As we welcome the Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) to form the government for the next five years, it is an opportune time to introspect the journey the country has undertaken under democracy for the last 10 years.

It is a good time to assess the successes and failures, and make rectifications, amendments and improvements. The government and the Members of the Parliament (MPs) must create the right precedent and serve the Tsawa Sum with utmost dedication.

If democracy is of the principles and values, then serving with Tha Damtshe and Ley Judre to the Tsawa Sum must become the norm for now and future. Being honest should be the fundamental requirement of all the elected members. Given the numerous pledges, certain pledges may not be achievable. They should not hesitate in telling the truth if the pledges are daunting.  Tell it like it is; voters have the capacity to understand.

Being humble and serving with humility would be most desirable as their mandate is to serve the people who elected them. The big-man-big-car culture and being too mindful about the order of precedence on the part of the elected may have to change in favour of making the right policy interventions, quality debate and participation in the Parliament and administering a system that’s fair, equitable and just for all Bhutanese.

The importance of setting the right precedent can be felt if one attends any of the graduate convocation ceremonies in the country. That every female graduate should be adorned with the best silk kira is becoming the trend, unfortunately. For those who can afford, it’s not an issue but knowing that the majority come from humble backgrounds and the parents are meeting those demands by paying through their noses, is worrying. We should avoid getting caught in what someone wisely said, the first world mentality with a third world pocket.

The bureaucracy as the “permanent government” and also the expert group in their respective fields must be taken into full confidence for any policy or programme change the government initiate. It is desired that due diligence for policy-making protocol is followed and given priority before adopting any policy or programme. This would ensure the continuity of policy or programme of one government by the next, saving millions of Ngultrums and scarce national resources.

It’s imperative that the policy and programme interventions are long-term and sustainable. The end objective should be that Bhutanese must know how to fish and eat for a lifetime rather than being fed a fish a day.

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