Bhutan Must Prepare For Few Years Not For Few Months

One of the most ruinous misconceptions the Bhutanese people have today is that as long and our King and the government can contain the transmission of virus to the community, we are safe from its scourge. This is not entirely true.

As I have said in my last post, we live in an inter-connected world and thus, we cannot hope to survive in isolation – it is IMPOSSIBLE to survive as an island. What impacts the world will impact us. There is no escape from that. Despite our very best planning, foresight and strategies at containment, we can never be 100% sure of our invulnerability.

We may be able to survive death by COVID-19 but WE CANNOT HOPE TO SURVIVE DEATH BY HUNGER! It is this real possibility for the reason for which I spoke of shifting focus to food production in my last post. I urge the government and the agencies concerned, to embark on this route without the slightest of delay.

The Royal Government of Bhutan assures us that there will be no shortage of food and that adequate food stock will be maintained. I do not doubt their good intensions. However we all know that this assurance is based on the traditional support and goodwill of the people and government of India towards Bhutan and the Bhutanese people. We also know that India will not be found wanting in our times of need. But it would be foolhardy to believe that our need would be more urgent than their own.

As of now, the Modi government has effectively managed to contain the proliferation of the coronavirus and I earnestly pray that they succeed to continue to do so. But we cannot rule out the possibility of India going the American way. Should it ever happen that the virus overwhelms India, Bhutan and the Bhutanese people cannot hope to remain unaffected. We will be impacted severely – there is no doubt of that.

We cannot hope to rely on imported food to see us through during times of crisis because imported food may not become available to us, for a variety of compulsions. Thus, it is imperative that we prepare for food self-sufficiency – as a more reliant and dependable means of battling the coronavirus, or its after effects.

It is likely that it will be few years before the humanity is able to recuperate from the devastation caused by the virus. Thus, it seems like our preparedness should be not for few months, but for years to come.

Let it not be said that the Bhutanese people valiantly survived the coronavirus, only to die of starvation.