Saturday, August 10, 2013

Anonymity - a cloak for fear, shame or irresponsibility?

There are 2 characters purporting to be PDP supporters making online personal threats, entangling Dasho Ugyen Tsechup’s name for whatever reasons; spreading lies of all sorts but most recently insinuating that I was forced out of Bhutan Times and I have family management problem.

I exercise my freedom of expression and therefore I respect others freedom of expression. That’s why I do not react to comments especially criticism. I realize that some do not comprehend my articles and few simply display self agony. However, I feel, I owe it to my readers who may not even be all Bhutanese and even if Bhutanese, may not personally know me or my past professions and the state of my family. The readers have a right to know the truth about the man behind the articles. Therefore, I am providing the facts of my professions and my family.

Threats - I do not buy threats no matter who issues them. It’s not that I do not fear personal harm or possible undesirable consequences for my family. It’s simply a belief that once given birth, the die is cast as to what happens in this one life. It may be possible to delay, detour, hasten or temporally hide but end result is non-negotiable for a prince or pauper. However, when nameless characters purporting to be PDP sympathizers or die hard party-men recklessly keep issuing threats of physical harm, vengeance by ACC or PDP government, I think it only serves to give credence to DPT complains about voters having being threatened.

Professions- I remain ever grateful to the Royal Government and especially to His Majesty the 4th King for the most rewarding opportunities I received as a civil servant to serve my nation. Now regarding my professional services in the Public/Private Sectors, I was Managing Director of Singye Group of Companies then Secretary General of Bhutan Chamber of Commerce and Industries and finally Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bhutan Times.

 I never sought those posts. On each occasion, I was prevailed upon and earnestly requested to take up the responsibilities. By nature I put my heart and talent to any task I take up and succeed in doing what needs to be done. And after completing my task, I left those posts, always on my own terms and time of my choosing. I handed over the companies and institutions to new managements, inevitably in far better in shape than I ever found them when I took initial charge. It is not necessary to take my word for it. Anyone can counter check with employees, colleagues who worked with me in Singye Group, BCCI and Bhutan Times.

Why this repeated reference to Dasho Ugyen Tsechup? – If anyone is interested in the publicly aired differences between us, look up my blog www.wangchasangey.blogspot.com and go through http://wangchasangey.blogspot.com/2013_01_01_archive.html It’s a non-issue for me now and knowing Dasho I feel he too would have put it far behind. There is a difference in age and style but we share one quality. If there is a problem we confront it then and there and we do not carry forward such baggage. I wrote about Kazi Lhendup of Sikkim and this same PDP purported non- entity brings into the issue the respected name of Dorji families in Bhutan. I referred to the protocol disaster of the 2nd Cabinet of the Royal Government not PDP party members and this same nameless character says I am tarnishing PDP because Dasho Ugyen Tsechup is supposed to be a supporter of that party. Is the nameless character clueless or bears a grudge against Dasho and Dorji families that compels him to unnecessarily and out of blue entangle them with issues they have nothing to do with?

My supposed family management problem – I do not manage my family. I cherish and enjoy my life with my family. The central pillar of our Family is the 1st Mother of the family addressed as ‘Ayee’ and next comes the 2nd mother of the family addressed as ‘Aum’ followed by myself addressed by all as ‘Apa’. After that come the children addressed by all as Ashi, Acho, Pasa & Dawa, Chode & Om, Dorji & Tshokyee. Yes, the pairs were given birth either a day or a week (more or less) apart by the two mothers. At each child’s birth (at home), I was there. The babies always dropped into my palms. I cut the umbilical cords and tied the knots, and then bathe the new born. I am not a good cook so it is the mother not in labour who cooked. But every one of us are there assembled all over the bed of the mother in labour talking, joking nervously and shouts of joy and possibly victory when the new member greets us with a cry of  Aeegh! Aeegh!! Aeegh!!!

Between the 3 parents, we never left the children by themselves or unsupervised. The mothers breast fed the babies and we never missed a parents meeting when they were in school. The children never ate a meal alone, except for the school pack lunch. We had breakfast and dinner together. Regardless of work pressure, I never missed sharing my lunch break with the two mothers at our home. I was always dot on time for office, appointments or meetings and I shared my evenings with my family.

My deepest and greatest satisfaction in life is our success in raising our kids and their success in schools, colleges and their professions. Our eight children do us immense proud and now we rejoice in the fact that we have the opportunity to lavish time and care upon our grandchildren. In a way at this stage in life, it is a boon to have the time and opportunity to help to bring up the grandchildren in the way we actually wanted to raise our own kids but for the constraints of those early years.

God bestowed two great gifts upon me. The 1st was my Mum and Dad. I claim to be a good parent but when measured to parenting of my Mum and Dad, I know I fall far short. I never had to toil from dawn to dusk and then undertake journey into the night guided by the moonlight. The 2nd gift is my own happy family. Frankly when it comes to the warmth, the closeness and the happiness, none can compare with my family. And I just do not have any reason to envy or fear those richer in money or temporal powers.

In retrospection of my life, I would say that any day I would prefer to work from a revolving executive chair than be the plough man during paddy transplantations. But I did plough and do other manual farm works. We will always remember with gratitude those pairs of oxen and milking cows that nourished our family. In fact, everyone in the family from the youngest child upwards, there were always works at home or on the farm. Such mix of life occupations nurtured and enriched our family life.

And ultimately because of this simplicity and straight forwardness of life I led, I never found the necessity to be a fan or supporter or antagonist of any individual or party. I am just a much disciplined, happy Bhutanese who is most grateful to this Kingdom, this Sovereign Kingdom which provided everything for the sustenance of past ancestors, the happiness of the present generation and the hope of the future. And for Bhutan I will keep raising my thoughts and hoping for the best. 

6 comments:

  1. Dear Azha Sangay,
    Given your age and experience, I am sure you must have thought hard on the pros and cons of letting out your "opinions, feelings, emotions etc. etc." in the public domain. The moment one decides to take that jump, s/he must be aware and well equipped to take on all the sense and nonsense stuffs that cums with this decision...some that will haunt you.
    As the wise men before us have said "there is no smoke without the fire"...and like they said for the umpteenth times "you reap what you sow", Azha, you cannot have the cake and eat it too.
    So your explanation and this rejoinder of yours do not clear any of the cobwebs about you and your purportedly "selfish designs".
    If it makes you feel any better I will give you this - "I do not fully trust any political parties in whatever garb they come". Most of all, I am waiting for the sinister nemesis of yours to make his audacious moves.
    Azha Wangcha and your Types....please be reminded that just because you don't see us on the telly and newspaper it does not mean we don't know what broths you guys are cooking for us without our asking. Our world is too small.

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  2. Azha Sangay... u r the tru son bhutan,,, u shud bring such facts about bhutans hidden language,,,,,, hats off to u.........

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  3. Dear Sangay,

    Why do you have to always defend yourself? In the first place,you should know that there will be people who will go along with whatever you write and there will also be scores of people who will not buy your views, who will critically analyse your views, those who will judge you by what you write and als those who will moke you for no reason or for what you have written. As long as your conscience is clear, one should not be worried about what A writes or what B says. The more you defend those that accuse you or point out some negatives in you, the more you sound guilty.
    I persoanlly like reading your articles since you always write from a different perspective but I dont quite like the fact that you always try and blow your own trumpet, saying you did this , you did that and trying to convince people of you being truthful - asking people to cross check to find out the truth in whatever you say about your achievements. To be frank, all i heard about you is negative, controversies and things like that. Never come across someone saying a positive thing about you. But I dont believe in what ever people say untill I see or know it myself. But the way you try and defend yourself here prints a different picture and sometimes i wonder if those negative things about you are right?
    Whatver,I will continue to read your articles and thanks for being bold at times in putting things into right their right perspectives. You have the guts to do that, I know so many of us would want to do that same thing but we lack the b**lls to do so.

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  4. Some of the highest institution (esp the peripheral ones)in the country needs to be redefined to save the lil resources we have.Too many of them eating into the already small resources we have.

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  5. Wangtsha Sangay,

    Till date I have been considering you as one of the most faithful,straight forward,dedicated man in this Country. But after July 13 2013 I am fed up reading your articles all the time accusing PDP for no reason.

    1. You said that PDP supporters are threatening you, being a expert Legal Man how can you write blindly here with out any concreted proof It could be some one who is your enemy, It could be some one from your friends who didn't liked your one sided articles.

    2. You try to defend your self from others view which clearly states that you thinks that you are only the person who know every thing so your mind is full of guilty.

    3. Better learn to accept your mistakes and be careful while posting your articles instead of acting bold and smart.

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  6. hi guys,
    he has right to defend and clarify those malicious and ill-intended irresponsible comments. Instead of aligning either of the party or personality, one should debate professionally and substantiate one's argument with facts and logical reasoning!!! yes, everyone has a right to disagree but let us not do it for the sake of disagreement! Rather make your point with intellectual reasoning.

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