Big Day Post

Its election day here in Bhutan.The Primary round. Many people call it a big day. Big day or small day, out of four political parties we have, two parties will be voted in today. And they will contest general election again in July.  Its time for people to make their big and wise decision. Its People's time.

Its media black out period here. By law we are not suppose to post any statements, especially those that are defamatory in nature. I was told that we cannot even post a statement in support or in against of a parties that are contesting the election nor against or in favor of any candidates. I think its a wise decision. In an eleventh hour, some voters can be swayed easily by a mere statements. Many people think is not good for democracy.

I am writing this short update, before my daughters wake up. Before people of the Nation heed to Polls. I write this update to wish all our political parties, all their best. Its still raining. And as suggested by our Chief election commissioner of Bhutan, I urge all the voters to take their brand new umbrellas and rain coats and "show them off" in the polling station. The road conditions may not be that good and for those who are travelling home to vote, I would like to remind all the drivers to be extra cautious.

Lastly, by the blessings of Kuncho-sum, may we have a successful election once again.

At Home for Good

I am back from Gujarat and I am now in Bhutan for good. After having endured the burning heat, ear drum-breaking noise and nose blocking dust of Gujarat for two years, I feel like I have come back to a monastery, high up in the Himalayas. Its a total tranquility here. I see more moving cows in the street than cars. If not for rupee shortage, I am starting to think that Bhutan can still take in some more cars! 

Anyways, I reached home at a time when my country is at the height of its election process. In few days, we will be electing two parties. They call it a primary round. And in few months, we will have a new parliament. For now its a season of promise making in Bhutan. 

Come 2018, Bhutan will be a heaven. There will be no poverty. Every youth will be employed. Roads, schools and health centers every where. Empowered Women. Helicopters and tillers. Revised pay for civil servants, Revised tax structure. Longer maternity leave, more prosperity, more peace, less corruption, justice, and on goes the list. 

Here is what my cousin wrote: "at this rate, it wont be long before political parties pledge "Rain for the Bhutanese people during monsoon"...

Its eleventh hour and I haven't decided which party to vote for. At the moment DCT's "Prosperity with Unity" looks as amazing as DNT's "People's Government". While DPT's "Equity with Justice" has done a magic in 2008 election, PDP's "Decentralization" seems to be casting a spell this time around. All candidates proclaim themselves to be Nymchugs and for now, I call them all ambitious Nymchungs. 

I am a very apolitical person and I will cast my vote based on the candidate followed by party ideology.  

The Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan

Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, The Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan

In a few months time, Bhutanese people will be again going to pooling stations. We will be soon electing yet another set of lawmakers to our parliament! -Another set of leaders! Therefore I call this a big event. I sincerely think each one of us must play our part. Wholeheartedly and responsibly.

I am particularly happy for the fact that my king has given me this right. If Democracy is the process of Nation building then, it is an indication that my voice also matters in that process. My single vote, I think is more precious than the biggest diamond at this hour. Therefore I have no intention of wasting it. I want to play my part very responsibly. Its time for leaders to listen and subjects to speak. 

I am honestly grateful to ECB for making postal ballot facilities available for all of us who are away from home. This is a very remarkable achievement. I think this shows how our infant ECB has progressed with time. It still has a long way to go and it needs all our support and appreciation. 

Coming back to the Postal ballot, I was able to get myself registered for postal ballot through one and the only person, the Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi himslef. I owe him a very big 'thank you'. If there is one man in Bhutan, whose action speaks louder than his own words, Then it is this man: Dasho Kunzang Wangdi. I have never worked under him, but I wouldn't hesitate an inch to call him the most pragmatic bureaucrat I have seen so far. 

Many bureaucrats in his age have problem with social networks, especially Facebook. Many have banned  it  and many are planning to follow the suit. But I am totally amazed at the way Dasho used this important social network to his advantage. Who said Facebook is useless? I am actually wordless. It was humbling experience to see Dasho attending to queries personally with regard to our upcoming electionc on 'Social Democracy in Bhutan' page. I think dasho and his team are doing their best. They deserve our appreciation.

Lets all hope and pray for another successful election in our country.

Midnight Thoughts

Yesterday evening I saw a comment on Facebook. It immediately caught my attention. It had a reference to the Election Commission and their responsibility in monitoring social media during the upcoming elections. To be precise, the head line read something like this; ECB to strictly monitor social networking sites before election. Since I saw the head line in "Social Democracy in Bhutan" page, I somehow felt compelled to share my opinion. Following were my comments:

I think Monitoring Social networking sites wont make any difference...it would rather add extra burden to already over loaded ECB......How many people in Bhutan actually have internet access by the way? I am doubtful. I hope ECB is not doing this just to control perople like Ap Drukpa and Asha Gup.....ha ha ha ha .......All the best ECB....If that is what you call rule of Law...I think it should prevail...only time will tell..whether benefit was really worth the cost....

The came the answer from the Chief Election Commissioner himself. Following were his response to my comment:

Mr. PSN it helps sometimes to be broadminded than being synical. A journey of a thousand mile begins with a single step. Tenzing sherpa did not drop at mount everest he went up step by step. If u had anything that was ever useful u should have commented it when our draft was out in pulic for comments. Now when adopted you pretend to be the know all and care all follwing likes of wakleys. Hope ever heard la apagi bewa da jamtog tog and to aie gi zou da zhimtog tog.. Wether we can monitor or not is our responsibility. I have fairh all the sm user except may be few that by mow we have a fair idea as to who these are. Note if there is will there is way.

And with due respect, I offered my another comment to Dasho. I was of the opinion that Dasho misread my message. So here is my response to Dasho's comment:

Dasho, I appreciate your broad-mindedness and yea, I also know the long journey stuff that begins with single step.. I take it as a privilege, being able to hear it one more time from the chief EC of Bhutan.....to be very honest, I didn't even know that ECB have an act to monitor social networks.. that's because we have too many acts in Bhutan........ and well, that's what I said so..."If that is call a rule of law, it should prevail'........I know you are a man of action and I also know how dedicated u have been all these years in service of tsa wa sum. But i find u so so pathetic coming to my level and saying such a words as "Hope ever heard la apagi bewa da jamtog tog and to aie gi zou da zhimtog tog" As a citizen, I have always had high regard and respect for you. I always felt grateful for having an unwavering statesmanship like you in Bhutan's bureaucracy. But on hearing the above statement its like "Lak drin kha ge seey" 

Dahso I have just shared my opinion in a very informal way.....if u are hurt I am sorry..... If u are comparing me to Whalkey, you are wrong...we are different individuals with different perspectives altogether... Under your leadership, I have no doubt about ECB shouldering that responsibility and I wish u good luck....Just like u, i also desire to see a very smooth and hassle free election in 2013 in our beloved country.......The reason why i made a reference to AP drukpa, and asha gup are obvious. As an active fb user u must have also read their statements.....i forgot to mention you about Bhutanomics........ Dasho lastly...let me make some addition to your closing statement: where there is a will, there are even more ways.......All the best. Dasho take feedback with cool heart...if u find it stupid...just ignore....there is a saying: You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks.

And before I could get a response from Dasho, It was some punk, named Ziggy Love on Facebook, who took his turn to respond to my comment. I have now idea who that "Ziggy Love" is. And to my shocking revelation, he gave me the folloing comment:

Peldhen Sonam Nima- you are but an arse to me. Arrogant m'fucker!

 Personally, calling me "asre" is ok, "arrogant" still more Ok. But some one who doesn't even have a face of his own calling me, "m'Fucker", I tell you , it is way too much. If someone call me with that name in my arms length, I wouldn't think twice to crush his skull to powder!....So Wrote my unprecedented reply:

Ziggy Love you may be a Mother fucker yourself, you monkey arse......I don't care a shit abt you ...better be cafareful with the words u use ......mother fucker! if u have a better point to say ..say it....or else shut your dirty mouth.....

But Ziggy had some more words to infuriate me.

A donkey can never sound Nightingale no matter how hard he tries. Peldhen Sonam Nima, you can't take a line of critical (Ofcourse intensed) remark critically and yet have the audacity to go on hooting what ever your immature and frail mind comes up with against the very institution that promotes freedom and liberty in Bhutan. If that's not a arse like, it's my balls sucking time for you! Cheers

From his comment, I could clearly make out that he wanted me to say something unpleasant to Chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan. I could also clearly make out that faceless Ziggy have a problem understanding the concepts like rule of law, democracy and freedom. But that was ok. There are many  coward people like him.  But what got to my nerve is that his "Ball sucking time". I wrote my other unprecedented reply:

Ziggy Love, Looks like u really have issue with me. Oh yea... you Be a man and come out from the veil. show your dirty little monkey face and talk to me like a man. I hope u are not reincarnation of a ghost, I killed long time.....If need me, I don't mind having to kill the ghost in you another time.....Do u atleat have a ball.....They way you roar like a mouse from behind the veil of anonymity gives me an indication that you are nothing but a ball-less wimp, at best mother fucker, arse kisser, and ball cum dick sucker yourself........To understand a "kew lo chok , shew tonglok" creature like u, I don't need to be that critical. I can easily make out that you have nothing to prove except the ramblings that doesn't mean a shit to any one of us here.....now if u insist, bring your balls, i will grind those shrunken ball into powder and spray on your......well your pathetic looking wimpy face.......how abt that..?

After that Ziggy went dead. I waited the entire day for his reply but he never showed up. It is understandable that a wimp like him will have nothing to prove after all. In a mean time I got the reply for my comment from the chief Election Commissioner of Bhutan, which read as follows;

Thanks PSN..I had to be possessive of the institution I represent from some agendas. You and me, may be we have to on same page. 

And Finally, I closed the chapter with my following comment;

Freedom comes with duty ....my duty as a citizen is to uphold the law first and then look for my freedom......Freedom is necessary but not sufficient condition for vibrant democracy......Just my thoughts....I hope this doesn't offend faceless, voiceless, arse kissers like Ziggy Love.

I think I played enough with the pig today, And to all my friends and readers, please forgive me for being so so vulgar. Honestly, I never thought I could be that nasty and dirty, But with people like Ziggy, it made me think that, well I am just another human being.

Have a nice time and yea folks, I have exams coming Monday, so wish me good luck.

Ignorance of law is no excuse.

If there is one thing that is all time controversial than it's got to be a thing of election (at least here in Bhutan). And we have all seen it and heard about it enough. Starting from the general election in 2008 to the election of Thrompons', (so called the city mayors) in 2010. We already saw how the loosing and unhappy PDP supporters came to His Majesty's office for consolation just like the looser in mayors election that dragged the winning opponent to the Royal court of justice. 

The upcoming local government election seems no different altogether. We are in its initial stage and it’s all been marred with acquisitions and counter acquisitions already.  Most of the previous party workers, who are dying to run for the office, are LEGALLY being disqualified by the office of the election commission as per the existing laws of the land. It is even more interesting to note that they being supported by all  the ruling party, national council and the opposition party. But why? 

Most of the contestants have pleaded their innocence about the existing law, but then the ignorance or innocence of law is no excuse. It is universal and should be applied equally among all the citizens of the land, starting from a monk who ignorantly brought in tobacco worth Nu 90, only to be labeled as smuggler and thence sentenced to non bailable prison term of three years to those 90 or so candidates who even went to the extent of distracting His Majesty.

The election rules say that the person should have been delisted from the party list and a person should have been apolitical for at least one year. But then what is the logic behind this and what difference will it make even if it says 3 years and for that matter 5 years? We are all human being and we are all bonded by a thing called attachment. To give you simple example; during my high school days, I used to be the house captain for Red house. My house was later declared as champion house in overall rating. That was some 14 years ago. Today, I still go to school to either drop my daughter or pick her up. I always tell her to be in red house and that her house should win. This, I think is called human attachment and are common in all the normal human beings.

 In similar manner, what guarantee do we have to say and believe that those (once party workers) will exercise their duties apolitically and transparently, should they be allowed to contest in the upcoming election and go on to win the same? Are the claims like people not willing to contest for the upcoming election realistic? If so, then why do we have this problem of unemployment?  

This is the time we all use our wisdom and be judicious in exercising our franchise. Apolitical should mean cent percent apolitical. This needs no further deliberation, because as much as we as a citizen deserve apolitical national council, apolitical civil servants, apolitical clergy, we also deserve that much apolitical local Government as stated by law too.