10 July 2008 - The Druk Phuensum Tshogpa (DPT), during the party’s fourth executive committee meeting held last weekend, decided that all its 45 parliament members would contribute 10 percent each from their monthly salary to run the party’s offices.
The prime minister, 10 cabinet ministers and the speaker will contribute Nu 7,800 each from their interim monthly salary of Nu 78,000 and Nu 3,000 each will be deducted from the 33 MPs every month. “This move was unanimously agreed upon by all the members,” said DPT party secretary Thinley Gyamtsho. “The amount is very less, considering the amount spent every month as salaries for the coordinators, party offices and dzongkhag coordinator offices,” he said. “Every month a sum of Nu 2.5 million is spent for these purposes.”
The contribution, Thinley Gyamtsho said, will be mainly used for recurrent expenditure like operating the head office and dzongkhag coordinator offices. The head office in Thimphu has about 14 staff.
However, DPT has yet to make repayment of the Nu 15 million loan taken from the Bank of Bhutan.
The executive meeting, which was attended by party members and coordinators from the 20 dzongkhags, also decided that all 272 DPT party workers, including 20 dzongkhag coordinators, 205 gewog coordinators, 47 constituency coordinators and 20 dzongkhags assistants will be retained. “There won’t be a raise in their salary, but they’ll be paid according to their roles and responsibilities,” said Thinley Gyamtsho.
As of now, the dzongkhag coordinators receive Nu 9,000 while their assistants receive Nu 7,000. Constituency coordinators receive Nu 8,000 and the gewog coordinators Nu 5,000 each.
DPT party workers, who have so far kept a low profile in the dzongkhags and gewogs, will be assigned major roles and responsibilities in relation to monitoring the implementation of the 10th plan.
The party office has drawn up a terms of reference for dzongkhag, constituency and gewog coordinators, which was presented at the executive meeting. A committee chaired by Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba was formed to look after the roles and responsibilities of the coordinators.
Meanwhile, the executive members elected Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba as the vice president of DPT. However, the party president Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley told media that, although the executive members have accepted the proposal, it will have to be taken to the general assembly for endorsement.
By Rinzin Wangchuk
dz_editor@kuensel.com.bt
