Thinley Namgay

Out of 38 questions raised by the Members of Parliament (MPs) at the second session of the Fourth Parliament, 20 questions, comprising 16 oral and 4 written, were put up by the Opposition MPs.

According to the media focal person of the Opposition Party, Maenbi-Tsaenkhar MP Tempa Dorji, this is one of the contributions of the Opposition Party at the session. 

Some pertinent questions asked by the Opposition Party were on employment, attrition, enhancing private sector development and retaining strategies for youth, the status of the implementation of the government’s pledge of life insurance from Nu 30,000 to Nu 150,000, and the readiness of the budget for the implementation of the 13th Plan and projects.

Other questions included issues related to toll fees along Indian highways in West Bengal and Assam, the status of the government’s plan to reduce telecom mobile data charges, and issues on teacher shortages and retention in remote schools.

As a supplementary question, the members for Mongar and Radhi-Sakteng raised concerns about the current institutional arrangement for planning under the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Finance and the absence of an independent planning commission.

The Opposition Party believes that the lack of an independent planning commission could likely result in the politicisation of planning, resource allocation, and reduced transparency as it would be uncertain what kind of political party might run the government in the future.

Tempa Dorji said the Opposition Party also supported the government wherever necessary and provided alternative solutions in the larger interest of the nation.

Bills

The session tabled three bills: the Goods and Service Tax (GST) Bill of Bhutan, 2024, the Cattle Tax Exemption Bill of Bhutan, 2024 (as a money bill), and the Parliamentary Entitlement (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan, 2024.

The GST Bill was unanimously approved to be tabled in the second session of the Fourth Parliament during the plenary as a government bill. However, it was withdrawn on the grounds that it required further review and refinement for effective deliberations.

“The Opposition Party, while acknowledging the justification provided for the withdrawal, expressed disappointment and dissatisfaction with the government’s seriousness in handling the National Assembly agenda,” Tempa Dorji said.

The party said the cattle tax was a non-issue as there was hardly any impact on either the taxpayers or the government. However, the party supported the Bill as it would clarify the confusion over whether the cattle tax was to be collected or not. The party mentioned that some dzongkhags were collecting cattle tax while others did not for economic reasons.

“The Opposition Party was also aware that people, especially farmers, did not make any request for cattle tax exemptions,” Tempa Dorji said.

The members of the House unanimously agreed to reintroduce the Parliamentary Entitlement (Amendment) Bill during the summer session after a comprehensive review of the Pay Structure Reform Act, 2022, and the Pay Revision Act, 2023, and necessary harmonisation of provisions of relevant legislations, including the Civil Service Reform Act, 2022.

Action taken reports of the First Session

The action taken reports of the first session were on the Crop and Livestock Compensation Trust Fund, improvement of healthcare services, the need for a Priority Development Fund (PDF) for constituency development, review of RCSC’s Max System and doing away with the force ranking system, and inconveniences caused by electric wires and poles falling in private farmlands.

The Opposition Party said that the follow-up report on the PDF  for constituency development, if implemented, could be in breach of Constitutional provisions.

“The House, however, reminded the Ministry of Finance that every aspect of legality was examined and deliberated in the parliament, and it was resolved that the Ministry of Finance develops enabling guidelines or standard operating procedures for effective utilisation of PDF,” Tempa Dorji said.

On the review of max moderation and the removal of the bell curve system, the Opposition Party emphasised that though the RCSC claims that max moderation and the bell curve in the long run would be beneficial if fostered well, the House, however, was not convinced due to a lack of representative data to justify their claim.

The RCSC has been directed to further work on the report and come up with an alternative enabling system that would nurture the profession centered on well-being, trust, and efficiency.

Review reports

The Opposition Party participated in the deliberations on the review reports and supported their adoption considering their importance to the nation and public.

The review reports were the Annual Report of the Anti-Corruption Commission by the Good Governance Committee and the Performance Audit Report on State Mining Corporation Limited by the Public Accounts Committee.

Motions

Tempa Dorji also said the Opposition Party participated in the deliberations on the motions and supported their adoption considering their importance to the nation and public.

These motions were the enactment of the Pension Act, amendment of the Pay Structure Reform Act, 2022, and associated Acts, and a motion on issues faced by Bhutanese contractors and suppliers due to the Procurement Rules and Regulations 2023 and Standard Bidding Documents 2023, and to amend Section 19 and Section 20 of the Property Tax Act of Bhutan, 2022, and rectify anomalies about the valuation of Chuzhing (wetland) and Kamzhing (dryland).

The Opposition Party emphasised that in light of the rapid changes in Bhutan’s social structure and with an increasing ageing population, it is crucial that social security for senior citizens is strengthened.

The Party said the current pension money was the only security income for retirees, hardly sufficient to sustain them, and there was an urgent need to enact a Pension Act that not only provides autonomy to NPPF enabling better investment decisions but also strengthens the social security system for all senior citizens.

Recommendations

The Party also participated in the deliberations on the recommendations on the Economic Stimulus Plan (ESP), College of Language and Cultural Studies at Taktse, Crime Prevention and Reduction, and Making Bhutan a Safe Society by Women, and issues related to the Royal University of Bhutan accepting only 20 percent of students and leaving 80 percent of Class 12 graduates without admission, along with other issues related to education.