Prime Minister is greeted by dzongdags at their conference in Thimphu

11 March, 2010 - Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley asked dzongdas from 20 dzongkhags yesterday to take party coordinators on board in the development process at the local level to strengthen democracy.

Addressing the 18th yearly meeting of the dzongdas in Thimphu, he said that the party tshogpas were there to voice concerns of the people to the dzongdas, local leaders and to the government.

“But they weren’t allowed to attend discussions and public meetings because they are political parties,” said the prime minister referring to Druk Phuensum Tshogpa’s annual general meeting in February this year, where about 160 party coordinators wanted to resign because local government bodies did not allow them to attend meetings or participate in the development process. “The coordinators said that dzongdas sometimes restricted them from seeing ministers visiting dzongkhags.”

Lyonchhoen said that he and the ministers assured the coordinators that the issue be solved by the next annual meeting or all of them would resign. “But as dzongdas, you should support the government to solve this issue because, without these people, there would be no political parties and no government, certainly not a democratic government,” he said.

Dzongdas must, after deciding where and when, allow the party people to see the ministers when they visit dzongkhags, the prime minister said. “Please inform the gups that party coordinators will have to be involved in the development process.”

The prime minister, in an almost three-hour meeting with the dzongdas, laid down the government’s goals and initiatives. He said that the government would be conducting the mid-term review of the 10th Plan in each dzongkhag by the end of this year.

Lyonchhoen also informed dzongdas that he is very much worried about the election commission’s recent notification, cautioning that any party having dues in 2012 cannot contest in the 2013 elections.

“With no support and credits to clear, how would the parties survive?” he said, adding that, even if all the ministers contribute their whole salary to save the party, they won’t be able to do so.

He said he has not seen such rules in the Constitution. “If this is the case, we might have to compromise sincerity and not serve the people anymore. We might even have to sell the party,” he said.

Lyonchhoen told dzongdas that they must be aware of what the elected government is doing to advise the government and the people. “I’ve heard civil servants saying that they’re apolitical and they shouldn’t be concerned with what the government is doing and therefore, take no responsibility,” he said. “If civil servants don’t take responsibilities, how would democracy thrive? We have to be responsible political individuals and civil servants and the rules are very clear on how one must exercise his political intuition or political inclination.”

The prime minister asked dzongdas not to let considerations, such as the elected government not being the party they subscribed to or that they didn’t favour, influence their work – not now or ever.

“Next time there’ll be another party and, as civil servants, you have to be loyal. You’ll have to implement the decisions of the government sincerely and faithfully,” he said. “As civil servants, you have the opportunity and the right to appraise on the pros and cons of decisions the government wants to take. But once the decision is taken, you job is to fulfill them as quickly and effectively as possible.”