To achieve the self-reliance by 2020, DPT will continue to have a sustainable economic growth with an average of 8 percent growth rate during the eleventh five year plan.

“For Bhutan, the greatest potential lies in hydro-power. That is why DPT decided that instead of 5000 megawatts, which was the only target, we would like to see Bhutan produce 20,000 megawatts by 2020,” said Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s Officiating President, Yeshey Zimba.

Yeshey Zimba said even if they do not complete 20,000 megawatts, they would be quite close to it. “And projects should be under implementation. So this will go a long way in enhancing the self-reliant of Bhutan.”

One area DPT would target to achieve self-reliance is private sector development. DPT says they will facilitate and support private sector in every possible way.

Eradication of poverty yet another area DPT says they will focus upon.

To improve rural DPT will consolidate and improve the quality of all the services established in rural areas under the Common Minimum Programme. The services are roads, electricity, health services, education and telecommunication. To uplift the livelihood of the rural people, commercial farming will be further strengthened.

“Through better coordination with the Agriculture and Forests Ministry as to what should be produced, what are the things that are needed in Bhutan and what can be produced profitably compared to imports and where it can be sold through proper marketing. So we will be focusing a lot on cooperatives.”

Besides this, DPT has pledged to provide full employment to every youth in the country. To fulfill this pledge DPT will appoint a Deputy Labour and Human Resources Minister. The Deputy Minister will shoulder the responsibility of informing the office of Prime Minister on how youth are being employed on timely manner.

“We have now pledged that the Labour Ministry will have one full time Deputy Minister to look at how to place people in jobs. To know where the jobs are available and what kind of requirements are there,” said Yeshey Zimba. Yeshey Zimba said the Deputy Minister will be fully informed about the job seekers. “He will actually have the list of people so he will place them.”

DPT’s other pledges include increasing tourists arrivals in the country to 2,00,000 annually during the 11th five year plan and therefore increasing tourist revenues to more than 400 million dollar ever year. In so doing, the DPT will focus on promoting balanced tourism related programmes across the country.

DPT also is promising to honour and serve senior citizens. They said they will promote spiritual, emotional and physical well-being of older people through family and community-based care. Add to this, DPT will arrange 50 percent travel concessions to the elderly citizens while availing any modes of public transport services.

For those who cannot look after their parents due to financial constraints, DPT pledges to give them gratitude allowance to look after the parents. This will be done by supplementing the incomes of low income families with some kind of state subsidy. Among other pledges are urban development and well-being, promoting harmony, peace and security within the country and nurturing media for a vibrant democracy.

Besides usual clarifications on issues the rival party associated Druk Phuensum Tshogpa with, its president Jigmi Y Thinley cautioned some 100 people from Lobesa he met at the gewog centre on June 15.

The president did the same with people of Kabisa and Thinleygang he met that same day.

He implored the people to not vote for a party that tried to lure voters with money and painted a grim picture of the country if the electorate chose to sell their votes during elections.

“You will have no say, in that you will lose your authority to voice against a particular party if in case it fails to govern in a manner that is democratic,” he said. “When a candidate comes asking for votes in exchange for money, it’s because they deem you poor and purchasable,” Jigmi Thinley said.

Other party would always say DPT failed to do this or that, he said to turn people’s eyes from the things that it did do, by which they actually mean to replace DPT with them.

He also said that in today’s world, the silver-tongued could make people believe black was white, or otherwise.

“This is politics and it happens everywhere in the world,” he said. “Therefore, be careful how you use your power.”

The president said he did not mind losing the election, but was afraid of the opportunity landing into hands of those who lied, or would buy votes.

Talking about Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) candidates joining People’s Democratic Party (PDP) he said the two were now one according to what one of PDP’s candidates in the east, who recently hopped party, said about the two parties including Druk Chirwang Tshogpa being the same.

“And they continue to claim its not a coalition,” Jigmi Y Thinley said.

The president also asked people to analyse and question the promises the other party was making.

On the other party’s promise to deploy 205 Bolero pick up trucks and establish petrol pumps in every gewog he said it was worth finding out what was happening behind the curtains.

“From whom will they buy these vehicles and who are the ones that can own petrol pumps and supply oil in the country,” he said.

About the 20 percent salary increment for civil servants the other party had committed, he said the government did not have authority to do so.

“A pay commission has to be established first,” he said. “We have enlisted that in our plans so we can increase the salary when necessary.”

He agreed salary for civil servants had to be increased, including that of the local leaders, whose responsibilities had increased unlike in the past.

By committing to raise the salary of the armed forces, he said it dragged the institution into politics, while also trying to interfere with what was the sacred authority of the King.

The armed force, he said was kept apolitical, to ensure which it was with the King they were.

If they came under the authority of and elected government or prime minister, Bhutan would also face similar problems many countries across the world did.

“The government will suppress people with power, and the same party will seize the power as long as they had the military under them,” he said.

On the Rupee problems, he said the DPT government contributed to it by bringing in Nu 36,000M fund, which not enough brought in another Nu 15,000M from India besides those the country earned from sale of electricity.

By Dawa Gyelmo, Punakha

“I want to make it categorically clear that Druk Phuensum Tshogpa is not engaged in any such competition. We have 47 candidates in 47 constituencies. Each one has been selected of his or her merit and the capacity to contribute to the Nation as members if elected to the National assembly. We have no plans to replace any of them.”

Also, responding to the questions raised by the media, the DPT president said he has no reliable information on whether Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa and PDP are in discussion to merge as reported in media. However, the DPT president said his party is not in the favor of party mergers or swapping of candidates.

“As far as DPT is concerned we have made it clear that we are opposed to any kind of mergers and horse trading that would possibly compromise some of the constitutional provisions and the constitutional intents including among others the reasons why there can be no more than two parties involved in the governance and in opposition.”

DPT’s Vice President for political affairs Dr. Pema Gyamtsho added that if the parties are to merge and candidates to join other parties after the primary round, the purpose of conducting primary elections is questionable.

“The whole screening purpose, the parties to be eligible to participate in the primary round, there are serious questions that you also need to examine whether the purpose of screening has been served and that it is done in a way that would guarantee the participation of parties that are serious.”

On behalf of Druk Phuensum Tshogpa, I would like to thank all our fellow citizens for the five years of privilege to serve and earn merit and tshog by giving us the benefit of your trust and confidence.

I thank you for meeting my colleagues and myself in the last few weeks and for sharing your dreams, hopes and aspirations with us even though you are extremely busy at this time through out the country. That you are as concerned as we the politicians about the future of our country has given us the joy in knowing that we have in our country wise and good citizens.

Our country has experienced 52 yrs of development and ten five-year plans. Each Plan has been remarkable and has taken our country forward in ways that gave us greater peace, security, prosperity and happiness.

In my life-time, I have been witness to amazing national transformation. From an extremely poor and backward country, when the vast majority of our people lived in poverty, shameful ignorance and succumbed to the most preventable and curable diseases, we have now become a secure, sovereign and progressive country. We are at peace with ourselves and with all other nations. Our citizens are proud and confident. Much admired for our achievements, we are a model and an inspiration to the world.

Today, we are a democracy with each of us enjoying the right to shape our own destiny and the power to form and change governments. Our first five years as a democracy has been completed. Where will our next five years take us and who will lead us? This is what we must choose by exercising our right and duty to vote in the coming two elections. On this, we must ponder deeply and use our intelligence and the wisdom that we all have as a highly intelligent people.

Ahead lies an even better future of peace and prosperity.

How did we get to where we are? All these have been possible under the guidance and benevolent reign of our great kings who have all been wish-fulfilling jewels. And how did we get such great kings who were born to rule but lived to serve the people? All this is due to the collective merit we have earned through our adherence to tha dam tsig and belief in ley judel. Whether we continue to prosper on the path that our kings have paved for us or sink back into poverty and are defeated by the many threats that we face as a small vulnerable nation, will depend on the extent of merit we as a people will earn or lose.

Therefore, as we become richer, we must continue to earn merit as we did in difficult times and not be only concerned with wealth creation. We must continue to seek refuge in the Koenchhog sum, honour and serve our parents, love and be true to our spouse, guide our children, cultivate caring relationships within family, neighbours and others and have the humility to be grateful to lam-koenchog, phama, and to well wishers for what we achieve and succeed.

Even as we have our individual aspirations and interests in life, let us endeavour to think as one people and share common dreams for the good of our nation. We are too small and fragile to pull in different directions.

Realizing that we have no future without freedom, let us love our homeland and put the preservation of our sovereignty and independence before our own interests.
All must contribute to unity and harmony and care for and respect each other without allowing reasons for division to emerge. No Bhutanese should feel or be a victim of discrimination on grounds of religion, race or gender.

The governments and leaders we choose must promote equity and justice – rule of law must prevail, regionally balanced development ensured and all must prosper together.
Since most of our fellow citizens live on the farms and are agriculturists, our national prosperity will depend on the extent of socio-economic development we bring to rural areas so that villages are not what we want to abandon together with our parents but places where we want to return and live in comfort and happiness amid family and friends.

We must come together to eliminate poverty by 2020 so that no Bhutanese suffers from indignities and deprivation.

As urban growth rises, let us ensure that in the next five years, our towns receive the benefit of convenient and comprehensive services – that they become cleaner, safer, greener, caring and happier places to live.

As a society let us ensure that the thousands of our educated and talented youth who come out from our schools and institutions are welcomed and fully employed to engage in nation building as good citizens, and that their lives are filled with satisfaction.

Let us strive to achieve the vision of His Majesty the 4th King to become self-reliant by the year 2020 so that we are no longer dependent on external aid by rapidly becoming an ICT-enabled knowledge-based society, diversifying our economic base and by promoting a truly dynamic private sector.

Let us be committed to making our culture stronger and more vibrant, for without our unique culture we have no identity.

Let us show the world that economic growth and spiritual well being is possible without destroying the environment and that this is the path to sustainable development and enduring happiness.

Let us continue to inspire the world with our philosophy as well as through demonstration of our successes and build our international relations to make the world more peaceful and safe.

Let us build a democratic culture – where people know how to choose their representatives and parties to form government and to hold them accountable. Let us build parties and politicians who we can respect and are prepared always to accept the verdict of the people with grace whether it be to form government or to leave government.

In this regard, I invite all the parties to set a good example for electoral conduct. Let us show restraint, dignity and patience. Let us show respect for each other as parties and colleagues with the same goals and as individuals and parties that are worthy of leading our country toward a better future.

Let us, like our parents, understand and never forget that we owe everything to our monarchy, to our kings. Let us offer our unwavering allegiance to our King as the life-force of our nation, as our wise and precious guide and as our protector. Let us earn merit by being grateful to our King, the wish-fulfilling jewel, for devoting his life to the wellbeing of all of us and for being the cause of our unity and nationhood.

I offer the good wishes of Druk Phuensum Tshogpa to all the three parties in their aspiration to serve the people.

Once again, the deepest appreciation and gratitude of my colleagues go to all our fellow citizens for the historic opportunity they gave us for the last five years. We are always prepared to serve the Tsa-wa Sum.

The two teachers involved with political parties in the ongoing election process have been asked to “compulsorily retire” with immediate effect.

The Royal Civil Cervice Commission (RCSC) arrived at the decision yesterday, after reviewing cases education ministry forwarded earlier this week, stating the two teachers had joined political parties before resigning from service.

The two teachers, who were working in schools in Mongar and Dagana, were Druk Chirwang Tshogpa’s candidate from Menbi-Tsenkhar constituency in Lhuentse, and the People’s Democratic Party candidate from Drujeygang-Tseza in Dagana.

“They’ve breached civil service code of conduct,” commissioner Bachu Phub Dorji said.

Compulsory retirement from service with post retirement benefits fell under the “major penalty”, according to Bhutan Civil Service Rules and regulations (BCSR).

He said, although both teachers had submitted resignations to the ministry, their names already featured with the political parties before their resignation was finalised.

Civil service rules in place requires civil servants to be “apolitical” and, in order to join politics, they have to first resign, for which at least one month advance notice was necessary.

Commission officials clarified that, unless the relevant agencies studied and “accepted” the resignation, civil servants could not join politics.

“They have to resign first,” Bachu Phub Dorji said. “The one month time wasn’t given to concerned agency.”

He said if there were other obligations the two teachers were required to fulfill, education ministry would have to look into it.

Meanwhile, representatives of the two political parties said the candidates would continue to remain with them.

Election Act states a candidate will be disqualified if he or she has been “dismissed or removed” from public service or the corporate sector.

One of the party representatives said unlike termination, compulsory retirement would not affect the individual’s political prospect.

Chief election commissioner Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said their understanding of compulsory retirement was “honourable discharge” and that they welcome the news.

But he said they could comment on the candidate’s eligibility to contest elections, only after “seeing the order”.

According to electoral laws, a candidate is required to produce relieving order from the former agencies only during the nomination filing stage, which happens only after their party is through to the general elections.

Just as the party did in 2008, Druk Phuensum Tshogpa kicked off their campaign from Trongsa yesterday.

The party president Jigmi Y Thinley said they believed it was “good” and the right thing to start from a historic place like Trongsa.

Lying in the heart of the country, he said the place was where monarchy and, with that, the institution of governance, started from.

It was for the same reasons that the party had opted to start their campaigning from Trongsa five years ago.

Before the campaign speech, Jigmi Y Thinley thanked the people for trusting him with the responsibility of the country. He also asked for forgiveness for the shortfalls, if there were any, although “they tried very hard”.

He said, for the DPT government, one of the biggest achievements was in bringing about “equality”.

“When we started off, out of 100 people, 23 didn’t have enough to make ends meet,” he said. “Now, it has been reduced to 12 out of 100 people, despite our aim being 15.”

He said their target was to bring poverty rate down to five percent in next five years.

In the next five years, he said DPT would try to make the country independent in terms of economy, without having to depend on other countries, while also working on solving rupee problem.

“We’ll make that happen through trade and industry, hydro-power and tourism, among others,” he said. “There are more problems in rural areas, because most people set off for urban areas to work, leaving fields barren and families behind.”

DPT’s hope was to make rural areas prosperous, so that women were not left behind with their children and fallow fields. They are hoping to make it possible, by promoting agriculture through usage of quality seeds, farm roads and machineries.

The president also pledged to double the number of tourist arrivals, which will not only benefit tour companies but also the rural areas.

“We can encourage tourists by explaining to them the historic places of our country and their importance,” Jigmi Y Thinley said. “We assure you our full support in this. You can build guest houses for tourists, while we train you on cleanliness and maintenance.”

While working parents with problems of babysitters would have daycare centres in offices, the bus and air fares for senior citizens would discounted by 50 percent, along with separate seats for them in public buses.

The president also said they’ve successfully achieved most of the tenth plan activities, with financial support from India.

“There have been rumours that India and Bhutan aren’t getting along, which is not true,” he said, adding the two countries shared very good relations.

He said friendship with China did not “worry” India as speculated. Instead, they were supportive.

While reminding people to avoid disputes for smooth election process, he also took the opportunity to explain that people should know the logos of the parties well.

This time, he said, if people wanted to vote for crane, they should know that there was another party that had a bird on their logo.

“Go to all the campaigns and study the candidates and parties well,” he said, concluding by committing to “serve people again”.

The president also carried out another campaign in Bumthang in the evening yesterday, where he had interacted with people in local dialect.

Thailand’s deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Yukol Limlamthong, reaffirmed his commitment to strengthen support to Bhutan in the areas of agriculture and cooperatives when he called on the Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley at the Gyalyong Tshogkhang today.

PM meets Thailand’s deputy PM

Lyonchhen said Bhutan is deeply grateful to the government of Thailand for generously supporting Bhutan’s development process. He said that the technical cooperation and support for human resource development has been instrumental. However, with a majority of Bhutanese dependent upon agriculture, Lyonchhen said that Bhutan will greatly benefit from the Deputy Prime Minister’s offer to enhance Bhutan’s capacity to research soil, understand its nature and structure, and base plantation on the research.

“We want to improve the wellbeing of the farmers and the quality of life. To do that, livestock, agriculture productivity and marketing must improve,” Lyonchhen said.

He also welcomed the support and said they were very much in line with the Draft 11th five-year plan’s theme – Urban Wellbeing, Rural prosperity. Lyonchhen added that he was happy about the annual meetings between the foreign ministers of the two countries, starting this year, to discuss other areas to strengthen the relationship between the two nations.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests and Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand was signed on September 4, 2010.

Ms Tan who took over office two years ago as Singapore’s Ambassador to Bhutan arrived in the capital on Wednesday to bid farewell and thank the government of Bhutan for her successful tenure while in New Delhi.

Singaporean Ambassador bids farewell

Ambassador Tan told Lyonchhen that within a short span of two years, Bhutan and Singapore has achieved numerous bilateral developments – launching of direct flight from Paro to Singapore being the significant one. Ambassador Tan informed Lyonchhen that she will be meeting the CEO of Druk Air and work on strategies and ways to increase the number of passengers and tourists from Singapore and its neighboring countries to Bhutan. “All in all bilateral developments are moving in the right direction,” Ambassador Tan said adding that they are still working on offering scholarships to Bhutanese particularly in the areas of vocational and diplomats’ training.

Lyonchhen thanked Ms Tan and the Singaporean government for the long standing relation the two countries have had. Lyonchhen said that despite being a small nation, Singapore has always had reasons to inspire Bhutan. “We have learnt a lot and will continue to get inspired by Singapore,” Lyonchhen said thanking Ms Karen Tan for all the support she rendered to the people of Bhutan during her tenure in New Delhi.

Lyonchhen congratulated Ms Karen Tan for her next appointment as Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. Prior to taking up post in New Delhi, Ms Tan served as the Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization in Geneva and to the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Ms Karen Tan is accompanied by First Secretary Mr. Lucien Hong and is scheduled to leave for New Delhi on Saturday morning.

The Punatshangchu I and II projects are on schedule and at least one project could be completed six months ahead.

The latest progress reported on the two projects in the western district of Wangdue were presented at meeting between the project authority and government of India representatives in Thimphu on April 4.

“Major works that are critical components towards commissioning of the Punatsangchu-I project have been completed and we‘re looking at commissioning six months before the scheduled date of December 2016,” PHPA-I managing director, RN Khazanchi said. “For PHPA-II, more than 50 percent of the major works have been completed and we’ll finish everything as per the schedule of December 2017.”

For PHPA-I, some of the major works completed include a total of 27.95km road, of which 5.41km is towards the dam complex, 6.19km towards the headrace tunnel, 8.95km towards powerhouse complex, 2.57km towards the project colony and 4.83km of realignment of Wangdue-Tsirang highway.  These were completed at a cost of Nu 489M.

Six temporary bailey bridges, with total span of 1600ft, for diversion tunnel, headrace tunnel, powerhouse, dam site and for muck disposal, have also been completed at a cost of Nu 101M.

Diversion tunnels, common in the construction of dams, is bored to divert water away from the dam construction site so that it essentially bypasses it. It also diverts floodwaters to alleviate flooding.

As for permanent bridges, a steel bridge on the realigned Wangdue-Tsirang highway at Hesothangkha worth Nu 16M was constructed by m/s Guha Niyogi and Associates, Kolkata and opened to traffic in January this year.

A concrete bridge, assigned to Hindustan Construction company at a cost of Nu 119M, is to be completed by December this year.

In PHPA-I, m/s Larsen and Toubro have excavated about 5M cubic metres of muck to construct the concrete dam.  The same contractor also finished various adits to desilting chambers, access tunnels, concrete linings and connecting tunnel excavations.

M/s Gammon India limited completed constructing the headrace tunnel worth Nu 3B, and Hindustan Construction company is working on another headrace tunnel.  Hydro-mechanical works worth Nu 6B are on schedule and near completion.

Water from the reservoir enters into the headrace tunnel that runs under pressure, supplying water for generation of power to the power station.

The main electro-mechanical works for PHPA-I were awarded to m/s Bharat Heavy Electricals.  Works on design, manufacturing, engineering and supply of transformers worth Nu 1.3B by the same company are progressing in full swing.

Designing of the 420Kv and 245Kv gas insulated switchgear worth more than Nu 200M is ongoing with m/s Hyosung corporation of South Korea, and 400Kv insulated power cables worth about Nu 100M by m/s Sudkabel of Germany.  Transmission works are also on schedule with m/s Jyoti Structures and Gammon India with contract sum of Nu 5.8B.

PHPA-I that started pre-construction works in 2008 has received Nu 21B from GoI until March 2012, of which Nu 20B was expenditure.  The project further received Nu 5B until January this year that was all utilised.

For PHPA-II, a 11.17km road worth Nu 144.24M is under construction, with two temporary bailey bridges at dam site and three permanent bridges for project colony completed.  A substation at powerhouse site and another at Rurichu have also been completed.

Most civil works, such as construction of diversion tunnel, dams, desilting chambers, head race tunnel and power house, are on schedule, and electro-mechanical works of manufacturing Nu 8.5B worth electro-mechanical package is ongoing by Bharat Heavy Electricals.

PHPA-II was sanctioned at an estimated price of Nu 37.7B on March 2009, and 3B fund released in 2011-12 fully utilised.  For 2012-13, expenditure stood at Nu 4.9B whereas only Nu 4.7B was released.

By Passang Norbu