Here is the story of change we bring to you today, a very worrying story of change indeed. It would do us good if we listened to this story this day and prepared ourselves for the coming days. Future is going to be difficult, all the more.

But, of course, we do don’t want to be seen as doomsayers, because we are not. Our job is to caution the society about the miss we are making in our workaday lives, going about as we do. The truth is, we have to look towards the future, always, because future is all we have.

But then, what kind of future are we shaping for ourselves?

Days are gone when we were innocent and did not have to worry about things like employment and pressure of daily sustenance. Today, we live in a time when we are forced to lock our children inside our homes and let them roast to the bones. This is what happened literally to two little kids in Phuentsholing yesterday.

A fire gutted 12 makeshift huts yesterday at Toorsa embankment in Phuentsholing. Two little kids died entrapped, without any help for two solid hours, because their parents were out working somewhere and no help arrived on time. This is the change we have come to this day. Parents today have to leave their children on their own because they are compelled to do so by the changing economic reality. Also, we have laws that restrict bringing babysitters from abroad. Our own people will not help us because babysitting is a pathetic job that pays less and has no dignity at all. All these are at the root of difficult problems we are facing today.

How successfully we deal with these problem will determine our success as a society.

We are facing the problem of youth unemployment today. This is happening because of our, our leaders’ failure in particular, to recognise that jobs that are available should be made attractive both in terms of pay and dignity. Talking enough is no good unless we also at the same time do enough. We have offices and agencies with the mandate to address all these issues. What they really do, we wonder.

But the utterly hopeless thing is that we are blaming short circuit yet again. Is this the problem of inadequate monitoring?  If short circuit is the problem, it is time we fixed the electricians and Bhutan Power Corporation itself. The problem can be solved only with our earnest efforts to make Bhutan a happier society than a slum it is increasingly growing to be.

Our march along the development path should not be all so sad and challenging.