systems.
What we lack in numbers, we must make up for with discipline, devotion, hard work, loyalty, and intelligence. – His Majesty