So the children drilled the Members of the Parliament on democracy on the international day for democracy. But what did the children really want to know about democracy? The children’s questions were not highlighted.
We just gave too much leverage to the MPs to express their views, who actually are not happy when they are criticised. It all sounded a one way street the way the MPs and other officials were talking about democracy. Of course they had to stay in Thimphu for their paper work. Not being with their constituency is much of an issue, perhaps quite unfair on them. But then these are questions that need some valid answers.
A third party is apparently in existence. Whether it is a truth or not is another matter, the fact is that there is a rumour going on. Well, like every one knows, there will be no smoke without fire. Is it the group that the Election Commission refused to certify for lack of good leaders?
The problem is that one has to identify between the leaders and the leadership. Some times with all the good leaders, the leadership makes no headway. Most times, there is too much of a problem among the leaders and what has to be done for the welfare of the people gets diluted in their deliberations, like it happened with the LG bill.
If His Majesty had not come down with a strong Kasho perhaps our local government elections would have been postponed for another few months till the fourth session of the Parliament.
Well, what happens during the intervening period? The developments at the grassroots level would have been slowed down, if not absolutely stopped. Of course, we have been told that everything is going in accordance with the plans and programmes. But when certain rules and regulations are not in place, the implementers are constrained with regard to the manner they should be operating.
Therefore, the policy makers, our MPs, should now cut down on the rhetoric and think of concrete plans and programmes. One should not take the platform in the Parliament as a forum, where one should just express his or her own point of views. All such views should boil down to what is beneficial for the people.
Rhetoric is one thing but practicality is another. And we don’t have much time.
This may be slightly misplaced but for some reason it is found to be relevant.
Ever since the monarchy had been handling the affairs of the nation, it was always with the thought for the good of the nation and the welfare of the people. The monarchs, all along the history, worked for the development of the country and the good of the people.
For fear of sounding presumptuous, the monarchy always thought that its future was always connected to the future of Bhutan. And in its ultimate wisdom, the monarchy felt that the Bhutanese should be given democracy to decide its own future.
And when it was given, we end up with petty squabbles.
But is our present day elected leaders thinking in the same manner? Look to the past, there is always a lesson to learn from. If we don’t learn from the past, we will never learn to chart the future, no matter how stable is the present.
The present was the gift of the institution of monarchs. We better treasure it.
