tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post3330357597797231048..comments2024-03-29T15:14:10.533+06:00Comments on Bhutan Land Of The Thunder Dragon: RTI & The Bhutanese MentalityYeshey Dorjihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03414546232976648883noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-9303946149178499672011-04-08T14:27:51.995+06:002011-04-08T14:27:51.995+06:00Dear Sonam,
There is no two ways about it - the RT...Dear Sonam,<br />There is no two ways about it - the RTI Act will be enacted, sooner or later. So, these jealous custodians of the daunting information and national secrets, as you call them, will have to let go since the Act will no doubt empower the people to seek and obtain information without let or hindrance.<br /><br />Regardless, I can’t help but feel a sense of foreboding over this particular issue. On the one hand, as demonstrated by my post, we have people who, even while they are required to disseminate information as a matter of necessity, conceal it as something of a national secret. On the other hand, we have people who exhibit unbelievable irresponsibility in the exercise of their individual rights and freedom. These people are bound to overstep their boundaries and demand more than their due. And, in the ensuing fracas, there is bound to be a lot of blood letting and mayhem. The net result will be that the traditional courteous Bhutanese society as we know now will be history.Yeshey Dorjihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414546232976648883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-87071198045726456282011-04-08T07:16:01.593+06:002011-04-08T07:16:01.593+06:00Confidential on the rules of income tax act of Bhu...Confidential on the rules of income tax act of Bhutan?? hmm...must have been some kind of mistake. all i know is that manuals of the income tax is confidential not the rules and act.But government officials really need to work on public information and frankly speaking most of the officials really dont know their responsibilities and most of the time for simple information they need to ask their boss, their superiors...whatever...MY WORLD, MY READS, MY THOUGHTS FOR A cheltrumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02123111200679899426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-21307839634392917392011-04-08T01:16:22.969+06:002011-04-08T01:16:22.969+06:00Thanks for sharing your experiences..
Part of th...Thanks for sharing your experiences.. <br /><br />Part of the mentality is the false notion of "Power" one gets by being the "Guardian" of such information.<br /><br />It is rightly said that information is power.. but the power should be given to the people in the interest of the nation. Not hoarded by bureaucrats who probably get off on the 'high' of refusing requests for information.. <br /><br />RTI is absolutely vital for the nation's progress. The panel created to discuss RTI implementation in the SAARC nations have a heavy task.. but in the spirit of RTI they should be transparent and share their workings with interested observers. And they should be open to comments (as as your article) for them to gain an insight into the mentality that has governed our civil service since its inception.<br /><br />Information in Bhutan is still zealously guarded.. that is why i was so very pleasantly surprised to find copies of important acts (Tobacco act) and the Bhutan Penal Code, and most importantly the Constitution, available on government sites. I hope this culture of transparency and free flowing information will permeate into our civil service & society at large.<br /><br />What we DO require is an immense push in the form of education, publicity, awareness campaigns and so on to help inform citizens.. especially officials.. of the benefits of free access to information. <br /><br />Old habits die hard.. but with the huge changes happening in our nation, we can shoulder this responsibility and embrace that change in values as well..Anuj K Pradhanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06874783948098471726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-9273752307158052382011-04-07T22:02:22.101+06:002011-04-07T22:02:22.101+06:00Only time will tell!Only time will tell!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-13663242465969619862011-04-07T18:33:58.202+06:002011-04-07T18:33:58.202+06:00You know Yeshey, am not sure if the RTI Act is eve...You know Yeshey, am not sure if the RTI Act is even needed as it is most likely to make the aura of secrecy even more enigmatic and baffling! SonamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-47972092009001118102011-04-07T18:25:07.395+06:002011-04-07T18:25:07.395+06:00Yeshey, give the poor girl a break! (referring to ...Yeshey, give the poor girl a break! (referring to your last experience). Have you no idea what a heavy burden it is to be sitting on these (highly!) "Confidential", "Secret", etc. stuff? I suppose the RTI Act would facilitate access to more information, but not ALL information..lol. So the burden will get heavier for those fortunate or unfortunate ones holding significant, or rather, daunting, information. SonamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-25122848861216646112011-04-07T18:18:25.017+06:002011-04-07T18:18:25.017+06:00Dear Sangay,
Frankly, I do not know at what point ...Dear Sangay,<br />Frankly, I do not know at what point in our evolutionary process we got to be so secretive. It is strange that even those persons charged with the responsibility to share and disseminate information end up concealing information from the very persons for whom the information was intended.<br /><br />Given that mentality, I frankly do not know if the passage of the RTI Act will be useful or desirable. We may end up being faced with some strange and unexpected problems.<br /><br />Consider, for instance, in India, the annual budget is announced over the national radio and Television for the entire nation to hear. In Bhutan, the reverse is true. Ask the budget people for some figures on budgetary allocation in some specific sectors. They will tell you it is a national secret :)Yeshey Dorjihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03414546232976648883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5927086664707056533.post-76671550859050115102011-04-07T15:34:35.538+06:002011-04-07T15:34:35.538+06:00Damn!!!!! I am Aghast. I can’t believe it. I can’t...Damn!!!!! I am Aghast. I can’t believe it. I can’t believe that “HISTORY” of cultural significance is CONFIDENTIAL; I can’t believe that “Acts and Rules” are CONFIDENTIAL. <br />To be frank I had to google what RTI was and after reading through, if I were you, I definitely would have pissed off from not letting “RULES” to read which in-fact was written to be read and known….as rightly pointed by you.<br />I also went through the similar situation, but I took it for granted thinking that there might be some “implications” on sharing the data that I was asking from Gup’s office in Bumthang….the information requested has nothing to do with security issues of the country though.. (purely my thinking). I was asking only for the latest population and number of households in Bumthang, as I needed it for my research. I even had approval notesheet signed by the Hon’ble Secretary. Despite the approval, I was denied of the information…it was really discouraging.<br />I know, it works similar all over the world, but denying the information even on acquiring the approval from Secretary shows pure DISRESPECT to the SIGNATURE….it was funny though!<br />Looks like I am throwing my frustrations here, but I felt it was necessary to share similar experiences. May be RTI Act is needed but, how far will it work in a country like ours, where people are reluctant to accept new ideas and share fresh ideas.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08217879659826342162noreply@blogger.com