Lhakpa Quendren  

His Majesty The King graced the opening ceremony of the last session of the Third Parliament yesterday.

National Assembly Speaker Wangchuk Namgyel, on behalf of the Parliament, expressed deepest gratitude to His Majesty The King and Her Majesty the Gyaltsuen for the gift of a princess on September 9. “We offer our prayers for the long life and well-being of Her Royal Highness the Gyalsem.”

On His Majesty The King’s command, in honour of the birth of Her Royal Highness the Gyalsem, the Zhung Dratshang declared the day as Dratshang Yojay Gi Nyim—the day to make offerings to the central monastic body.

Yojay is a traditional practice where wealthy individuals voluntarily offer assets to the Monastic Body, believing that it will help them accumulate merit.

The Speaker expressed deep appreciation to His Majesty The King and His Holiness the Je Khenpo for the revival of the yojay practice. He said that yojay practice would greatly benefit in understanding and promoting our culture and tradition among the youth.

With the reinstatement of the traditional practice of yojay by the Zhung Dratshang, the government, in a show of deep reverence, made the inaugural yojay offering.

His Majesty the King in July visited Japan and the United States and met with global business and economic leaders in preparation for Bhutan’s forthcoming economic development endeavors.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude and reverence to His Majesty The King for this noble endeavour,” the Speaker said.

Additionally, His Majesty The King personally travelled to different parts of the country to gain insight into the challenges and difficulties people were facing and granted Kidu to the people. His Majesty the King also personally visited and met with the victims of the Ungar flash flood that occurred on July 20.

“The Parliament wishes to convey its profound gratitude for His Majesty’s compassion and noble actions,” the Speaker said.

Speaker Wangchuk Namgyel also expressed Parliament’s heartfelt gratitude to His Holiness the Je Khenpo and the Zhung Dratshang for continuously conducting prayers for the world’s well-being, particularly for the country and its people. His Holiness also led a prayer for those who lost their lives in the Ungar flash flood.

The Parliament expressed its deep gratitude to His Holiness the Je Khenpo and the Zhung Dratshang for administering the most sacred public empowerment of Buddha Amitabha (Yoepamay Wang) to commemorate the birth of Her Royal Highness the Gyalsem.

His Holiness The Je Khenpo donated Nu 10 million to support elderly monks in old age care homes. His Holiness also entrusted the management of the Medicinal and Recreational Park in Sarpang to the Gelephu Thromde, which is expected to benefit all Bhutanese in the future.

“For these compassionate and magnanimous gestures, the Parliament expresses our deepest gratitude to His Holiness the Je Khenpo,” said Wangchuk Namgyel.

During the 10th session, the Parliament will deliberate about the agreement on the movement of traffic-in-transit between Bhutan and Bangladesh, along with the protocol associated with it.

The session will deliberate the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Charter, the Convention on the Right of Persons with Disabilities, the Biological Corridor Nine Bill of Bhutan, Motions, and two follow-up implementation reports.

The Parliament will also deliberate the review report of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s Annual Report 2022-2023, the Public Accounts Committee’s review report on the Performance Audit Reports, and the State of the Nation report by the Prime Minister, including legislative and annual plans and priorities of the government.