…govt.’s year-long performance assessment to come after January 25
KP Sharma
The Bhutan Tendrel Party (BTP), in its role as the Opposition in the National Assembly, raised five issues with the government and other agencies since its formation.
These issues, apart from those raised during Parliament sessions, were directly addressed to the relevant authorities, the party said.
The party defended itself against public criticism for remaining silent on certain national matters, stating that it actively engaged in discussions during Parliament sessions and directly addressed urgent concerns to the authorities.
It stated that achieving tangible outcomes was the focus over public visibility of its actions.
According to the Opposition, three issues were raised with the Prime Minister, other with the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC) and another with the Speaker of the National Assembly.
On August 26 last year, the party wrote to the Prime Minister about the new certification policy for public transport drivers and conductors introduced by the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority (BCTA) on September 1.
The party questioned the necessity of the policy, arguing that professional drivers already undergo rigorous testing and licensing.
It raised concerns about additional bureaucratic requirements and their impact on public drivers and administrative bodies.
Further, the party criticised the lack of consultations with stakeholders and the sudden implementation of the policy.
Another issue raised with the Prime Minister on October 10 related to the allocation of the SDP budget to gewogs and dzongkhags.
The party pointed out the disparities in the distribution of resources between constituencies represented by ruling and opposition party members and those with or without ministers.
Similarly, on November 4 last year, the party submitted its observations on civil service gaps to the RCSC.
It has submitted the challenges affecting the 13th Five-Year Plan, including human resource shortages at the local government level and the attrition of experienced civil servants, which could delay development targets.
The letter also criticised the lack of clarity in the lead agency for national planning, poor coordination of planning and budgeting, and ambiguous reporting structures.
The party further questioned the forced ranking system in performance assessments, citing risks to workplace harmony and supported its removal by Parliament.
Further, the party raised concerns with the Prime Minister over the airfare subsidy, stating that the subsidy contradicted the country’s “high value, low volume” tourism policy and the Sustainable Development Fee (SDF), which aims to position Bhutan as a high-end tourist destination.
The party warned of potential market instability and dependency when the subsidy ends.
It also highlighted that funding the scheme through internal resources without parliamentary approval could violate the Public Finance Act.
The party suggested focusing on investments in ecotourism infrastructure and cultural preservation while revisiting the SDF.
In its letter to the Speaker on November 19 last year, the party raised concerns over the last-minute withdrawal of the GST Amendment Bill.
It cited weak justification for the withdrawal and criticised the government’s lack of commitment to legislative processes.
The party cautioned that such practices could erode public trust in Parliament and urged the Speaker to ensure better assessment of bills before submission to avoid similar issues in the future.