Public &Private Dialogue Forum 29th December,2014.

The Prime Minister was quite candid with the business people. I felt the address was a realty check for the private sector. Let me highlight the issues brought forth:

1. Neither the Government nor the Private sector can authoritatively state what % the private sector contribution is to the economy. The Prime Minister had asked the Statistical Agency to look into the issue. Has BCCI or private sector thought about it?

2 Private Sector is welcome and must participate in the lucrative power sector development but first Private Sector must develop its in house national capacity including full Bhutanese Managerial Capacity. The Government would be prepared to award contracts directly to a fully capable Bhutanese firm just as in the case of a firm which is fully manned by Bhutanese to build bridge.

3. Regarding electricity rate the Private Sector need to also take into account the cost factor of importing power supply from India during lean seasons at comparatively higher rate that was not passed on to the private sector.

4. The Government would be always ready to hear and discuss private sector needs and grievances and 2 hours every Monday was committed for such process.

5, Nu: 5 billion was available to fund private sector growth and the process is on.

The BCCI had also put forth the cash crunch issue. Maybe it is little outdated financial picture of the recent past. Presently I am told by a reliable financial Executive that Banks now have excess liquidity so they are planning to reduce interest rates on deposits. This of course would be good news to private sector.

I am impressed with the matter of fact approach taken by the Prime Minister.

What really is at stake on the outcome of RCSC decision on COS versus Cabinet?

It took several years for the DPT Cabinet to agree to the formation of Committee of Secretaries and it took just over a year for PDP Cabinet to dissolve this very same  official administrative body the Committee of Secretaries. So it does not take any deep thinking to guess what really is behind all this political sham.

It is ludicrous for Cabinet to deny any knowledge of COS decision when it was clearly decided by the COS  to inform the  Cabinet through its Chairman the Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary would have to be a donkey to keep the Cabinet in the dark and at the same time issue an official directive in writing as Cabinet Secretary to the Foreign Secretary to act. How could RCSC nominate and the King approve such an " idiot" to the post of a Government Secretary?

It is however possible that the Prime Minister may not have personally desired to communicate with Indian Government but had refrained from giving  clear or definite order to the Cabinet Secretary when he was briefed on the decision of COS. Silence or no remark can be construed as go ahead or having  no objection. And as for the words spoken by the Cabinet spokes Minister to BBS, these claims just do not make administrative sense. It begs to be interpreted as political hogwash. I had high regards for his intellectual capacity during Primary Election campaign on occasions when he represented his Party in the political parties discussion forums. In fact I thought that Lyonpo Norbu Wangchuk had led the structural organization of Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa his original Party.

It is not relevant for Foreign Secretary to inform or discuss an order from the Cabinet with his Minister because the Cabinet consist of Council of Ministers and so the Foreign Minister is a Member of Cabinet whose decision or directive would be conveyed by the Cabinet Secretary. If it was deemed that the Cabinet Secretary acted on his own then he alone should have been held accountable.

What parallel Government is being hinted at? Is the PDP formed Cabinet accusing the Secretaries of working for the Opposition Party which never had a hand in appointing the Secretaries or for the King who extended their initial term of 5 years of service or for Modi Government to whom  the letter of request was addressed ? Such loaded political accusation cannot be based on just one letter of request to India to caution the Indian NGO which is bent on reckless path to malign the economic partnership between two friendly Countries as conduit of bilateral corruption.

The  above summation is just a background to what is really at stake hereafter.

Now what can happen hereafter if a Cabinet formed by the ruling  Political Party can under any make believe reasons  break the backbone of the Bureaucracy at its whim and fancy now and in future?

1, All said and done almost all Secretaries, Director Generals or any in Executive grade would want to protect their service as much as the other subordinates. When civil servants are viciously trampled over to teach who is really their Boss, there is only one open path. That is give total reverence and obedience to the Political Party in power. Tsawa Sum is a luxury that few can even risk in their hearts to think of under the present scenario.

2, The faith in RCSC would be diluted. Love, Loyalty and Respect for the Nation, the People and the King is not going to protect any civil servant if the Cabinet can just toss off Government Secretaries like dead rats for doing their job which on a second thought the Cabinet in retrospection  realised to be politically embarrassing and probably decided to disown effectively. Many spectators must be wandering what really spooked the honourable Prime Minister and his Political allies after 11 days of Government writing the letter through the Foreign Ministry?

3. One is tempted to presume that the PDP Party which has accused DPT Party to be anti Monarchy would never do anything to undercut the Royal Shine ( aura and influence through people's reverence ). However this Cabinet cannibalism of bureaucracy head has set a very dangerous precedent. From henceforth regardless of the King extolling the civil servants to be true to the Tsawa Sum, the bureaucracy will have to opt to do as directed by the political Party even if by doing so they feel Tsawa Sum may be betrayed. Further every nuances, directives and orders and discussions must be signed and sealed down the administrative line in the event the superior denies responsibilities later on.

There would be national administration chaos if in future a Political Party that is anti sovereignty ( meaning placing Party interest before Tsawa Sum ) comes to power. With the docile cooperation of a thoroughly humiliated and defeated Bureaucracy, the faith and trust that Bhutanese People have for the Throne can be easily subverted by an ambitious Cabinet. Even a great King would be helpless if the heart of national administrative machinery is totally in the palm of an unscrupulous Cabinet. Therefore it will never serve the interest of Bhutan to subject the Bureaucracy to such unjustified and callous attacks unless act of treason is proved against the COS through the process of RCSC investigation or evaluation. A humiliated and devoid of dignity civil service cadre cannot be relied upon to efficiently and justly serve the Tsawa Sum.

It will not be the whole world but there would be variety of spectators awaiting with interest the outcome of RCSC evaluation and decision. The preliminary response has been laudably dignified though much delayed. The task is now to establish grounds to  reinstate or legal action against treasonable collusion. Most might already be expecting a face saving compromise or political damage control effort. All said or expected the undeniable fact is that it is a harrowing national experience.

AIRASIA Flight QZ 8501 of Indonesia Death- ly News.

Bodies of Passengers being retrieved from the debris found at sea. There is no hope of life. The prayer is for all 162 bodies to be recovered at the earliest so that proper burial can be done and terrified souls freed to rest in peace. May the affected members of families find the strength to pick up the shattered pieces of life to move forward.

Happy Lombo !

Today the 20th December, 2014 my favourite day of every week Saturday we bid the past year good bye with deep gratitude and welcome the approaching new year with greater hope and faith. The actual transition happens at midnight tonight.

Lombo meaning the Birth period of new year never ceases to affect my sentiment. There is a rush of past years events both happy and sentimental days and the forever belief that every experience of past and the approaching new years is designed by Kuenchho Sum for the betterment of the family in terms of both emotional bond and the collective strength   of the whole of extended Families.

On this heart warming and spirit inspiring auspicious time of Lombo I renew my love and responsibility to all my family members both immediate and extended and to my beloved great Country Bhutan.

To my beloved Father and Mother in the next world I pledge as always to fulfill my duty as you have taught me and that which  your spirit still continue to guide me. And to my beloved children and grandchildren I love you as you are and always at the depth of your hearts uphold to the highest esteem and deepest love the two mothers who are our Sun and Moon of every 24 hours of our life and family; to nourish the bonds of sibling love and duty and love your Nation which is the source of our dignity and proud identity in the world.

I sincerely take this opportunity to wish a very Happy Lombo to all in Haa, Paro and  beyond.

And may I with all humility and respects wish His Majesty the King, His Majesty the Triple Gem, their Majesties the Queens of our Kings and Kingdom and their Royal Highnesses the Members of the Royal Family the Blessings of Lombo.

I deeply and gratefully thank our beloved King for being at his magnanimous  majestic best on the occasion of 107th National Day and for the very much needed  Nation Healing Royal Touch to the socio economic and political health of the Nation. Thank you Your Majesty for the precious gift to the Nation at the onset of Lombo !

A conspicuous omission by two media arms of the Government from the 107 National Day Address of the King of Bhutan.

Both the Kuensel English edition of 18th December,14 and that of BBS link in Facebook have omitted the King's appreciation to the Defence Forces, HH Je Khenpo, the Dratsang, the 3 arms of good governance: Legislative, Executive and Judiciary,the Constitutional Bodies and the Local Governments.

Further there is no reference at all to the emphasis His Majesty made on the importance of Civil Service Cadre and their crucial role in ensuring continuity of national governance and service to the people.

I would have thought that the royal appreciations were important part of national address and would mean a lot to the Organizations. And especially the expression of His Majesty's faith and confidence in the civil service would be a much needed morale boosting aphrodisiac in the light of the recent beheading of the civil service pyramid by the Cabinet on a kind of speculative grounds.

Thankfully the re- telecast of the live national Address on BBS Television is not censured.

The peak of culture of respect and discipline

So many would have seen the live telecast in addition to thousands of live spectators at the 107th National Day Celebration at Kanglung under Trashigang Dzongkhag in Eastern Bhutan. It was a sea of colours,  pageantry, performances and national recognition awards and medals for many notable personalities. His Majesty the King addressed the Nation and His Majesty the Dharma King graced the Day. It was a day of spectacular events and surprises.

And yet the most spectacular and charming show was reserved for the end of the celebration. It was the Father and Son Kings walking along greeting lines of people who had come to be part of the celebration. The Father walked ahead interacting with the people with the respectful Son closely following in attendance. As the Father turned to greet someone else the Son changed his position to place himself behind so respectfully never obstructing the view and never allowing his shadow to fall on the Royal Person of the Great Triple Gem Father. I watched mesmerized as this peak of inborn culture of respect and discipline was so naturally and unconsciously demonstrated for the world to witness, learn and practise.

No wonder that the Dharma King so willingly gave his Crown to this People's King. This noble King though on the Throne holding the Sceptre of dynastic power  never forgoes the first and foremost Duty of a Son and the inherent responsibility of the Throne to the people and the sovereign Kingdom.

I pray to the Deities of Palden Drukpa to look after the Great Son and King of Bhutan.

An unforgettable Day the 107th Nationa Day.

The awe inspiring unexpected Royal Thoughts and Deeds of the People's King
on the 107th National Day at Kanglung.

His Majesty the King publicly acknowledged the Dharma King ( the 4th King ) as the Truelpa embodying the great qualities of the Triple Gem: Chhana Dorji, Chenrezi and Jampelyang.

A Royal thank you to a very deserving Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye the 1st Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Bhutan. It was emotional and certainly the epitome of his life long devotion and dedication to the Kings, the Nation and the People and to Judiciary of Bhutan. Congratulations Your Excellency !

The Prime Minister of Bhutan Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay was awarded a very rare life long honour of Liwang Scarf and Patang. His Excellency was clearly emotional on this auspicious royal trust and honour bestowed upon him. May Lyonchen Tshering Tobgay take the Nation forward along a fresh and united path. Congratulations Your Excellency !

I offer my admirations and congratulations to Lyonpo Thinley Gyamtsho, Lyonpo Sonam Kinga, Dasho Chewang Rinzin, Dasho Tashi Wangyel and all great Bhutanese and others who were honoured by His Majesty the King for their selfless service to Tsawa Sum on the auspicious 107th National Day.

I thank His Majesty the King for the way forward and the absolute royal hope and faith in the goodness and prosperity of the Kingdom for Greater Good of all Bhutanese.

The 107th National Day of the Kingdom of Bhutan. The Day of 17th December,2014.

National Day will be celebrated in all the 20 Dzongkhags, however, the main Event will be held at Kanglung under Trashigang the largest Dzongkhag of the Kingdom. In a way Trashigang is the heart of the East  the pulse of Sharchhok Khorlo Chhusum.

I look forward to the live telecast of the national event tomorrow. To me personally the celebration of the National Day in the  East means just more than a tribute to the past or the consolidation historic event of national administration under one Leader. It was a day that epitomised the collective national will to end internal strife and move forward in unison for greater good and prosperity of all Bhutanese.

I therefore pray that this 107th National Day Celebration held in the East is dedicated towards a fresh start to the national dream of greater good and prosperity for all Bhutanese with a renewed vigour.

I feel most grateful to His Majesty the King for the enlightened thought in making possible the celebration of this National Day in the East and further for the thoughtful arrangement to have the Dharma King ( the 4th King ) to grace the historic Occasion.

The Dharma King had put his own life on line to protect the peace, prosperity and happiness of all Bhutanese in the East, South, West and the nomads of extreme North. He fulfilled the Oath of his great Grandfather to protect the sovereignty of Bhutan whose people collectively entrusted this task to him and his Dynasty. The 5th King on the Dragon Throne His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck repeated the Oath of Commitment and Pledges of the 1st King His Majesty King Ugyen Wangchuck when he received with his heart, soul and spirit the 5 silken colours from the alter of Shabdrung Ngawang Namgyel.

The first and foremost Duty of a King on the sacred Dragon Throne is to unite the people of Bhutan as one People one Goal and one Polity. And we the people of Bhutan and equal subjects of our King must discard old baggage of regionalism and political wounds of Election defaults that arise from democratic processes. Nation Building together for the equal benefit of the Bhutanese Society must be our collective pledge to ourselves and our Deities on the 107th National Day.

I look forward to consoling thoughts, words and wisdom of consolidated path to greater Nation and social dynamics.

May their Majesties the Kings and Queens of all generations live long and true. And may all Bhutanese once again from the bottom of our hearts renew our love and trust in the Wangchuck Dynasty represented in the royal person of the  People's King.

I humbly take this opportunity to pray and wish the Dharma King a very glorious 60th Birth Anniversary.

Pelden Drukpa ! Lha Gyel Lo ! ( May the Kingdom and her Deities be Victorious ! ).

Pray for resumption of electricity supply.

No electrical supply to parts of Jushina since yesterday evening. Waited over 2 hrs thinking repair would be under process. Then called 1250 several times. IThis number is a set up wall to diffuse complaints to frustrating silence. Finally got the local lineman number who hesitatingly let out the difficulty of getting maintenance unit assistance. Provided mobile number of Maintenance Head Mr. Sherab. It seemed he had been just informedabout the power outage. He said a team would be sent but no electricity supply even this morning.

These days people are dependent on electricity for cooking. And both yesterday and today are very cold days so heating is important.

Could BPC please pay some attention to socially low status customers. We do pay the same power charges though we are not able to give promotions and bestow honours .

An Analysis of the highly publicised Bhutanese Cabinet decision to sack 3 Government Secretaries from their Posts

1, The Government lamented the collective decision of the Committee of Secretaries ( COS ) that was arrived at after extensive discussions in 4 COS  official Meetings spread over 2 months October & November,2014.

2. The decision of COS is arrived by consent of majority members in the required quorum. There are 10 or more Government Secretaries so the quorum has to be 6 or more Members.

3.  It is most unlikely that none of the Ministers were informed by any of the Secretaries during the 2 months about the COS taking up the issue of BHEL and BVT.

4. One Government Secretary was named by  a legal Entity in India and by an ex-officer of Royal Government as being a party in the alleged hydro-projects financial scam. A registered Newspaper The Bhutanese had been carrying this allegation story in both print and electronic form for over 3 months now. Facebook was bombarded with it.

5, Against this back drop the Cabinet have had to have dwelt upon this accusation against the Government. And the Government Secretaries would be officially  and morally bound to discuss and decide the course of action. The allegation had to be investigated and culprits identified for legal and official action or the instigators of baseless allegations brought to task. You just cannot stay frozen when a Government Secretary is directly identified with a alleged huge financial scam.

6. The Prime Minister had told the Media quite sometime back that his Government was asking Anti Corruption Commission ( ACC ) and the Royal Audit Authority ( RAA ) to investigate. However yesterday the Cabinet revealed that it had not done so. The delay could only be explained if the Government had decided first to take up the issue with Government of India.

7. The BHEL ( The Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited) is a Government of India Enterprise. And only the Indian Government can obtain all necessary details of its operations regarding Supplies to hydro projects in Bhutan.

8. The registered Indian company ENERTIA that made the accusations against the Officials of past two Governments of both Bhutan and India of corrupt practices and identified the Bhutanese Economic Secretary as being among them is based in Mumbai. Again the Indian Government Cooperation is required.

9. An official letter of request was sent to this effect by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Bhutan to presumably the Indian Ambassador in Thimphu. That is the established protocol. The Director General or Joint Secretary could have sent such a letter as per protocol ranking. However the RGOB had always treated the Indian Ambassador with extra courtesy so the Secretary must have signed the letter.

10. This letter could not be written without the knowledge of the Cabinet Ministers. Otherwise all the Secretaries would be sacked together for to quote, " running a parallel Government". Only 3 were selected and with unnecessary over the board publicity. The big question is Why.? Why?

11, There is one plausible answer. The letter was written on 2nd December and after 11 days on 12thDecember the Cabinet reacted in the most disoriented manner. The letter could have provided an opportunity for the present BJP Government to set in motion the Investigative Agencies on the past records of UPA ll  Government. After all the alleged corruption deeds took place during the previous Government. The present Modi Government cannot be accused of vindictive action because outwardly it is only obliging the request of a very friendly Country Bhutan.

12. Someone may have tipped off the PDP formed Bhutanese Cabinet on the political fallout upon UPA Government Officials. It was UPA that went to extra length in 2013 to help PDP and even committed Rs. 5 billion to make good PDP Campaign pledges.

13. The way out was to disown the letter. It cannot be withdrawn. So pick 3 Secretaries that had direct hand in writing the letter. The Economic Secretary for providing the material, the Cabinet Secretary who conveyed the Government order to the Foreign Secretary who took up the matter with Indian Government. To disown the baby the umbilical cord had to be cut. The Bhutanese confirms that the letter was copied to the Cabinet Secretary and as per official norm he would be made aware of action taken upon his directive.

14. The Cabinet Press Release states that the 3 Secretaries are surrendered for Royal Civil Service Commission's action and / or till the completion of ACC investigation of the allegations of corruption on the appointment of Bhutan Venture Trading as agent of Bharat Heavy Electrical Ltd..

15. It could mean that until things cool down the Secretaries are surrendered to RCSC and after the fast track investigation they could  rejoin or be transferred to other Ministries.

16. The Secretaries are appointed with the consent of the Throne and by the same virtue the Throne may have to be appraised of their removal  along with substantiated valid reasons. And doing their job or being picked up from amongst all Secretaries linked to the COS decision may just not be an acceptable or justifiable reasons to sack 2 honoured Red Scarf Officers and a 2 term  Foreign Secretary honoured with Patang and fringeless broad white Scarf.

Declarations:

The Secretaries are not related to me in any manner. I have not even met them officially or unofficially for many years.  And I do not believe that they are affiliated to any specific Political Parties. And in any case I have no attachments to Political Parties. My analysis is simply a political exercise to comprehend this thunder storm in the middle of a beautiful blue sky with the aroma of festival moods of approaching  National Day on 17th December an occasion to celebrate the historic Day with special emphasis once again on the 60th Birth Anniversary of the Dharma King who I believe possess the qualities of the Triple Gem.

P.S  I shall not be responding to any comments favourable or vicious except if officially demanded which I do not expect in a democracy.