The Royal Address At RIM, and What is Your Take

What is more reassuring than these lines by our beloved King. The challenges are boundless but I am sure with our king in the forefront, our future seems promising but we must commit invariably and sincerely. What we must have is clear. Therefore, in the making of Bhutan -We individuals are the responsible agent of change, change must come from within each one of us. And it is time to love our country more intelligently than even!

I wish the 2019-2022 batch of graduates good luck. 

The below is the Royal Address copied from "Kuensel". 

In an informal conversation with the 746 graduates and RIM staff, His Majesty spoke about our challenges as a nation, concerns over issues we face today, and our way forward if we are to secure a bright future for Bhutan.

His Majesty said that to achieve all our goals and aspirations, it is of utmost importance to be consistent and persevere - with discipline, even our smallest daily efforts can add up to big results.
His Majesty pointed out that if a person works 8 hours a day for 30 years, they spend roughly 80,000 hours of their lives working. It is, therefore, important for people embarking on their careers to choose something they are passionate about, as they will be spending so much of their lives engaged in doing what they have chosen.

Finally, His Majesty advised them to choose a career that enables them to continue learning and growing - in these changing times, if we are not constantly upgrading our skills, we will invariably fall behind.

His Majesty said that Bhutan is going through a transformation because we have a window of opportunity in which to forever change the course of our future, and ensure that our children inherit a successful nation.

“There can be no greater act of compassion than to be strong, resilient and unwavering for the sake of our children’s future,” His Majesty said.

His Majesty’s foremost concerns were about the economy - individual prosperity is held back because of the size of our market and because of a lack of substantial export of goods and services.

While infrastructure and education are the foundations for building a strong future, these are our weaknesses at present, His Majesty said. There is a great deal of work to be done to improve physical infrastructure and our regulatory environment before planning a more vibrant economy.

We can no longer rely on hydropower to be our sole source of revenue, due to greater competition and uncertainty in the sector. In addition to this, the cost of delivering services in Bhutan is very high– there is a lot of inefficiency in how we manage public funds which are meant for the people.

These are challenges we need to address if we are to change the course of our future. However, His Majesty expressed confidence in the bureaucracy and government of the day to seize the opportunity and take whatever steps are needed to ensure that Bhutan is successful. His Majesty also expressed confidence in the people of Bhutan, who, above all, love our country, to make all the sacrifices necessary to take on challenges with strength and determination.

Our advantage, His Majesty said, has always been that Bhutan enjoys a degree of goodwill and interest from the rest of the world. There is a quality about Bhutan and her people which has inspired others to see us as unique and special.

This is a source for optimism, and something we must build upon. In a world where knowledge and skills are increasingly becoming cheaper and more accessible, values are still precious. In such a world, our true advantage is being dependable, reliable, and trustworthy.

This must become our anchor– something to build as our national identity as Bhutanese.

 

...cause For Nation Building

As big as the recent DT discussion on doing away with the 30-min parking system, there are other equally, or more pertinent issues to address at the earliest, if not wisely. The lifestyle is rapidly changing and the need of the hour is beyond what our ancestors had forged on for centuries. Time to be smart and resilient. Should we further delay in being futuristic and innovative, the graveyard is already deepening closer than ever.

My first suggestion is –the segregation of waste. People residing in and around Damphu town are quite fortunate to empty their waste bin twice a week (Monday and Friday) in a waste-truck that comes at the door-step of each household. However, I have been thinking about why not –one time wet waste dumping and the other day for dry waste dumping. Time is now when we are small and compact. We can do almost everything at this stage when we are still delicate, mendable and fresh. Population is increasing, more buildings are coming and infinite development is in the pipeline. The path ahead seems difficult as people are heading into very different futures. It is sure to cause more damage in the near future to our environment. One of the very serious and least bothered areas is the concept of waste management. So how has this agenda missed the DT discussion? This needs a collective responsibility at the earliest. DT should lead the way and Thromde Ngotshab should cast a shadow in collaborating with relevant agencies such as schools, parents, environment division, local leaders, shopkeepers, automobile workshop and building owners to create effective awareness, or educate each individual in the heart and bone. How to effectively manage waste such as plastic wrappers, papers, pet bottles, beer cans, etc, need serious, or perhaps next level of discussion? This is not a rocket science and uncommon thing to address, but needs very serious and careful planning and mindset. As we are small in geography and demographically, we have to set a standard. Time is now, or it is never. 

My second suggestion is – improve the present vegetable shed. Although it is beyond your capacity, you can float your concern to other DT members in a session like Dzongkhag Tshogdue. Share your concern on better, or improving present vegetable shed for both vendors and customers with better facilities such as accessible toilet, handwashing station and drinking water facility. This would not only empower our struggling veg vendors but also it talks about our strength. 

My third suggestion is –there is also an urgent need to discuss safe footpaths in and around town. Our roads are in dire need of realignment since most curves and turns are life threatening, potholes are ruining the cars and maintenance costs are escalating. Therefore, working together with our RSTA officials in addition to their normal routine check can help identify risky turning and curves and narrow roads, so that our future is safe and secure. This is an act of nation building. 

My fourth suggestion is – tabling the idea of greening the core of Damphu town. This may appear quite weird but revamping two lanes of core town with ornamental trees alongside seasonal flowers would not only give shades and fresh air but also the aesthetic sense. Our town should not only become a place we love to visit but also a place to learn and take home the aesthetic sense and beauty to their community. Our town has to develop progressively for the needs of different times since we are living in different times. I consider this small act as a nation building.  

My fifth suggestion is –please bring in more smart solutions to solve the sewer line from buildings and septic tanks. More so the drainage system needs relooking since I have witnessed on several occasions that light rain is enough to cause havoc and easily disrupt some portion of road and traffic. 

My sixth suggestion is –to institute an Early Learning Centre (ECCD) for the small kids belonging to Damphu town and nearby places. I have come across many underprivileged kids being neglected and away in the right age –in their golden age to base their learning. One way we feel it’s a burden, but it's their right to avail the foundational years in learning attitude, behaviors, discipline before they actually start their formal education. Early learning etched a permanent mark in the life of children. What I heard and experienced was that kids who attend the early learning centre in their young age seem to be more organized, more mannered and even perform better in school and later in their life in all disciplines. 

Please try to do what you can in your capacity. Time is running out but you can fix some. 

I must warn you the plans and ideas may appear strange to most of the DT committee, but it’s the act of nation building. All you need is to keep pushing your ideas, polish and make it happen anyway. I must tell you that the future would be secured by such an act and perseverance and mindset. 

It shouldn’t hurt our future generation with the action or development that we initiated today. Rather it must be a strong foundation to build a stronger and secure future for them and their kids and beyond. The longer we push any ideas and development, we are further away and we are delaying our own progress. I am sure, it may become an eye opening event and there is no looking back. So that you may well be remembered not by how many roads you have travelled, but how well you have travelled. This place becomes of you.