There cannot be any other explanation - the government has unwittingly admitted that they are doing something clandestine behind the backs of the citizens. If not, I cannot imagine why the government has any need or reason to be so secretive about things from the very people in whose interest they are supposedly doing whatever they are doing.
Shhhhhhh .... kept it secret!
Before the advent of parliamentary democracy in the country, the institution of Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) was conceived and established, as a body to combat and prevent corruption. This was timely and the perception that democracy is likely to usher in an era of corruption and misuse of power was not unfounded. However, their role was that of a sentinel - not a law making body. Nowhere in their mandate (at least in what is on display) is it written that law making is part of their function or role, other than to enact rules and regulations designed specifically to prevent and combat corruption.
The Law in the wrong hands
Creating the enabling conditions to legitimize concealment of information from the fourth estate and the citizens is the very antithesis to what is at the core of their functions: combating corruption through ensuring that affairs are conducted in a fair, just and lawful manner.
Hiding and withholding useful and pertinent information from the people can deprive them of their most fundamental right - the right to information sanctified by the Constitution. Withholding information can lead to miscarriage of justice - through ignorance of the real truth. It will cause policy failures because they are based on half-truths, or untruths.
The cascading effect of one faulty policy can result in a hundred flawed public perceptions - because the citizens’ perceptions are formed in an atmosphere of secrecy and concealment.
When Bhutan started the discussion on the merits and demerits of introducing the Right To Information Act (RTI Act) sometime beginning 2011, I was the lone voice - opposing its introduction, tooth and nail. I still believe that we are not ready for it - in spite of the occasional policy misadventures.
Please read my opposing views at the following:
The rule of the ACC ordering complete blackout of information to the fourth estate and the general public does not bode well for the country. It is creating an unfamiliar condition in which the people may be driven to clawing for something that they had received without contest, in the past.
The make of the Bhutanese DNA is wondrous 😝 - you do not want to wake the slumbering Lucifer lurking within the chromosomes.
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