His Majesty’s segregation of “transient” and “enduring” prosperity is truly enlightening. The taxonomies are self-revealing in their implications. Two of His Majesty’s sentences read as follows:
Sentence 63rd: When we talk of prosperity and wealth, it is important to distinguish between transient and enduring prosperity, so that we are clear about our national aspirations.
Sentence 64th: For example, it is possible to become wealthy through gambling, rent-seeking, and other unethical means.
The 63rd Sentence dwells on the matter relating to our choice – whether we choose that which is temporary, or that which is everlasting or permanent.
But the 64th Sentence is the more substantive – it speaks of how you acquired the prosperity – irrespective of whether “transient” or “enduring”. Here His Majesty speaks of the route you have taken to amass your prosperity - whether “transient” or “enduring”. Here His Majesty is talking of corruption or, quoting Him verbatim – "UNETHICAL MEANS”.
There are a few million words that I can write about the corrupt and unethical practices that have been in vogue for the past many decades. But one particular shameless corrupt and unethical practice that I want to highlight is the QUOTA SYSTEM – not that I have not done so before.
Very, very few lawmakers and public employees can claim to be unsullied by the stain of corruption and unethical practice, through the peddling of this undeserved and automatic reward, in the black market. I am told that some lawmakers and bureaucrats have received these undeserved quotas three times in their lives.
Bhutan’s leading industrialists and business houses generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue that go to pay the salaries and TA/DA of the public employees, including funding of some of the country’s developmental activities. And yet, they are undeserving and outside the quota system. In fact they are forced into indulging in unethical practices – such as illegally driving a car that is registered in some one else’s name because the law does not permit illegally owned cars to be registered in his/her name. Some upmarket bars and restaurants serve imported alcohol – peddled by lawmakers and public employees who have been issued letters of entitlement for purchase of duty free goods.
Any country or society is bound to be in serious trouble when blatant corruption and unethical practices are condoned with openness that verge on the collaborative. The trouble is that even the agencies that are charged with the responsibility to curtail such crimes – are themselves deep into it.
As I had said in the past, the country the size of our population needs just ten hard working and ethical persons to take this country to the top of affluence. Unfortunately, of the ten needed, only one is working really, really hard.
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