BEO and its Youth employment escapades in Japan remains a dark blot on national landscape.

Once again the parents and youth victims of BEO attempt to seek justice. According to Kuensel,  yesterday on 26th June, 2019,  the Royal Bhutan Police has accepted the Appeal of Parents and youths for review though the applicants sought registration of a criminal case.

This sad case has scarred the employment scene for almost 2 years including the time of  investigation conducted by ACC. And there is still no hopeful light at the end of the tunnel. It is near impossible to surmount the daunting obstructions that confront the victims of BEO. Even ACC is unable to push  the criminal case past beyond OAG and the associated government Agencies and Ministry.

I do not envy the position of Royal Bhutan Police under the present circumstances. However, I congratulate the Chief of Police in his tactful handling of the case yesterday.

He could have received all the applicants in his office or meeting hall or out in the open space and  heard out the written appeal. Such broadness of mind and sympathy from a authority can heal a lot of accumulated hurts. But looks like only the lawyer was able to see the Police Chief and present the appeal letter.

I guess the Police Chief had to walk the tight rope of not rejecting the aggrieved applicants and also not infuriating the several  authorities that have been dealing or rather stalling this very same case.  Considering the varying circumstances, I applaud the decision of the Chief of Police to forward the case to Thimphu Police Superintendent under whose jurisdiction the case falls and have the case reviewed.

Already this huge dark case is spread over the ACC, Attorney General., Ministry of Labour, RCSC, the Cabinet and the main stream media and social media of two nations. The OAG, Labour Ministry, RCSC and Cabinet have kept the case at arms length.  These authorities are unable to bury the case and do not seem to wish to proceed forward.  Meanwhole some Officials and detractors  have shamelesssly tried to shift all the blame from BEO Partners& associates and Labour Ministry Officials  upon the youthful victims by such sweeping declarations as  " Bhutanese are lazy and irresponsible ". The lazy and irresponsible youths are to be blamed for being hoodwinked by BEO Partners and associates and taken advantage of by Japanese mafia in Japan.

The public of two nations Bhutan and Japan and the two Governments have a fair idea of what went on. But it is for Bhutanese authority to act or bury the case. If they wish to bury it, now is the opportune moment to get RBP to throw out the case. And if the Government wishes to help the nation to see through the case then RBP must be encouraged to filter through the documents submitted and forward the relevant evidences to OAG where the same case submitted by ACC awaits OAG's decision to prosecute or shelve. I do not feel another police  investigation is warranted through a complete new registration of a crime but  new facts can be added on to the ongoing ACC forwarded case lying with OAG. 

The present Cabinet and particularly the Minister of Labour and Human Resources have nothing to do with the past deeds of BEO and Labour Officials in regards to Youths sent to Japan. But the present Government have to shoulder the responsibility to clean up what seems to be quite a confused and messy handling of the Youth Employment Vision of the Royal Govrnment of Bhutan which also includes the hopes of the Royal Person, " Youths are the future of the nation ".   

Cooking gas shortage solution.

This government seems to possess the capacity to do what is necessary for overall good of the nation.

Dump subsidised cooking gas. Make non- subsidised gas available in required quantity.  And reduce electricity cost for home use ( non- industrial ). Not just in rural areas because many poor people also reside in urban centres. Either reduce the rate per unit or provide 200 units free for home consumption. But again do not repeat the heartless game of overcharging for units consumed over and  above the free 200 units. This shameful trick is presently in practice to recoup the cost of 100 units provided free in rural Bhutan.

The system of nationwide non subsidised gas will reduce drastically the quantity of gas imported. Further hoarding will be eliminated due to cost but more so because then gas is readily available.  And the nation will become more healthy as more families go for clean energy electrical power cooking habits.   The government must not be shortsighted and only be guided to earn high revenue from domestic sale of electricity. Go for comprehensive overall national benefits.

Presently Bhutan gets less than Rs 2 per unit for export to India. And domestic average rate is around Nu: 3 to 4 per unit.  BPC should seek soft loan to reach exteme less populated areas to reduce electrification cost.

Many CEOs related to electricity production and distribution in Bhutan  have received red scarfs. In return each of them have come up with different calculations of high domestic power rate to oppress the Bhutanese home consumers. These thoughtless leaders have forced Bhutanese voters to be slaves to Indian cooking gas subsidies. It is time to act sincerely in deeds  instead of always vouching lip service to Tsawa Sum and stop oppressing the people in different silent forms.

It is time for a people friendly PM and his Cabinet to subsidise power rate instead of begging India for subsidised cooking gas. Do not mix rate of subsidised and non subdidised cooking gas cost to come up with a uniform gas  rate. Such a policy prolongs our slavery to external manipulation and dependency.

Use wisely the resources we have at hand and introduce sound sovereign policies where ever and in which ever way. 

Age of Consent issue a lost cause already.

Seems that both the heads of government and Opposition are against lowering age of consent ( courtesy Kuensel ). Thats a lot of  Parliamentary  effort for nothing. Why then even bother to make it Parliamentary agenda to vote on?

1. Age of consent applies to both sex. Not just female. So please self named women advocates stop those crodidle tears.

2. If harsh penalty was the only problem related to age of consent than Parliament Committee should have put effort to reduce penalty for illegal but consensual sex. Why even bother taking up the matter for lowering the consent  age to 16 years.

3. Bhutanese Court of Law follows the definition of age as calculated by western method. By Bhutanese tradition, legal 16 years age would still be 18.

4. Traditionally by Bhutanese age 15 for male and 18 for female, the citizens were subjected to conscripted labour as well as defence duty.

5. Therefore, there is the traditional historical background that demonstrates  that Bhutanese youth at Bhutanese age of 15 and 18 equivalent to Western age 13 and 16 have shouldered national responsibilities. As such our youths have the right to expect the age of consent to be lowered to 16 age.

6. Bhutan is a nation of mostly youth population  dictated upon by elderly people. This course of administration by the minority older generation must be rectified. And the only way and correct means to enable the  majority youth population to have a say in the affairs of the nation is by lower voting right to age 16. Lowering age of consent is the beginning of dawn of youth empowerment.

7. Lowering age of consent to age 16 is empowering the youth. Sex is only a minor part though inhumane penalty imposed ( 9 years jail term ) for offender has exposed the social hellish side of the law that converted consensual sex to rape status which called for a relook at the age of consent.

8. Age of consent is simply the legal age when a youth has the legal right to make decision for oneself free of consent of the  guardian. And because the body is the closest and dearest possession of any living being, that right must begin with the right to decide over one's own body. And when you are 16 years old by Western standard and 18 years by Bhutanese tradition, surely a youth should have right to decide about sex.

9. With the age of consent regarding one's own body lowered to 16 years old, the path is cleared for youths to gradually  receive the legal rights to vote and own property in their name and have their own bank account upon completing 16 years age. This is empowering the youth and giving them a say in their future and that of the nation.

The people who oppose lowering the age of consent to 16 years are not protecting the youth whether girl or boy. They are denying a legitimate birth and biological right of a youth. And thereby obstructing all other empowering process for youth population to have legitimate say in their affairs and that of national affairs.

The people in power are afraid to empower the  unknown force the youth population of Bhutan..That is why the Political Parties both Ruling and in Opposition are out to resist the critical amendment in lowering the age of consent. They know what would follow. Age of consent is the key that will open the door wide open for youth empowerment. And that frightens leadership of the older generation..

If PM, Opposition leader and all the loud women MPs are sincere in the  protection of girls then legalise abortion. The worst exploitation of a girl's body is being forced upon to keep nursing unwanted pregnancy and then forced to raise the baby thereafter without a father. Otherwise please  refrain  from holier than god attitute and all these loud false concerns for girls.

If these people really think sexual activity is a taboo for 16 years old youth then stop promoting safe sex nation wide particulatly in schools. Why distribute condoms and promote safe sex? If it is safe for both body and moral to have sex using condom for high school students then why is is not acceptable to lower the age of consent to 16 age?  Away with false concerns and using such pretensions to deny youth the power over their own bodies and other civil rights that would follow upon lowering the age of consent.

The ugly truth of boulder export corruption system.

1. The rule was that trucks can carry 15 tonnes in addition its own nett weight of 10 tonnes making the total weight 25 tonnes.  That means the exporter pays royalties on 15 tonnes only. And their business income tax would also be calculated on income from 15 tonnes per truck load exported.

However, the exporters and truck owners are  publicly disclosing that their truck load is 35 tonnes including the 10 tonnes nett weight of the truck body. This means till ACC caught them red handed, the exporters were exporting 10 additional tonnes per truck in the black without paying royalty and without reflecting the income from sales for BIT purpose.

2. Moreover, the dollar income from boulder export is also partially hidden to the tune of American dollars $ 290 per truck load. The cost per tonne of boulder exported is said to be $ 29. So there is a generation of black money of Nu: 290x75= Nu; 21,750 per truck load flowing into the country ad ill gittrn wealth of few criminals. 

3. For small fries, ACC would have charged the exporters with criminal/ fraud case. And demanded double the tax and income  evaded with 24% surcharge for every year. But here both the exporters and truckers are let go scot free of past criminal.deeds. And are required to only  stop defrauding the State by sticking, hereafter,  to actual permissable weight per trip.

But the  truckers and exporters do not agree. They want the black money. Such blatancy only proves that they think the government of the day is in their pocket. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Lets see how far this Cabinet and Parliament gives in.

4. Presently he collective political clout and influence of exporters and truckers are so blatantly accepted by the concerned regulatory agencies and the Ministries that the nation allows itself to be held hostage. This just demonstrates how corrupt Bhutan is from head to toe. Now even the Parliament has endorsed such corruption by increasing the tonnage allowed to be carried without calling for accounting of past misdeeds/ frauds. 

5. This corruption system is not just related to boulder export. The under- invoicing happens in all other raw mineral export and probably in most imports. The State is short of financial resources only because there is a collusion through out our governing system to enrich few at the expense of the nation and the majority of the masses. This is the main readon why there is a call for nationalisation of all export of minerals and boulders. And the  same national collusion scheme to enrich the few have prevented every Democratic Government from nationalising the mines.