Bhutanese Women: Unequal Among Equals

Early this month, a senior reporter – a woman – called me and asked my opinion as to why, despite the fact that women voters outnumber the men in every one of our Dzongkhags – women still lost out to males during the recent Thromde elections. I answered:

“Funny that you should ask me this - you damn well know that it is not only the Thromde elections – but even in the Parliamentary elections, women contestants have fared miserably thus far.”

“But why? What do you think is the reason?”

“Simple - because women elected Members have given no reason for voters to consider their candidature with any confidence or optimism. Actually, I believe that women do not trust women – they write them off as: Aamsu gii chikha michoebey - it is as simple as that”

“Come on, how can you say something like that”??? She sounded incredulous.

“Aamsu gii chikha michoebey” is not a fair statement – there is not an iota of truth in it. Regardless, what is true is that such a perception does prevail within the Bhutanese society – not because women are less capable than men – but because women elected Members have so far failed to demonstrate that they are capable of walking the extra mile – as opposed to their male counterparts.

We Bhutanese have traditionally been a matriarchal society – in their role as the Nungii Aum, we empowered our women with moral authority and family leadership – meaning that we treated them as more man than men. In every sphere of family life, the Nungii Aum had authority over most decisions – the male’s role was solely to gather food from outside – and plough the field - every other life’s decisions were in the domain of the Nungii Aum. We treated them with respect – we depended on their wisdom – we looked up to them for guidance.

But now, the modern Bhutanese society seems to treat our women as something less than equal to men. I cannot imagine at what point in our evolution we came to be this way. When, and what, caused the waning of our respect for women we historically held in high esteem?

I speak of this in the context of our law that provides that if a child is not fathered by a Bhutanese man, even if the child is born to a thoroughbred Bhutanese mother, the child will not be considered a natural born citizen of Bhutan. It appears to be of no consequence that the mother is a Bhutanese.

This is such a shameful law – it reeks of gender bias, it is unfair, it is uneducated, it is primitive, it is grossly incorrect, and it is an insult to our women. It blatantly promotes disparity among equals.

As good looking and healthy as they look - one cannot fail to see the sadness in the faces of these children photographed in 2009 in a rural village in Eastern Bhutan.

The fact that such a shameful law exists can only mean that as a society we are in a state of regression – whether we accept it or not. It should not be acceptable that such gender-biased law that treats our women as being something lesser than a man, is allowed to perpetuate. We pride ourselves as a mindful society, a society whose life and living are touted to be guided by the high-mined and lofty principals of GNH.

This is why I say that the women elected Members have failed their lot – they have done nothing to change things – to abolish this evil law. This is why I say that Bhutanese women voters hesitate to choose women over men. They do not believe that women have it in them to stand their ground – there is no past record of their legitimacy!

It is not as if we are unaware of the fact that it is the women who bear the unborn child for nine months inside their bodies – the unborn child’s umbilical cord is tied to the women’s womb for nine months. Therefore, there cannot be a shred of doubt that if biological purity is to be the determining factor, mothers, and not fathers, have greater legitimacy. Where the father is concerned, who is to know? We cannot deny that there is always an element of doubt – whether the father is actually the real father as claimed.

This law has the potential to create a serious long-term social disharmony. I am told that in one small pocket of Chhukha Dzongkhag alone, there are upwards of 3,000 unregistered children born to mothers who cannot name the progenitors of their children, or that the fathers are non-Bhutanese. We know that there are similar cases in other Dzongkhags across the country, leading me to believe that there may be tens of thousands of unregistered fatherless children in the country.

No doubt, these children are growing up facing whole lot of insurmountable obstacles related to their movement, education, business opportunities and, even worst, social stigma caused by their unregularized census status. They are bound to be growing up with resentment against the state - for the suffering and shame they bear – for a reason that is not of their own doing. I am told that some mothers, out of sheer desperation, have gone as far as to shamelessly name their own fathers as the father of their children. This is not a good situation and needs to be addressed at the earliest.

Women elected Members should begin to put their dainty feet forward and start to earn their keep and, in the process, gain the trust and confidence of their lot!

As early as 2010/2011, when I was asked to speak at some gathering at Kanglung College – sponsored either by the UNICEF and/or UNESCO (I can’t remember which one) – there were two lady MPs in the gathering. I spoke to them about the matter and urged them to take up this issue. But to this day I have never heard any one – whether women or men – broach the subject during the last eighteen years of Parliamentary debates. I believe that since this is an issue related to women, our women MPs should take the lead and attempt to bring fairness in our legal provisions.

For the record, it is not as if this is being brought up in the public domain for the first time. The matter was discussed earlier – please read up at the following:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZat4LDQAQc

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2011/06/normal-0-false-false-false_21.html

https://globalvoices.org/2016/03/03/no-country-for-bhutans-fatherless-children/#

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2016/03/on-this-international-day-of-women-give.html

I am fully aware that there is no such thing as a perfect world – but that is no reason why societies cannot try to strive for one.

I have said this before through this blog – that, to achieve greatness, it is not always necessary to accomplish monumental tasks – even being able to dismantle evil that go to bring ease and happiness in the lives of the ill-treated and the downtrodden, is greatness; that GNH is inconsequential – if you do not have GPH.

Please consider – we cannot claim to be a just society even while such a vile law exists in our country! Since the first time I traveled to the outside world in 1979, every time I mentioned that I am from Bhutan - it never failed to bring on a twinkle in the eyes of the foreigners.

Let us uphold our reputation as a country worthy of emulation!

Is Druk Yuel Headed The Merlion City Way?: I

Recently a friend from abroad sent me some intriguing comments that read, in part, as follows:

“………. Interesting articles you put up there .. the Bhutanese exodus to Australia! 40,500 & growing - almost a third of Thimphu population.

They are not there just for study and work – a large number of them will be there for the rest of their lives as many hold PRs.

The last time that happened to Singaporeans leaving Singapore and with the added problem of lower birth rate, the Prime Minister set up incentives to entice them to return home. 

That did not work. Then the policy shifted to granting PRs & Citizenship to foreigners. Today, the true-blue original Singaporeans are <50%!

Another problem was when foreigners began to flip property & other businesses, then relocate the monies elsewhere.

If Bhutan copies Singapore model all the way through, this will be the way”

This friend fears that there are clear signs that we are headed the Singapore way – we are faced with the same twin problems that Singapore faced decades back - outward migration of our youth and falling birth rate!

Hon'ble Prime Minister of Bhutan - sounding the alarm bells

The problem of outward migration is a tricky issue – we may have to live with it for a while – unless there occurs an upheaval in the Bhutanese migrants’ psyche – and decides to prefer life over livelihood. Frankly, I am not very hopeful of that ever happening, or even that if that will be seen as meaningful.

In the context of falling birth rate, the PDP government is already trying to address the problem – by offering cash incentives to encourage making of more babies. Time will tell if this program will succeed … but even if it does, this has to be seen as a long-term solution that may not salvage us from our imminent short-term woes that are not very difficult to foresee.

So, the question then is: Is it likely that we too will arrive at that point where we have to invite foreigners to be our citizens?

Maybe … or maybe not.

But Bhutan has one off-the-rack solution - even if just a marginal one - that Singapore did not have …. What remains to be seen is whether we are willing, and have the courage, to act and grab the bull by the horns!

………..to be continued.

Recognizing The Real Calamity

To be fair, those of us who are resident in Thimphu – whether Bhutanese or not – have to be considered among the most blessed. If the Royal Government of Bhutan’s periodic mock drills of emergency rescue and evacuation exercises are anything to go by, we should feel a sense of uneasy relief that not everything will be a case of disaster and mayhem. It is not a very comforting thought – but there is now abundant proof that nature induced disasters and calamities will be a part of our daily lives – we have already tasted its ferocity in recent times - in multiple locations around the country and with uncommon regularity.

That said, let us not be in any confusion - these mock drills to test our preparedness has to do with how efficiently we will handle “the aftermath” of the destruction caused by natural events such as earthquakes, fires and floods. It has nothing to do with handling the disaster itself. When natural disasters strike, all that we can do is gawk and gap in awe at its ferocity …. and run for dear life. The power and ferocity of nature has to be seen to be believed!

It is commendable that we are readying ourselves to deal with the destruction that will be caused by nature induced calamities …. But I ask you – what of the calamity of the other kind? …. A calamity that is looming large right in front of our eyes?  A man-made calamity that is more calamitous than those caused by nature … a calamity that is building up at a break-neck speed … a calamity called:

!!  TRAFFICE CONGESTION  !!

But this is a calamity that we have the power and the means to control and mitigate …. no need for mock drills and test runs! Sadly, we are so numbed by a sense of complacency …. that we do not seem to be wanting to do anything about it.

It would appear that people fail to understand that this is a calamity which, unlike the natural ones that will likely happen once is a year, or in five years, or in ten years, or in half a century, the one that we are ignoring, when it arrives, we have to live with it every day, and every waking hour of our lives!

If we do not address this looming calamity now, in the coming five years or so, Thimphu will be unlivable …. Traffic congestion will be so severe that we will see road-rage on a daily basis. It will derail smooth flow of life – I mean there will be so many problems that the situation will throw up – we have no idea as yet.

We are fully aware that in our condition road expansion cannot happen beyond a certain point. Thus, the way to go is to be inventive, think of creative ways to ease or lighten traffic congestion – create conditions so that we can accommodate the burgeoning vehicular traffic, or redirect it elsewhere – away from the core. If we do not do this NOW, we are in serious trouble.

Look at the situation prevailing already – in the last one year, vehicle dealership has ballooned exponentially …. vehicle population has increased at an alarming rate. You would have already experienced the crushing traffic congestion in the morning hours and in the evenings.

If we put our minds to it, it is not a problem that cannot be surmounted …. Therefore, let us be sensible and focus on solving smaller problems that we can solve …. instead of chasing big dreams which, given our situation, most often remain nothing more than dreams.

To be caught with our pants down every time is not a sign of an evolved society. We need to transcend verbosity and get down to addressing real issues with timely planning and execution. Time is of the essence …. Let not the opportunity pass us by.

Weed Out The Renegades!

I feel sorry for our Prime Minister.

I mean His Excellency Tshering Tobgay is a legitimately elected Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bhutan, and the Head of its sitting Government. This means that he sits at the pinnacle of the country’s governance – just a notch below the Head of the State. Given this authority duly vested in him by majority of the Bhutanese people, including the award of Dakyen and Patang – symbols of Power and Authority - by His Majesty the King - he does not need to resort to threats – to get state institutions to do their jobs.

As long as they are required to do so for the benefit and interest of the country, and the people of Bhutan, no state institution may have the audacity to defy the explicit instructions of the Head of the government.

The Bhutan Telecom (BT) refusing to follow a well-intentioned instruction of the Prime Minister of a sitting government is a dangerous development – it is unprecedented in the history of Bhutanese governance – it does not bode well for the country. Developments such as this must be nipped in the bud.

That said, I urge the Prime Minister not to resort to starting a third player in our already crowded telecom market …. Our user base is so minuscule that one more player would be disastrous – it will impact sustainability and, at the end, it will impact quality of service.

Instead, the Hon’ble Prime Minister should consider sacking the whole bunch of those renegades sitting at the helm of things at the BT. And, perhaps, while he is at it, he could also take a closer look at the DHI – because, it cannot be a case of coincidence that yet another DHI linked company – DrukAir – has exhibited immorality so vile that it is disgusting to even think about it!

The fact that these companies are autonomous agencies do not give them the right to be disrespectful - they are still part of the whole - they must be made to remember that all things considered - central to their very existence is to serve the interest of the people of Bhutan.

An Apocalypse Waiting To Happen

It has been close to two decades since I have been attempting to alert the leaders who have the power, and the authority - about the potential risk posed by the location of vehicle fueling stations within or, in close proximity, of human dwellings. I have been trying to encourage authorities to consider relocating Thimphu’s fueling stations to safer and less risky locations – away from centers of human habitat.

Thus far, my concerns have been nothing more than a call in the wilderness. But I would like to emphasis once again that the dangers are real – it is an all-consuming inferno waiting to break out.

One of Thimphu's six vehicle fueling stations

To be fair, according to the following article from where the above image was extracted, it appears that Thimphu Thromde was not entirely unaware of the dangers posed by the perilous location of Thimphu's vehicle fueling stations. However, it appears that public safety and human life and property were considered to be of lesser value than some other loftier considerations, due to which the case never saw the light of day:

https://thebhutanese.bt/thimphu-thromde-determined-to-acquire-bod-land-and-relocate-fuel-depot/#google_vignette

Not a single day passes by without the news of a calamity happening some place around the globe. There are wars breaking out - there are news of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, plummeting aircrafts, of raging wild fires, flooding and of tornadoes and cyclones devastating human dwellings and properties on a daily basis.

In the first four months of this year alone, Bhutan has recorded 25 forest fires across the country, with Thimphu topping the list. Some of the fires have blazed on for weeks, destroying many hundred acres of prime forest land. Now we are warned of the likelihood of GLOF, caused by Thorthorme lake and, perhaps, many other lakes that are quietly on the swell, caused by glaciers melting at an alarming rate!

People tell me that it is a sign that God is punishing the human race for electing a lunatic like Donald Trump to power. Jokes aside, for me, it is a sign that we are paying for our irresponsibility - nature is rebelling against us for what we did to it - it is clear that it is no longer willing to be tolerant.

There is no gainsaying that human race’s acts of recklessness are beyond redemption. The ferocity and the regularity with which nature is dealing us its displeasure tells us that we are incapable of building any effective fortifications against it’s power and intent – all that we can do is try and give ourselves a modicum of chance – by trying to forestall that which is inevitable - for as long as we are able to.

Trust me, the mind can see what the eyes can’t! REMEMBER, to have to arrive at a point when leaders have to say sorry means that we are already too late.

Redefining GNH: Lump The 9 Domains And 33 Indicators - Apply Common Sense

Sangay Dema, whoever she is, spoke my mind. The following is what she wrote in yesterday’s Kuensel:

Exactly my sentiments!!!

I have said this for years – that the Bhutanese society is not a thinking society. Our whole focus is in sounding good and looking good. We excel in the art of verbosity – but we are simply INCAPABLE OF THINKING. As incredible as it may sound, we simply do not bother what may be the consequences of our thoughtless actions.

In her above article in the Kuensel Sangay Dema quotes four examples of our mindlessness - I can give you few thousand examples how unthinking we are. But I know you do not have the time to read through them all. Likewise, I do not have the time to write them all out. But just to give you an example of our mindlessness, I leave you with the following:

A year or two back, the CSO (Civil Society Organization) Authority came up with a rule that required every registered CSO to maintain a captive fund of Nu.4.0 million in the form of a Term Deposit in a bank.

I was aghast! I mean, what kind of idiots could have thought up a scheme that would make it mandatory for a CSO/NGO to keep Nu.4.0 million locked up in a bank – when the fund could be used to do good in the society – to help build shelters for the poor and the destitute; to finance the education of few rural children, to help farmers protect their crops from wildlife predation, to provide safe drinking water and improve sanitation?

I mean, don’t they know that the money that does not serve a useful purpose is useless money?

In any event, what makes the CSO Authority think that Bhutanese CSOs are so rich that they have Nu.4.0 million of idle money to be left languishing in a bank vault???? 😡

Kuche, please GROW UP!!!!

March of History: Flight Information Display System (FIDS) at Paro International Airport

History records that construction of Paro International Airport was completed and inaugurated in the year 1968.

Bhutan’s National Flag Carrier - Druk Air - was created in 1981 - primarily as a bold statement of nationhood - but with commercial functions.

Exactly 15 years later, Paro International Airport began to function as the country’s one and only international airport - upon Druk Air starting to operate its commercial flights beginning February of 1983 - between Paro and Calcutta, India.

Sadly, even after 56 years of its establishment, Paro International Airport remained without a Flight Information Display System (FIDS) - thus forcing me to blog about the shameful state of affairs on Sunday, June 9, 2024 under the title “The World’s Most Inhospitable International Airport”. The blog can be read at:

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-worlds-most-inhospitable.html

Subsequently, sometime in August of 2024, the Department of Air Transport announced the installation of the much-needed Flight Information Display System (FIDS) with the following notification:

The announcement of the epochal event of the birth of FIDS at Paro International Airport during August, 2024

My sense of relief that a useful service has finally been put in place after over half a century, was short-lived. On 1st March, 2025, the display of information on the Paro International Airport’s FIDS read as follows:

The information displayed on the top right hand of the FIDS shows that the system has not been updated since 19th February, 2025.

Instead of serving a useful purpose, this FIDS has the potential to misinform and mislead. So, perhaps we are better off without it!

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.

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!

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!

On Again, Off Again

This is becoming a habit with the PDP government.

During March of 2012, the DPT government had imposed a ban on import of vehicles - for obvious reasons.

Two years later, the PDP government lifted the ban - during July of 2014.

Then came the DNT government. Yet again, the vehicle ban was reintroduced ….. as of August, 2022.

As per Section 8 of Article 15 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), having won the majority of seats (30 seats) in the 4th National Assembly Elections, 2023-2024 is declared as the Ruling Party.

Promptly, earlier this month - on the 18th of August, 2024, the vehicle ban was yet again lifted by the PDP.

In all provability, we will likely see the Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP) form the next government. And, true to tradition, they will once again impose a ban on import of vehicles.

And, God willing, the PDP will once again be reinstated as the ruling party for the third time - in order that they can, yet again, lift the ban on import of vehicles!

The Edifice of Disgrace

As a Khengpa (a person belonging to the Kheng region of Central Bhutan) I cannot help but feel a sense of affinity towards anything even remotely related to Kheng. Thus, when it was announced that the Bhutan Bird Festival would be held once again - after having been suspended for the past three years due to COVID-19 pandemic, I decided that I want to attend the festival - if for nothing, at least to add to the number. Even better, my two American guests also agreed to attend the festival - all three days - from 13th to 15th November, 2023.

First thing upon arrival at Tingtibi on the evening of 12th November, 2023, I headed straight for the festival grounds - to check things out. I did not get past the Welcome Gate - one look at the Gate and I was dumbstruck - my heart sank and I remained rooted to the ground where I stood - incredulous at what I saw plastered all over the Gate.

There were a total of 10 images of different birds and animals depicted on the vertical and horizontal posts and beam of the Gate. To my absolute horror, 5 of the images – or 50% of the total images portrayed - were images of birds and animals that are TOTALLY NON-EXISTANT in the country - let alone Zhemgang District!!!

How is it that any sane person can be capable of such incredibly shoddy work - particularly among people who pride themselves as sane and with eyes wide open? I mean such atrocious blunders can be attributed to mindless zombies - not to educated people with weighty responsibilities. I cannot believe that the whole of Zhemgang Dzongkhag does not have people who can differentiate an African Elephant from that of an Asian one; a Pallas’s Fish Eagle from that of the Bald Eagle; A Black-necked Crane from that of a Red-headed Crane? Where were the Forestry officials in the Dzongkhag? It is fantastic that they do not know the commonest of the most common of the country’s birds and animals.

Waste of precious time notwithstanding, it was so shameful - even worst, it was soooooo telling on the Bhutanese character - clueless and yet adamantly moronic; unwilling to put one’s best foot forward, and yet vehement that rest of the world is steeped in mediocrity!

One has to wonder: Will the Bhutanese people ever improve?

The Case Of The Rotting Potatoes

In recent times, there have been repeated reports of hundreds of tons of farmers’ potatoes rotting in the auction/storage yards of the Food Corporation of Bhutan (FCB) in Phuentsholing.

WHY?

Why are the potatoes allowed to rot?

Hundreds of tons of potatoes are allowed to go to waste - through rotting!

Photo courtesy of BBS

In the aftermath of the COVID-19, the government was encouraged to set up a network of cold storage facilities across the country so that surplus or unsold food produces could be stored safely – for release during times of shortage.

https://yesheydorji.blogspot.com/search?q=Cold+storage

From what I know ---- in the last year or so Bhutan has set up a substantial number of cold storage facilities at strategic locations spread across the length and breadth of the country. Then why are they NOT used? What is the reason?

Are the facilities none-functional? Or, are the farmers too greedy?

There is a need to get to the bottom of this!

Bhutan’s Culture of Mulling: Part II

It has been my experience that it is not in the character of the Bhutanese people to act with speed and precision. The sloth-like pace at which we act would explain why progress in this country is lethargic at best. For the bosses at the helm of things, it does not really matter - the dogs can continue to bark  - the caravan will move all the same. They are not the leaders - they are merely the seat warmers. Corporations like DrukAir can tumble and rot away, in the process causing misery to one and sundry - there is no one to whom they need be accountable - it is not money out of, or into, their pockets. If more is needed, there is the public exchequer into which they can dip their hands at will. Small wonder then that His Majesty the King speaks of our wanning Ngar! For proof, read the following:

Shingkhar-Gorgan Road

The Shingkhar-Gorgan road construction debate went on for close to one and a half decades. The law is clear why it cannot be done - and yet three successive governments “mulled” over the matter for years. After having “mulled” over the issue for close to 15 years, the issue of the road seems to be finally put to rest when, on 29th January, 2020, DNT’s Works & Human Settlement Minister Dorji Tshering said;

“Shingkhar-Gorgan road won’t materialize. Since 2008, there were 15 discussions on the topic. It is stale.”

The Timbre-less Timber

It was in 1979 that Bhutan decided to ban the commercial harvesting of our abundant timber stock. There was very good reason for it. But sadly, the forests remained locked-up and rotting for close to half a century, thereafter. Only last month the DNT government woke up to the realization that there was money to be had from harvesting our timber that remained rotting in the forests. The government has now lifted the ban - but it took 44 years to do so!

Vehicle Quota System

The Royal Audit Authority (RAA) reported rampant misuse of vehicle quota system. They found that the state lost Nu.3.00 billion in tax revenue during a five-year period under review, in addition to turning certain class of public workers into crooks and lawbreakers. The RAA also reported that the quota system contributed to “exhaustion of the country’s foreign currency reserves and increase in import of vehicle, spare parts and fuel”.

The Vehicle Quota System was introduced during mid 1970s. The country spent “mulling” over the issue for close to half a century before the DNT government thankfully axed the quota system in 2022. Today if you ask me very, very few have any understanding as to why the quota system was introduced - you may be surprised the reason behind it.

Alas, true to form, this has yet been another case of a good intention gone terribly sour. Sadly, there are already scavengers lining up the corridor - waiting to pick up the eventual carcasses that are bound to come tumbling out of the goody bag of the government - whoever is next in line.

Duty Free Quota System

I am not sure when this came into being. But it was many decades before the government saw evil in the system. It came to light that some supposedly respectable members of the society were merrily peddling their Duty Free entitlements in the open market. It not only contributed to depletion in foreign exchange reserve through import of such silly things as chocolates and perfumes and cigarettes etc., it bred whole lot of unethical people in the government/public sector. Thankfully the DNT government removed this most vile practice - late last year.

Hydropower Projects

After I spent close to two decades hollering to go easy on the mismanaged hydropower initiatives, it was not until in 2018 that finally the Hydropower Committee recommended going slow and smart on hydro projects - that is 44 years after the ill-fated hydropower initiative that first began in 1974.

In the next year (2019) – that is 45 years after deciding to systematically desecrate our entire river basins, the DNT government announced that two of our 7 river systems will remain hydropower free for all times - Chamkharchu in Central Bhutan and Amochu in the West-South of the country. The rest of the river systems - Wangchu, Punatsangchu, Magdechu, Kurichu, Drangmechu, Gamrichu and Nyera Amachu - all of them being fair game for hydropower. Mercifully, in recent years, the hydropower as a technology of choice for electricity generation has lost its sheen – hopefully we are now safe.

Freedom of Speech

In 2008 the Constitution granted every Bhutanese the freedom of speech - among others. Yet, year after year the media and individuals continued to be muzzled of the freedom of speech - some even lost their jobs because they had a mouth. It was only after fifteen (15) years that a sitting Prime Minister had the courage to reiterate the Constitutional provisions. Prime Minister Dr. Lotay Tshering announced on 28 of January, 2023 that:

“Sharing information with the media is our responsibility. By sharing information with the media, they are not doing any favor, they are doing what they are mandated to do and they are doing what they are paid to do. Whatever we do, if it is for public benefit, the public must know. For this important information to go to the public, the media is the only thing that we can ride on”.

But alas - we are constrained by almost everything - doing is not always easy. But I have also repeatedly made the point that achieving greatness does not necessarily have to do with doing great things - dismantling great evil is also greatness. All it takes is courage!

Sadly courage is in short supply in this land of surplus verbosity.

Century by Century

It was in the 8th decade (1970’s) of the 20th Century, that Bhutan imposed a BAN on commercial harvesting of timber. As of 1979, Bhutan prohibited the export of logs and unprocessed raw lumber - by private individuals and businesses. Every single cubic feet (cft.) of residual timber that was available in the possession of private timber logging operators and sawmill owners - post the BAN - was required to be bought up by a government entity called the EXPORT DIVISION, under the then Ministry of Trade, Industry & Forests.

Such drastic action from the Throne was necessitated as a result of wanton destruction that was being caused to the country’s forest stand - by unscrupulous Forestry officials of the RGoB, in cahoots with greedy timber merchants, coupled with both the legal and illegal cardamom growers in the South of the country.

The extent and scale of the problem was so huge, that:

1. Along with the timber nationalization policy of 1979, the government was forced to put in place a complete ban on the movement of any form of lumber - during the night - in an attempt to control illegal felling and extraction of timber;
2. Upon completion of the take-over exercise by the Export Division, to our consternation, it was discovered that the actual timber stock in the hands of the private operators was more than FIFTY TIMES in excess of what was projected by the Forestry Department to be in the possession of the timer traders/saw millers, based on the records of timber harvest permits issued by the Forestry Department.
3. The volume of timber that needed to be moved to the exit points in the South of the country - in particular Phuentsholing - was so huge that we discovered that the COUNTRY DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH TRUCKS to be able to transport the timbers in time for their profitable sale to buyers.
4. In order to be able to handle the transfer of timber from their locations in the Northern parts of the country to Phuentsholing while they were still in saleable condition, for the first and last time in the history of Bhutan, the government had to employ the riverine route - to move the bulk of the sawn lumber to Phuentsholing. In other words, we had to use the combined forces of the Haachu, Paachu and Thimchu rivers - to float the stock of lumber down to the Export Division’s timber stock yards located in Phuentsholing. The phenomenal financial disaster that ensued, fortunately, is not recorded in any official documents of the RGoB.

The country imported skilled timber floaters from Jammu & Kashmir in North India, to do the job.

Policy misadventure is nothing new to Bhutan - it is the most celebrated talent of the Bhutanese bureaucracy.

I do not believe that the timber nationalization policy of 1979 was an act in support of nature conservation - I believe that it was an act solely intended to combat large-scale corruption in the Forestry sector. Sadly what resulted was the forfeiture of a most dependable revenue source that, some knowledgeable people believe, could have out-performed the hydropower revenue.

Recent national level study reports reveal that despite close to half a century of banning commercial harvesting of timber in the country, our forest is actually poorer for it - amply proving the repeated point made by our forestry scientist Dr. Phuntsho Namgyel that overstocking forests with excessive trees can result in degradation of the quality of forests. He had made the point that selective thinning of the forest is actually critical for the healthy growth of the forest and many other life forms contained within it.

The government has recently announced that timber and timber products would contribute Nu.10.00 billion to the national exchequer. This means that the country is now all set to lift the BAN on the exploitation of the country’s rotting forests. This is DAMN GOOD!

We are now into a new Century - the 21st Century. A whole new breed of people are at the helm of things. But the question remains: has the bureaucracy evolved into a better specimen of human beings? Or will they, yet again, close to half a century later, instigate another BAN - through corruption, mismanagement and mindless shoddy work?