As more and more people come to know the details of His Majesty’s Relief Kidu, Phase II, they are realising the magnanimity of the Royal kidu.

Amidst concerns as to whether there would be a second round or if it would be as generous as the first, the kidu this time has taken people, both affected and not, by surprise. The kidu for the affected individuals will continue for another three months. The amount may have decreased by a few thousands, but will cover more people. As of June, 23,000 individuals have benefited from the kidu.

Some expected only a selective sector to benefit should the kidu be continued. The biggest concern among the hoteliers and those in the construction and tourism sector is laid to rest with the full loan interest waiver extended by three more months to be followed up by a 50 percent waiver from September to March 2021.

As the reality of the soelra sinks in, people are appreciating and offering their gratitude. There is every reason to. Without the pandemic showing any sign of slowing down, lives and livelihoods are affected even if we are able to contain the spread of the virus. These are extraordinary times and such extraordinary measures can only emanate from the wisdom of His Majesty The King.

People are lost for words in expressing their appreciation. Social media is full of “kadrinchey” notes with most commenting that they cannot thank His Majesty enough or don’t know how to express gratitude. Like they say, nothing is enough to repay the Royal Kidu. But there are many other ways we can do it and it is the most befitting time.

Beyond eulogising the King with images of folded hands on social media, it is an opportunity to fulfill the aspirations the King has for the people and the country. We have heard His Majesty stressing on being responsible citizens in many addresses to the nation. This is the time to pause and reflect on our responsibilities.

While the pandemic has affected everyone, we live in a kidu culture where we still believe most tasks are still the responsibility of the zhung, government.

As a businesman, how do we thank His Majesty? We thank by being honest in declaring our income and taxes, by not fine-tuning rules and compromise with quality of goods. The three-month interest waiver alone is benefiting 139,261 loan account holders. Some could be doubly or triply benefited as they hold more than one account. The  fact is that the bigger the loan, the bigger the benefit. Those who can afford should pay their loans to ensure liquidity in the banks and avoid further monetary problems.

The interest waiver covers all including those with cushion of monthly salary and housing allowances. We can repay by being sincere, hard working civil servants, corporate employees, parliamentarians, ministers, teachers, clerks anyone we name it. We can thank by avoiding nepotism and favoritism, a problem the anti graft body is pointing out year after year or not wasting time in office on Facebook and affecting service delivery. We can, as citizens, repay by simple things like taking care of our waste.

As landlords, we can thank His Majesty by letting the benefit of the kidu trickle down to the affected tenants. It would be wrong to even think of making profits from Kidu granted during a national crisis. It should have the ripple effect to uplift those affected badly.

There are several other ways.