Bhutan’s Hotel Industry in Crisis

Going by the following article appearing in the Kuensel of November 15, 2024, it appears that the crisis we had feared was being created is now a reality:

Even as the rumblings of the call for dismantling of the Minimum Daily Package Rate (MDPR) was gaining momentum, sometime during early 2022 a joint meeting was held between some select members of the Bhutan Sustainable Tourism Society (BSTS), Hotel & Restaurant Association of Bhutan (HRAB) and Association of Bhutanese Tour Operators (ABTO).

Voicing the collective concerns of the BSTS members, I was explicit in making the following point:

“Should the MDPR be dismantled, the hotel owners will stand to suffer the most”.

During a restricted gathering of select media personnel called for by the then Prime Minister Dr. Lotay Tshering, held at ThePema by Realm, on 18th June, 2022, I once again reiterated that the hotel industry would be the most impacted, should the Parliament go ahead and pass the tabled/proposed Tourism Levy Bill of Bhutan 2022.

The government took the stand that going into hotel business was purely a business decision that was outside the purview of the RGoB. I countered that while that would be true, the decision by the hoteliers would have been influenced solely by relevant policies in place, and that when those policies were altered, the government that did it has to bear onus for the ensuing crisis.

In our tireless effort to dissuade the government and the Parliament from enacting a grossly misconceived and poorly directed tourism policy that was foretold to be ruinous for the country, on 23rd June, 2022, some select members of the BSTS met the Members of the National Assembly’s Economic & Finance Committee. During the meeting, I minced no words in declaring:

“I am willing to give you in writing that the Government, the Tourism Council of Bhutan and the Department of Immigration were, not one of them, ready to implement the Tourism Levy Bill of Bhutan 2022.”

Even as the catastrophic Tourism Levy Bill of Bhutan 2022 was at the verge of being passed into law by the Parliament, Bhutan’s one and only Sustainable Tourism Specialist - Dr. Karma Tshering (PhD) - went on record, and wrote the following in the Kuensel issue of June 22, 2022:

“First and foremost, before any change or systemic overhaul is contemplated, it is critical to understand if a change is really necessary; the pertinent question to ask is: is something going wrong? Particularly when one is dealing with an industry that accounts for the highest foreign exchange inflow, and accrual of multifarious benefits that encompass the entire strata of the Bhutanese society, the government needs to exercise extreme caution – before it embarks on an exercise that could very well imperil a system that is perceived to be working. We need some serious thinking on the matter – what exactly is it that we are trying to fix?"

"Are we in a tourism crisis or are we creating one?”

So, are we finally in agreement that a crisis has indeed been created where none had existed? If yes, are we now finally going to Reset, Reboot and Restore?

Bhutan Bird Festival 2024

I just returned from attending the Bhutan Bird Festival 2024 held at Tingtibi, Zhemgang: 13th and 14th November, 2024. It was expected - and the Zhemgang Dzongkhag Administration did not disappoint - that after the less-than-flattering review of the poor show they put up last year, they would do a much better job this year - they did! The ebb and flow of activities was pulsating and the sparkle of the festival ground was palpable, to say the least.

And yet, there is where it all ended - the festival was akin to a bride - all dressed up in her Sunday best - but no takers and nowhere to go! The festival failed to draw in a single international bird watcher or a bird photographer. Meaning that the festival was a waste of time and waste of precious resources - for the purpose for which it was planned and hosted.

Who is to blame? The RGoB and the DoT!

Birdwatching is a long duration tourism activity. For a truly rewarding experience, the activity will require a birder to spend a minimum of 2-3 weeks to be able to cover the country’s various known birding hot spots. To be able to access bird-rich locations, they need to spend anywhere between 4 to 6 days - traveling back and forth.

It is for this reason that certain segments of the country’s tourism industry have been pleading with the government to consider long duration discounts for birdwatching and trekking and any other activities that require visitors to spend long durations in the country.

Zhemgang as a birding destination holds great promise - it is teaming with over 500 bird species - a substantial of them rare and critically endangered. One international resident bird photographer who attend the bird festival went hunting for his lifebird - the Rufous-necked Hornbill. Within less than two hours he sighted his “lifer” at Tama-La - barely 25 KMs away from the festival grounds in Tingtibi. Elsewhere he would have taken a lifetime to sight this rare bird.

Another unique bird photographer who is currently resident in Bhutan who was also at the festival chanced upon a flock of 10 flying Rufous-necked Hornbills - a truly rare, if not impossible, sighting elsewhere in the world.

For events such as Bhutan Bird Festival to be able to bring benefit to local communities and the tourism industry as a whole, we need to take ownership of our own initiatives.

It is sad - how long does the government intend to remain subservient to the rank outsiders and the clueless? It is not fair - please wake up and take control!

Wisdom For The Future

Sitting in the dimmed hall of the RUB in lower Motithang, Thimphu, I looked at the beautifully crafted presentation banner with quizzical eyes…. thinking ….. really???

Inaugural JSW School of Law Lecture Series: "Wisdom for the Future"

What of the WISDOM of, and for, the PRESENT? Whichever way one looks at it, it becomes clear that the wisdom one learns, or do not learn, in the present will most likely mold an individual’s outlook and character or, influence events of the future.

When I was told by one of the country’s Prime Ministers that this generation of Bhutanese should empathize with the government for usurping their present because the government is planning for their future, I responded by saying that what is the use of the future when the citizens are all dead in the present?

But by lunch time I was convinced that the attempt being made by the JSW School of Law was something that is needed and perhaps, even - timely.

There was clarity and conviction when the speaker – Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi – said at one point:

“The first steps to securing the future begins with wisdom of the present”.

I loved it!

Over dinner in the evening of the same day – I continued to listen to him and of his indomitable courage that he exhibited throughout his momentous life. One other important lesson I learnt from him was, something to the effect that:

There may be people who, in an effort to hide their own failings, will attempt to subjugate you and your spirit through subversion and sabotage – but it is important to remain firm and unwavering to your cause – which, in most part, he convinced me - is the freedom empowered by wisdom.

My Tohfa of my Coffee Table book on the wild birds of Bhutan - to an immensely gifted person of global fame

And yet, in spite of being richer, wealthier, more informed, and more knowledgeable, Nobel Peace Laureate Kailash Satyarthi nonetheless acknowledged that the world has never been so broken and divided, and shorn of value and ethics and morality, as it is today.

Meaning that humanity has never been at a greater risk of doom than it is now - caused by our trust in human beings!

Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum and Cultural Centre

For all the serenading we do in praise of our monarchy, our tradition and culture and architectural aesthetics, the shallowness of it became all too evident when not a single Bhutanese had the sense of national pride to stand up and object to the construction of the grotesque Amankora Bumthang Lodge in the vicinity of Wangduechhoeling Palace – a national edifice without compare. I was pained enough to blog about it in 2011.

A reader from abroad reacted as follows:

Hello Yeshey,

“……  The problem of the Jakar Amankora hotel forces me to speak up, however.

For all the talk about protecting Bhutan's culture from foreign influence and controlling the negative impacts of tourism, this is a major, tangible contravention.

There are ways to ensure that if a structure as special as Wangdicholing Palace were to have a development project proposed in its vicinity, it would not be adversely affected. The Amankora hotel, which leaves Wangdicholing Palace literally in its shadow, is clearly out of harmony with its historic context…….”

The blemish of insult notwithstanding, the historic Wangduechhoeling Palace is now a museum dedicated to the Wangchuck Dynasty – its Tashi Rabney was conducted on the 30th of October, 2024.

Wangduechhoeling Palace Museum and Cultural Centre

Photo: Kuensel 31st Oct., 2024

Through this blog I would like to offer Thanks to Bhutan Foundation who thought of it, and spent many years and millions of dollars working on the Palace. Their act of preservation – I chose not to call it restoration – has been remarkable – the result is there for all to see. We must also Thank the selfless donors who assumed the responsibility in which we Bhutanese had failed miserably. I had the good fortune to meet many of them during the Tashi Rabney ceremony. Ofcourse, few of them I had met many decades earlier.

Tashi Rabney of the Museum

Wangduechoeling Palace was built by Choetse Poenlop Jigme Namgyel – sometime during 1858/1859 – after the amicable settlement of the Battle of Shamkharthang with Jakar Dzongpoen (later Jakar Poenlop) Tsundru Gyaltshen. Most know that Choetse Poenlop Jigme Namgyal is the progenitor of the Wangchuck Dynasty – but few know that he is equally important as the man who successfully reunified Sharchog Khorlo Tsipgye in 1850 – when he served as the Trongsa Droenger under the then Trongsa Poenlop Wangchen Dorji (Tshoki Dorji).

Our first Monarch – Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck was born in this Palace.

For some inexplicable reason, I refrained from taking even a single frame of photograph during the entire day of the Tashi Rabney – not of the people, nor of the Palace or the rare artifacts that were on display inside. I do not know - perhaps it was a subconscious way of showing reverence to the sanctity of the occasion, or it may have been a sense of joy and happiness that the bastion of the Wangchuck Dynasty has been reinstated to its rightful place in history.

Time To Hit The RESET & RESTORE Button!

Like everybody else, I would have loved to attend the recently concluded Bhutan Innovation Forum (BIF) held at the plush Doongkar Dzong, in Pangbesa, Paro. Regardless, thanks to a number of friends around the world who were also tuned-in into the upcoming event that had the promise of being singularly unique, upon being directed to meet me, I had the opportunity to interact with three of the movers and shakers who came to participate in the Forum.

It was amazing! The list of speakers and participants to the event read like the world’s Who’s Who. It was truly a star-spangled event. I cannot imagine what, and how long, it would have taken to put together a congregation at this level and scale.

In genuine wonderment, I sought the view of one of the participants: what do you think is the reason behind why a galaxy of luminaries came thronging to miniscule Bhutan? He responded by saying that given his limited exposure to Bhutan, he can think of only two reasons:

• Relentless hard work, personal charm and charisma of the King; and
• Brand Bhutan

HIS MAJESTY THE KING

No one is in any doubt that His Majesty has done, and continues to do, what is His penultimate responsibility – to secure and safeguard the Kingdom of Bhutan. As the country’s sovereign, He knows that He is the absolute last stop and that giving up is not in His job description – even if He has to walk the journey alone and without help from those around Him.

We have all seen that in the recent past, His Majesty has been running from pillar to post – drumming up support for the country as a whole and GMC in particular. It is my belief that the recent congregation of world luminaries at the BIF in Paro is, to a very large extent, the result of His Majesty’s relentless hard work and personal interactions with the very best around the world.

BRAND BHUTAN

The mysteriously alluring concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) came to be identified as THE Brand Bhutan since the late 1970s. The intrigue and appeal of the concept of GNH – a catchphrase that mystified and enamored world leaders for the past many decades was supposedly propagated for the first time by His Majesty the IVth Druk Gyalpo in Bombay, India - on his way back from the 6th Non-Aligned Meeting held in Havana, Cuba during September of 1979. Since then, Bhutan began to draw attention, and sympathy, and support - as a nation that gifted the human society a mindful developmental paradigm to aspire for. The Brand Bhutan was so powerful that when I halted in New York on my return journey from attending a conference in Mexico in 1983, I was introduced to a high ranking official of the US government. I asked him if he knew Bhutan - he said YES! When asked where it was located, his answer: in the Bahamas. He was clueless about Bhutan and yet, he had heard of us!

The second boost to Brand Bhutan came when Prime Minister H E Tshering Tobgay, during a TED Talk in Vancouver, Canada in April of 2016,  declared:

“…. Actually, that is not quite accurate ---- Bhutan is not carbon neutral – Bhutan is carbon negative”.

That declaration caught the fancy of the global community and we came to be known as the world’s only carbon negative country - further pushing Brand Bhutan one notch up the popularity ladder!

https://www.google.com/search?q=bhutan+prime+minister+in+ted+talk+in+vancouver&oq=Bhutan+Prime+Minister+in+TED+Talk+in+Vancuu&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCQgBECEYChigATIGCAAQRRg5MgkIARAhGAoYoAEyCQgCECEYChigATIJCAMQIRgKGKAB0gEKMTczNjFqMGoxNagCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:8452ea23,vid:7Lc_dlVrg5M,st:0

Thinkers and leaders around the world believe that we have a powerful BRAND BHUTAN. They think, as I do, that we do not need to reinvent Brand Bhutan.

All that we need to do is ensure that we do nothing to jeopardize it – we need to make sure that it remains resounding for all times to come – we must do all we can to protect it from being vandalized through mindless policies and destructive undertakings. We need to ensure that we are mindful about the environment … and that human happiness is at the core of whatever we do. 

Pray, tell me, how difficult can it be – to stoke the fire that is already ablaze?

Sadly, we may be losing it already.

It is an indication of waning morality, if any were needed, when we are told that it has been possible for guides and drivers and policemen and DeSuups - to steal hundreds of millions from abodes of Gods …. when we are told that tourists have been robbed and cheated … when tour operators did not receive their just dues … when tour guides are underpaid and ill-treated and denied human dignity …. when the government is deprived of taxes .... when our foreign exchange reserve is not improving because, as mandated by the new rules, only the SDF is required to be deposited with the government.

No one may deny that these immoral behaviors are new to our long-established BRAND BHUTAN. We have hardly ever heard of incidences of such immorality before.

Perhaps it is still not too late to RESET and RESTORE - please consider it.

The Home Fires Are Still Burning

It is so heartwarming to see our Monarch in Australia – among his subjects who have gone to great lengths to demonstrate to Him that despite the distance - they were never really detached from Him.

Their Royal Majesties among the Bhutanese diaspora in Canberra, Australia

Photo credit: Kuensel 13/10/2024

I would like to think that I am perhaps the happiest among other few hundred thousand Bhutanese – that His Majesty made the journey to Australia. For, on Sunday the 7th of August, 2022, I wrote as follows:

“Does the Bhutanese Ambassador Sonam Tobgay in Australia have the wherewithal to provide quality leadership to inspire and instill a sense of continued nationalism in the minds of the Bhutanese lot in Australia? Are there other Bhutanese capable of keeping the brood herded and on track - and the home fires burning in the minds and hearts of their fellow Bhutanese?

Recently I chatted a senior and respected person who too seems to have landed herself in Australia – I encouraged her to provide leadership and guidance - every opportunity she got, for the sake of the nation.

It is about time that the Royal Government of Bhutan sends someone to Australia – a person who is respected, a person with charisma and proven capability – to remind the Bhutanese there that WE NEED THEM BACK IN THE COUNTRY, when their stint there is done.

The late Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew declared that should there be a demographic imbalance in Singapore, he would import Chinese from China to make up the numbers. Unfortunately such an option is NOT open to us. Thus we have to hang on to what little we have”.

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2022/08/continue-to-keep-in-straight-and-narrow.html

The reception that the Bhutanese diaspora gave to their Majesties upon arrival in Australia is proof that the home fire that I spoke of is still burning in the hearts and minds of the Bhutanese in Australia. Kadrinche to all of you Bhutanese down under!

I believe that in a long while His Majesty would have felt truly at home.

Looking At Nu.1 Billion With Unabashed Skepticism

Tell me, how often does it happen that our government finds itself in an inviable situation of plentiful? From all accounts, our PDP government seems to have whole lot of dough that they hope to pass around – except that dispensing them does not seem to be as smooth sailing as they would like.

Take for instance the Nu.1 Billion that they supposedly earmarked for sending “deserving” students to study abroad. To their disappointment, it would appear that the announcement has been received with anything but unabashed skepticism.

Not impressed for all the right reasons!

I agree with Kuenga Gyeltshen – the general perception is that the program will end up supporting the influential and the well-connected – few, if any, believe that it will serve the intended purpose.

I have a suggestion, if I may: keep it simple and straightforward - allocate the fund to improve our School Feeding Program. It will benefit in three meaningful ways:

• School authorities will finally be able to afford to provide safe, wholesome and nutritious meals to their students;
• It will be a windfall for the struggling rural farmers who run from pillar to post in an effort to sell their farm produce. Injection of Nu.1.00 billion into the school feeding program will go to create a captive market so vast that the farmers will begin to look at farm work with renewed hope – it will be a game changer; and
• In the agriculture sector, the PDP would have done something that no other government has done in our living memory!

In my capacity as the Club Secretary of the Rotary Club of Thimphu – in 2018, I began implementing PHASE-I of the 3-years, $1.00 million Safe Drinking Water to Schools project, funded by the Disaster Aid Australia. That is when I came face to face with the reality of the School Feeding Program implemented by the then SHND of the Ministry of Education.

It became apparent to me that school feeding program could be one huge market for our rural farmers. But everywhere I went I was faced with one perennial grievance: that Bhutanese farm produces were way too expensive for the school authorities to afford.

I started thinking about this weird situation: How can it be that farm produces grown within the country can be said to be more expensive than those that are imported from growers located few thousand KMs away?

It was not long before I realized what the real problem was: It was not that the Bhutanese farm produces where too expensive – the real problem was in the flawed thinking. It was not that our farm produce was unaffordable - but that the government's allocated stipend was pitifully inadequate!

The answer: increase the stipend to a respectable amount and see what happens.

• Our school children will begin to get safe, nutritious and wholesome food;
• A huge in-country market will open up for our rural farmers.

Recently, Sangay Thinley, Deputy Chief Economic Development & Marketing Officer, of the DAMC initiated the formation of an agriculture marketing network that he calls “Network of Farm Produce Aggregators”. As of now, they are active in few select Dzongkhags. It could be expanded to other Dzongkhags across the country.

The Ministry of Education and the school authorities could work with this Network to arrange uninterrupted supply of items of food to schools – home grown farm produces that are freshly harvested, less infested with chemicals, safe, and at prices that are within the bounds of their enhanced stipend. The network of cold storage facilities that was created by the past government can be used to store food - to be supplied during off seasons.

According to a Kuensel report published in January of 2024, numbers are quoted as follows:

• As of end 2023, the number of students receiving free meals stood at 88,784.
• Stipend to each of these students is reported at a miserly Nu.1,500.00 per month per student.

Do your mathematics - redirecting Nu.1.00 billion to supplement school feeding program will more than quadruple the stipend amount to benefit school children. In the process – school authorities will find that Bhutanese farmers’ produces are, after all, AFFORDABLE!

Even better, the PDP will be the first government who would have done something no other past governments have ever done in the agriculture sector – transcend the talk and chose to do something tangible on the ground!

Finally, The Truth Is Out!

The Bhutanese people must offer thanks to Mr. Yoginder Sharma, former Technical Director at the Punatsangchu-I and Punatsangchu-II projects from 2010-2017, for finally having the guts to come out with the truth - that the project consultants to the two projects – Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited (WAPCOS) and Central Water Commission (CWC) - are solely responsible for the disaster that remains an ongoing reality with our two largest failed hydro projects: P-I and P-II.

On Thursday, February 19, 2015 – that is one full decade back - in my article titled “My New Year Wish”, I wrote the following:

“Even if the two governments do not agree to scrap the Punatsangchu projects, they should accept that WAPCOS (consultants to all the hydropower projects in Bhutan) has proven to be anything but competent to undertake any further investigations in the case of these or future hydropower projects in Bhutan. Thus, while we must ensure that WAPCOS is barred from future involvement in our hydro power projects based on their terrible record so far, we should now look at engaging consultants from third countries to investigate if the geological make of the Punatsangchu areas is suitable for large hydro power projects. Through the engagement of better-qualified consultants, we should ascertain whether it is wise to continue with the projects - or scrap it, to prevent further losses”.

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2015/02/my-new-year-wish.html

Two years later, on Thursday, June 22, 2017, I wrote another article on the matter related to WAPCOS resulting from a Seminar co-hosted by the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation & Environment (UWICE), Bumthang, in collaboration with the New Delhi based International Rivers, USA.

Having been invited to participate in the said Seminar, I reported the following to the nation, through my blog titled: “Environmental Governance and Science of Hydropower Development in Bhutan and India":

“One of the speakers at the Seminar pointed out that he had seen a number of works done by the principal Consultants to the PHPA I & II – WAPCOS. They were so bad and shoddy that he had recommended that the WAPCOS be banned from undertaking any work in the hydro-power sector”.

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2017/06/environmental-governance-and-science-of.html

Now that the truth is out in the open, is anybody listening?

Good News! Wangchu Hydro Power Project Stalled

I am encouraged by the news that the 570MW Wangchu HPP is stalled because of the unreasonable demand put forward by India’s Adani Group. I am encouraged for two reasons:

1. This clearly shows that our present breed of negotiating team is maturing and knows a lopsided deal

        when they see one; and

2. With this, I am hopeful that instead of the planned hydro power project, we can now consider doing

         the Bunakha Reservoir Project in its place.

No doubt there is an urgent need to upscale our energy production given the quantum jump in our domestic consumption. But why is it necessary that we have to take the hydroelectric route? The government is already on to the job – through the solar energy route. While we are aware that solar energy is not the solution to our long-term goals, this will do just fine as a stop-gap arrangement. While it will meet our immediate and urgent needs, even if at a higher per unit cost of production, it will give us time to choose and settle on a partner that is more reasonable and level headed than our current choice. For all the hoopla surrounding India’s Adani Group, clearly their astuteness falls far short of their overblown reputation.

For years I have been going hoarse crying out loud that we do the Bunakha Reservoir Project. Doing the Bunakha Reservoir Project has whole lot of advantages over doing the Wangchu Hydropower Project.

• It will feed the Tala and Chhukha projects downstream during the lean months. Water flow during the winter months is supposed to be so bad that it is rumored that last year we imported a whopping US$23.00 million worth of electricity from India. Imagine the shame!! – for a country who boasts of abundant/surplus energy.
• It will be an effective flood control and water management measure for the Bengali Babus downstream;
• It will create a water storage facility in the face of increasing water scarcity brought on by global warming. At some point soon, we will have to start to think of water storage – our traditional sources are drying up which is evident from water shortages reported across the country – both for drinking, as well as for irrigation; and
• It will be lot cheaper than doing the hydro project. May be even our own Bhutanese business houses can finance the project!

Let us not allow anyone to negotiate with us from a position of strength. We are looking for a partner – not a greedy marauder!

The Man Who Overrode His Boss

I knew Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba from the time I was in the civil service. The news that he is no more comes to me as a matter of great loss - not of sadness.

Following on the footsteps of another incomparable Bhutanese - Lyonpo Ugyen Tshering - the nation has a reason for deep mourning - because God no longer creates men like them and their contemporaries - Lyoenchen JYT, Lyonpo Khandu and few others - they are/were a breed apart.

My personal knowledge of the man was as a person who possessed that rare and uncommon talent of being able to keep up people’s hope. Even in the face of insurmountable odds, Lyonpo somehow never allowed anyone to go away feeling hopeless. He may never be able to do what is asked of him - but he gave assurance that he would give his best which had a comforting effect on people in need of help. For me personally though - he was a man who had the guts to do what needed to be done.

It was during the mid 1990s when he was the Finance Secretary that there was an incident that left a lasting impression in my heart.

One particular Bhutanese importer had indulged in deflection of dutiable goods to India - meaning that import cargo intended to enter Bhutan never did - it was deflected to Indian market - duty free. Obviously, India objected with customary vehemence - with the result that Bhutan was forced to act firmly - to demonstrate to India that action was being taken.

The action that was taken was that the Ministry of Finance took over the responsibility and the authority - of issuing and signing the Import Licenses - it was earlier in the domain of Royal Bhutan Customs. True to character, the government officials were obviously clueless about the import documentation procedures that was pre-agreed between the GoI and the RGoB.

One of the specified conditions was that the signatory(s) of the Bhutanese authority(s) who signed the Import License should be registered with the Indian Customs in Calcutta. So, it happened that the Finance Ministry took over the authority to issue and sign the Import License - but they forgot about that minor detail about registering the signatures of the new signatories with the Indian Customs - with the result that Import Licenses issued and signed by the Finance Ministry officials got rejected. You can imagine the ensuing problems for the Bhutanese importers!

In the middle of all this mess, I had a problem of my own. I had ordered a sizeable number of container loads of photocopy papers from Malaysia. The goods were fully paid for and the consignment duly loaded on board the ship bound for Calcutta port - Bhutan's designated port of discharge.

I went to the Finance Minister to request for the issue of an Import License for my photocopy papers. He refused pointblank - on the grounds that the Bhutanese businessmen were irresponsible and that we were causing the country great harm!

“But Lyonpo, my cargo is already on the high seas and they have been fully paid for.”

“Nga Meshey - now leave me alone.”

I got out of his office and headed for the Finance Secretary’s office. The PA informed me that the Secretary was having his lunch …. I told her - no problem - please report to him that Q Yeshey is here to see him. As luck would have it …. the Secretary just then happened to stick out his head out of his office - and noticed that I was there ….

 “Wai Yeshey iimbey tey … are you here to see me?”

“Yes Sir … I need to see you.

“Please come in … I am in the middle of my lunch …. Do you want some?”

“Mizhu la … I had mine”

“OK then … what can I do for you”

“I am in need of an Import License for the import of some container loads of photocopy paper but the Finance Minister is adamant that I cannot have it”

“Why”

“He says the Bhutanese business people are tramaship. I would not have bothered – except that the cargo is already on the high seas and I have paid for them 100%”

“Wai, if the Lyonpo has refused you …. Are you asking me to override my boss?”

“Yes Dasho I am asking that --- because your boss has hot stone in his head - he is being irrational. The import documentation requirement may have changed - only to the extent that the Import License will hence forth be issued and signed by the Ministry of Finance. The rules and import procedures have not changed - they remain the same. So, it is unreasonable and unjustified that the Minister finds it necessary to refuse me Import License - just because he is irritated”.

The Secretary thought for a while and said;

“Iimbey mo - you have a point. There is no justification in refusing you. But what if the Lyonpo comes to know and questions me?”

“Please tell him that you were not aware that he had already refused.”

“Haha … this must be a first - that someone overrides his boss. But I believe that I will not be wrong to do it. Beygey tey mosh - I will see what happens!”

Those days, life was truly haphazard …. But the existence of people the likes of late Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba made it tolerable.

In Fulfilment Of A Citizen’s Duty

Hi ………..,

As much as I feel uncomfortable to touch on this subject, I believe that there is no point in pussy-footing around the issue – so I will get on with it promptly.

It is with regard to the extremely rare Bhutanese coin which I came by a while ago. I had told you that the asking price was enormous and that it was beyond my capacity to afford it. Thus, I offered it to you instead. Quite obviously you were interested.

Coin Die of Druk Desi Kitshelpa Dorji Namgyal and some coin varieties of Bhutan's ancient hammered coins

Without beating about the bush, I have to tell you that I had a change of heart since – I have decided that I NEED to buy the piece myself – at any cost!

After I returned home heart-broken that I could not afford the piece --- I continued to brood over the issue nonetheless. At the end, I consoled myself with the truth that no man may possess all that he desires – there are some that he must let go. In any event, I assured myself that I had its image that would do quite nicely for my upcoming book.

Then it hit me: the piece is not merely an extremely rare piece – but Bhutan’s one-of-a-kind national treasure. Its value, I realized, went beyond money. If I could pawn off my soul for the asking price, I would gladly do it. As you are also aware, there is only one another copy of it in existence – but it is anybody’s guess where exactly it is at this time in our history.

Having compared the two known pieces – one featured in your book, and the other from the real stuff that is now in my possession - I am convinced beyond a shred of doubt that the piece is genuinely Bhutanese. That is validated by the numeral “CHIIG” inside the alphabet “CHA” on the obverse of the coin. I would go as far as to say that in all probability, the coin may have been struck from the same die – but using a larger flan. As you know this numeral can be found on the country’s earliest coins – including on the “MA” coin.

I hope you understand that I would be failing in my citizen’s duty if I allow this unique piece to go out of the country. I cannot live with the guilt that I have knowingly allowed a piece of immense cultural and historical value to Bhutan, to be lost forever. I feel that I am duty bound to ensure that the piece remains within the country – thus I need to possess it, at any cost!

Therefore, I would like to inform you that I have scoured the globe for help – to help me buy this unique piece so that I can keep it within the country. I am happy to tell you that I have been able to raise the funding needed – thus I am buying and keeping the piece for myself. Please forgive me. I promise that should another piece surface in my life time – I will be happy to offer it to you. But this one …. I am compelled to save it for the country and the future generations of Bhutanese!

Bye and take care ….. I hope you understand my compulsions.

Yeshey

Of Trees and Water

In recent times, the media – in particular the government mouth pieces: Kuensel and BBS – have tended to go gung-ho over the twin endeavors launched by the Bhutan Ecological Society (BES) and the Mountain Hazelnut Venture (MHV) - to blanket the entire country with tens of millions of trees - both fruiting and none-fruiting.

The BES aims to plant 10,000,000 trees by 2030.

Trees, trees everywhere

Making its initial start from remote Rangshikhar village of Trashigang in October of 2008, MHV’s initial plans were: 11,000,000 exotic hazelnut trees, covering 37,000 acres of degraded and barren land, in 15,000 plantations spread across all 20 Dzongkhags.

Nuts, nuts everywhere

In all fairness, the intensions of the BES and the MHV may be honorable – but have we really understood the long-term implications of these endeavors on the country? Their scope and scale are scary!

Given its nomenclature, BES should be a knowledgeable organization. But have they stopped to weigh the benefits of carbon sequestration – as opposed to ground water loss arising out of their endeavors? Have they considered Bhutan’s current stock of forest stand? Have they considered the following?

• Since 1979 – since close to half a century – there has been a ban on commercial harvesting of trees which has resulted in overstocking of the forests with poor quality trees, in addition to, some say, contributing to ground water depletion, resulting in drying up of springs that have traditionally been our source of drinking water.
  
  
• Available government records suggest that our tree density has increased from 280 trees per ha in 2016 to 377 trees per ha in 2022.
  
  
• The National Forest Inventory 2023 records that there are already 1.008 billion trees in the country. Of these humongous number, 93% of them are said to be growing in densely crowded conditions.
  
  
• One important question – do we have available fertile land (trees don’t grow on infertile lands) to accommodate such numbers of trees? Even if we do, is it beneficial to populate them all with trees, that too with only select species? What of space for other vegetation types – for the sake of bio-diversity which is critical for a healthy ecosystem?
  
  
• Studies show that agriculture land has decreased from 7.7% in 1995 to under 3% presently. Planting trees on agricultural land will further compromise the already compromised national goal of food security.
  
  
• Research indicates that a three-year-old tree can absorb around 10 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide annually. Another research has established that a 400 - 600 cm tall tree will drink up anywhere between 10 – 15 litres of water a day! Of the two, which is more beneficial? Remember: carbon sequestration impacts globally, while ground water depletion impacts locally.
  
  
• And what of the ethical issues surrounding carbon trading? Does it not seem like we are promoting environmental destruction elsewhere on the planet (after 29 COPs, there is clear indication that the state of our planet's environment is deteriorating by leaps and bounds - not improving), while screwing up our own – with doubtful and poorly understood undertakings?

Even more important, it is increasingly becoming clear that we will have to depend on our ground water reserves to supply us water in the future – particularly in rain-scarce countries like Bhutan.

Ice and snow melt – even rain – as sources for recharge of rivers/lakes/springs are likely to prove undependable as global warming escalates unchecked. Thus, it is clear that we will have to be extremely careful about jeopardizing our ground water reserves percolated over many thousand centuries. Looks like ultimately, we may have to depend on them for our safe drinking water.

As for MHV’s hazelnut project, I have already discussed about its impact on the nation – as far back as 2018. A repeat would be an overkill!

Misconceptions, Dogmas and Flogging The Dead Horse

Thank God! it seems like the mainstream media in the country is finally waking up to the despair that Bhutan’s tourism industry is currently going through. That said, I suspect that they are still not clear as to what really is the problem with the country’s most vital industry. The following article in the Kuensel is proof that they need better grounding in the subject.

Calling a sheep a goat

The reporter chooses to use the term “travel agent” while what he actually would have meant is “tour operator”. I doubt that we have any single “travel agent” in Bhutan. Being not of the industry, it is acceptable that he is confusing a goat for a sheep …. But what is tragic is that he suggests that only travel agents in Phuentsholing are impacted. What is true is that the impact is at the national level – not restricted to Phuentsholing only.

Talking of which, I would like to repeat my word of caution once again: Act without delay in correcting the policy misadventures that have been committed in the tourism industry. That small window of opportunity is on the verge of being closed forever. The acts of immorality – the likes of the scam in Taktsang will seem like a half-hearted joke - should we fail to extricate the industry from its current state of stupor. Remember, when the people’s sense of honor and valor are impounded – when the main streets are barricaded - people will begin to resort to walking the lanes and the by-lanes.

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Now, finally, here is someone who has his head screwed-on on the right place!!! Do I dare hope that the Bhutanese people will finally be liberated from the oppressive and illogical dogmas of the pseudo religious lot?

Meating the demand through internal production!

If we accept that we are born meat-eaters, we have a fundamental right to gather food that is God assigned. Food gathering – any food – should be our birth-right! Thus, it is correct that we should be allowed to produce our own meat – safe meat.

Talking of which, it is high time that we do away with this misbegotten rule that imposes a ban on the sale of meat during certain months. We all know that what is achieved by this senseless rule is exactly the opposite of what is intended. And yet, this has gone on for decades. Because of the impending ban, animals are slaughtered many weeks and months before their time. Additionally, since meat becomes unavailable, people resort to stocking meat for long periods of time - a practice that is both medically unsafe and financially burdensome.

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Here we are at it yet again – forever catching the bull by its tail – flogging the same old dead horse!!! I wonder if we will ever be rid of this delusional perception that we can be a player on the world stage? 

Think: If a produce grown few thousand KMs away can be sold cheaper in Bhutan than that which we grow at home, how can you hope to be competitive in the global arena?

Let us admit:

~  We do not have the scale;

~  We have a confused goal – we are uncertain what we want:

    food self-sufficiency or fruit self-sufficiency;

~  Our competition talks of millions of hectors of plantation –

    we talk of few thousand acres spread over mountain tops

    and plunging ravines;

~  We are landlocked – bulk movement of goods is impossible;

~  We are too far removed from the market – our transportation

    cost is too high to be competitive in far-flung markets;

~  Our sense of costing is topsy-turvy;

~  Our government focuses on production - while farmers pine

    for help in marketing and distribution;

~  Worst of all - we are blind to the opportunities that stare in our

    faces at home, while we are starry-eyed in the pursuit of

    none-existent markets beyond borders;

~  The government aspires the agriculture sector to contribute to

    our vision of US$5 billion GDP by 2029 through exports

    of commodities – while a more realistic and attainable

    approach would be to aspire to realize import substitution - at

    double that sum.

It is sad – but that is the way the cookie crumbles. If it helps, I would like to leave you with a beautiful documentary titled “The Economics of Happiness” – we find more than a passing spot in the film. Even better – it makes sense in our situation.

https://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/the-economics-of-happiness/

Please watch it to the end – it will take your breath away!

Druk Yuel: A Country Still Worth Fighting For

In my capacity as the Head of Export Section of the Export Division, Ministry of Trade, Industries and Forests, I had to be posted in Kolkata, India. As a landlocked country without access to our own seaport, under a Trade & Transit Agreement with the Government of India, we used, as we still do, India’s Calcutta Port as our port of loading and discharge - for most of our Export/Import cargo.

One night sometime in 1982/1983, I got very late coming home from a dinner engagement. The main Entry Gate to my building was locked and so I could not take my car inside into the covered Parking Lot - I was forced to park it outside on the street.

The following morning, I went to start the car to head for office - but there was not a squeak from the car’s engine - the engine simply would not fire up. I opened the car’s bonnet to take a peek inside - only to find that the car’s battery was missing - it had simply disappeared!

While I looked on in consternation, a Bengali Babu happened to pass by. He wanted to know what was wrong with the car. I told him that someone had stolen my car’s battery in the night.

“Bah re bah …. Aapne khoob bhagyaban manoosh" (You are an extremely lucky man).

“Aapni kii bolte chan?” (What are you trying to say?)

“Mathalaab – whoever that idiot thief was, he took only a battery. If I were the one passing by yesterday night and had found the car parked here, I would have stripped your car bare of all the four tires, and the spare one, including the battery and that jazzy Fog Lamp”.

With a wicket smirk on his face, the thug sauntered off – leaving me totally rattled! I mean how did the thief manage to gain access to the battery, without any visible signs of a break-in?

The above four-decades old incident came flooding back to me because yesterday afternoon I went through an incident that was similar, and yet completely contradictory, at Thimphu’s Kaja Throm.

I had run out of Lemons for my morning cuppa and thus had gone to the Kaja Throm to buy some. After foraging through over 30 shops, I finally ended up with a shop that had the kind of Lemons I prefer. I made my selection of a number of Lemons from the pile - but the storekeeper was no were to be seen. I waited, and waited and waited …. No sign of the storekeeper.

After more than half an hour had passed, the Lhotsampa lady at the nearby shop seems to have noticed that I was waiting and waiting and waiting …. She came over and asked:

"You have been waiting here for an awfully long time … is there something that you are interest in in this shop? The lady storekeeper went across the river for some work … looks like she is going to be a while. Maybe I can help".

"I want to buy these Lemons …. "

"You can have them …. She charges Nu.100.00 per 10 pieces …."

"But how do I pay for them?"

"You can leave the money with me …. I will pass it on to her".

"OK".

As I walked away from the market …. I was perturbed … how could any person leave her store unattended for such long periods of time? Isn’t she worried that people might walk away with her stuff?

And that, it dawned on me, was at the core of the matter ---- Bhutan is perhaps the only place in the world today where you can leave your store unattended for hours at a stretch - without the fear that someone might rob it. Think of it …. where else can you feel this level of safety and security – of peace and tranquility ….?

It is for this reason - the dread that things are going wrong - that people like us take courage to ring the alarm bells - to rouse the sounds of reason …. to plead for course correction.

Like I told one NBC broadcaster some years back - no doubt that Bhutan is as unique as every other country on this planet. But we do realize that there is simply no way that we can bypass the trodden path - like every other human being elsewhere, we too shall eventually get where everyone else is – in the rut!

Our attempt, in the meanwhile, is to delay the process - for as long as we possibly can.

PHP-I Dam Construction: Human Beings May Never Best Nature

After being in the works for nearly 16 years and having gone through close to 3 dozen Technical Committee Meetings to determine the tenability of the project, and with a humungous cost overrun projected, some believe, to exceed 400% of its initial estimate, the 1,200MW PHP-I Project Authority was forced to admit - after repeated landslides that occurred at the location of its dam site - that the proposed location of the dam was unsuitable - given its unstable geological formation. Instead, they announced that they were opting for a barrage in place of the dam - to be located further upstream of the project site.

The larger of the two PHP Projects was slated to be completed by November, 2016.

A barrage to turn the massive turbines designed to generate 1,200 MW of electricity? LUDICROUS!! I silently sniggered at the decision - because I knew that it was nothing more than a face-saving move - the project authorities would damn well know that a barrage was not an option for a project of the size of PHP-I. I was sure that in time, they would admit to their mistakes, and finally announce the closure of the project - for good.

Sadly, no such thing is apparently contemplated! On the other hand, after dithering for over one and half decades, we are now told that they are, yet again, adamant on building a dam at the same original site. That the foolhardy idea of a barrage has been shelved!

Barrage be damned! It is once again back to riveting and damming.

For an economy the size of India’s, the PHP-I's projected cost of Rs.200.00 billion is small change. But that is cold comfort for Bhutan. I mean it is not the financial loss that should bother us - after all the project’s ToR is clear - the project has been taken up on the assurance that it shall be self-liquidating - meaning that unless the project comes on line and begins to generate income, it is no loss of any marbles to Bhutan. Even when, rather if, the project comes on line, it has the responsibility to liquidate all its costs – only loss Bhutan will likely suffer is the loss of gain, for all our pains!

Frankly, Bhutan’s worry should go beyond financial gain, or loss. Our worry should be the increasing unpredictability of the weather – caused by global warming. Already this year we have experienced unprecedented natural disasters that span all the regions of the country. Our National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM) is in no doubt that by 2040, Bhutan will experience extreme natural calamities the likes of which we have never before seen. We have been forewarned!

It is in the face of this vulnerability that we need to exert extreme caution – no one may feign ignorance of the geological faults already proven beyond doubt to exist at the PHP-I project site.

A minor seismic activity in the vicinity of the project site could trigger a calamity so enormous that we would be left wondering what hit us.

The heating surfaces of the massive water bodies being created by the combined dams of the PHP-I and PHP-II - in close proximity of each other – is bound to cause its own unique problems for the region, such as altering weather patterns, causing traditional planting and harvesting season to go for a six, affecting food production.

And, God forbid, should the PHP-I dam fail, the PHP-II project downstream will be the first and immediate casualty. Thus, a flawed decision with the PHP-I project has the potential to cause not one – but two devastating catastrophes.

The project authorities cannot tell us that there are more competent and technically qualified people, than me, overseeing the project. If there were, why weren’t the problems detected before the implementation of the project - during the planning phase?

At the end, I have said this before - human beings may never best nature. It would be downright stupid to try – it will do unto us what we deserve. Nature has already delivered its warnings - with two repetitive landslides at PHP-I dam site. Should we fail to pay heed, we will get what we deserve.

According to this Seismic Hazard Map of Bhutan ... the PHP-I and II are located bang in the center of High Seismic Hazard Zone

The geological make of the PHP-I project site