Understand Bhutan better
27 August 2010
A recent article titled China, India and Nepal: Entangled in unresolving Tibetan issue published by a news blog in Massachusetts in the US has portrayed Bhutan in an irresponsibly wrong light. The Himalayan Voice article starts with this line: “It becomes natural for the Dalai Lama to see Tibet, ‘real autonomous’, if not independent at least like Bhutan, in his lifetime before making departure... Read the story »
Need more social space
20 August 2010
Bhutan will inevitably become predominantly urbanized a few decades from now. This means more people will leave behind their roots in the villages and chase urban dreams. Small and vulnerable as we are, we are already seeing that our urban lifestyle is heavily influenced by foreign cultures, especially western culture. Therefore, much as we think ourselves as unique people, creating urban centres unique... Read the story »
Getting rid of fake goods
13 August 2010
Hardware shops across the country are selling counterfeit electrical and plumbing goods. While this is not news to many, it is good that the Department of Trade, and the Standard and Quality Control Authority are taking appropriate measures to curb this practice. To help stop people from importing counterfeit products into the country, wholesale dealers will be appointed in the country and their trademarks... Read the story »
Save our monuments
6 August 2010
Bhutan has been visited by many great saints, including Guru Rinpoche, leaving behind many sacred monuments. But some of these historically important places and objects in the country are fast getting lost. Efforts have been made to preserve them but many are forgotten in due course of time. The Lungtenzampa rock at Serigang above Kalabazaar, Zhabdrung Rinpoche’s zhugthri in Lungtenphu, the stream... Read the story »
(Re)solution for heritage preservation
30 July 2010
The practice of raising funds for renovation of lhakhangs and goendeys through lotteries and charitable donations is certainly exploitative and corruptible, if not corrupt. Today, anywhere in the country, one is obliged to donate a certain amount or buy a lottery ticket towards renovating a certain lhakhang. Unquestioning believers are cornered by omnipresent government-approved donation slips and... Read the story »
Need to eat our own
23 July 2010
Forty-five-year-old Minjur from Mongar prefers working at a road construction site to cultivating his land. It pays him cash. A month’s work by the road gives him enough to buy rice, vegetable oil and other essentials to last his family of four for several months. He frequently goes out of his farm to look for construction work. As a result, part of his farmland has become fallow. But his kitchen... Read the story »
Issues to ruminate
16 July 2010
The fifth session of the parliament ended with the McKinsey debate. There was no doubt that there was a basis for debate, but the points did not come through strongly. While Opposition Leader questioned Prime Minister on the need to bring in the consultants, he did not spell out how our civil servants are capable of doing what McKinsey have done. And while Prime Minister justified why McKinsey’s... Read the story »
Bring them home
9 July 2010
In many ways, Bhutan enjoys what it is known for, happiness and peace. But, while the broad image is relatively pleasant, the sordid underbelly is worrying. Our towns, especially the bigger ones like Thimphu and Phuentsholing, are witnessing social trends that continue to confuse us. The number of beggars and tramps in Thimphu, for example, is increasing at a worrying rate. A few bustling parts of... Read the story »
Taxing issues
2 July 2010
The government’s economic development policy featured strongly in the prime minister’s state of the nation address yesterday. He justified, quite strongly, the government’s latest decision to increase taxes substantially, which drew scathing criticisms from different quarters of the society. While he did not try to justify the legality of tax increases and introduction of new taxes by the government,... Read the story »
Notice the little people?
25 June 2010
For a country in pursuit of social equity and justice, if mega projects are important, ordinary issues concerning common people are crucial. Even as development soars like a bird, as we often say in the Dzongkha idiom, there is a real risk of soaring too high and far that we miss the ground realities. We need to look back. Balanced and equitable socio-economic development has been our development mantra... Read the story »
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