Vote of Thanks by the Opposition Leader to His Majesty the King at the Opening Session of the Third Seating of the Parliament. 16 May 2014 On this auspicious Opening Session of the Third Seating of the Second Parliament, I, on behalf of the Opposition Party, have the privilege and honour of thanking His Majesty the King for gracing this occasion and for the very profound and comprehensive address which should guide us all in the right direction. On our part, we wish to pledge our full commitment towards addressing the common goals that His Majesty highlighted, viz. strengthening democracy, pursuing self-reliance, maintaining unity and parity among people, putting national interests above one’s own, shouldering our responsibilities as mandated and ensuring that the long-term interests of the nation are considered while addressing just the short-term problems. I would like to welcome and thank the members of the Royal Family and other distinguished guests for their presence. His Majesty King and Her Majesty the Queen continued to visit far flung villages in the various dzongkhags in the past few months to meet and interact with people, listen to their grievances and grant them Kidu. Recently their Majesties have visited Chukha, Samtse and Zhemgang Dzongkhags, giving the humblest of the peoples in these Dzongkhags the rare privilege of seeing and hearing the Royal Couple and receiving various forms of Kidu to address their difficulties. We hope and pray that despite the challenges of travelling and lack of time, their Majesties will visit the remaining dzongkhags so that people there will also have the honour of receiving their Majesties with the same warmth and loyalty and have the opportunity to offer their gratitude. It is with deep sadness to note that we were plagued by several disasters both natural and manmade in recent months. Of these, the worst that struck us was the tragic loss of 12 lives in Zhemgang from the boat mishap in Mangde Chu on 10th May. We have also suffered heavy damages from windstorms in several places including Paro, Haa, Trongsa, Zhemgang, and Samtse and latest in Samdrup Jonkhar. Wild fires have burnt down thousands of acres of forests in Wangdiphodrang, Trashigang, and Punakha and even destroyed houses in Bartsham, Bidhung and Samkhar gewogs of Trashigang. In addition, large areas of crops were destroyed by hailstorm in Punakha. During and after all these disasters, His Majesty the King ensured that the victims were fully cared for by dispensing Kidu and commanding the government to mobilize other forms of support and relief as needed. On behalf of all the victims and on behalf of the Opposition Party, I would like to offer our sincere gratitude and appreciation to His Majesty for these magnanimous acts of compassion and kindness that have lifted the spirits of the victims, their relatives and communities and helped them to bear their losses with dignity. The people of the eastern Dzongkhags are very grateful and happy that His Majesty appointed HRH Prince Jigme Dorji Wangchuck as His Representative for the eastern region based in Gyalposhing, Mongar. His Royal Highness personally and immediately dispensed Kidu to those families who lost their houses and other belongings to the recent forest fire in Bartsham, Bidhung and Samkhar gewogs thus bringing much faster relief to them than would have been possible otherwise. While, we in the opposition party, were not able to make any material or monetary contribution to the victims of the disasters, we would like to convey our heartfelt condolences and join them in offering our prayers to help them overcome their irreplaceable losses. May I now seek His Majesty’s consent to allow me to offer some of my personal thoughts on the core strengths that we have as a nation which we should honour, preserve and enhance if we are to move ahead as a strong, united, peaceful and progressive country. As was highlighted in His Majesty’s address, Bhutan is a small, landlocked country with a very small population. We have no economic, military or political powers that other larger countries have. However, we have some invaluable assets and unique values that we could use to our advantage which we can call our “soft powers.” The most important of these soft powers is the institution of Monarchy. Successive kings of the Wangchuck Dynasty had shaped the political, cultural and socio-economic landscape of this country with such tact and foresight that today despite our smallness, we stand as equals among the community of nations. The Monarchy is the life-force of our nation giving us the continuity as a sovereign nation just as it has made us to be what we are today. All of us acknowledge the fact that our King is our protector, unifier and source of inspiration and strength and therefore, loyalty to the throne must transcend regional, ethnical, religious and political affiliations and should be our inherent virtue as citizens of one country and subjects of one King. As Bhutanese, we are fortunate and proud to have a young and strikingly good- looking Royal Couple whose charm and grace could win over minds and hearts beyond our borders. The few overseas trips that the Royal Couple took in the last few years brought about so much publicity, goodwill and admiration for them wherever they went. This has naturally resulted in enhancing the profile, prestige and sovereignty of our country and aroused unprecedented interests in our country. As a developing nation dependent on external resources, we owe much gratitude to their Majesties for the generous support we are receiving from donor countries and agencies as a result of the goodwill and the admiration they have for their Majesties. The second most important soft power we have is our Buddhist faith, which gives us a distinct culture and value system. Under the leadership of His Holiness the Je Khenpo and with the patronage of the Royal Family, Buddhism is flourishing as never before in our Dratshangs, Rabdheys, Goendheys and other religious institutions. Because of the prayers offered to the Triple Gem and rituals performed to invoke the protection of our guardian deities by our religious bodies, we have not suffered any major disasters like epidemic diseases, famine, war or civil unrest as is being experienced by so many other countries. Besides, this faith provides us the values and virtues to remain as a kind, caring and responsible society committed to living in peace and harmony among ourselves and with all other sentient beings around us. Today, while Bhutan is a secular nation and is tolerant of other faiths, Buddhism continues to not only remain relevant and popular for us but also for people from other countries. With Bhutan being dubbed the last Himalayan Buddhist Kingdom, much interest is being generated not only in the form of Buddhism that we embrace but also for us as a nation. This has led to not only creating awareness of our status and challenges but also in attracting both tourists and religious practitioners. Therefore, it is important for us to preserve and promote our faith and cultural values to ensure peace, stability and socio-economic wellbeing. The third soft power is the development philosophy of Gross national Happiness (GNH) conceived by our visionary Fourth Druk Gyalpo. In a world increasingly challenged by uncontrolled consumerism and unsustainable use of natural resources leading to dwindling resources, increasing frequency of natural disasters, local and regional conflicts, and political unrest, GNH is finding a following in many countries. Because GNH articulates a more sustainable path and measure of human development based on giving equal importance to four interrelated pillars for development, i.e. sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, environmental conservation, cultural preservation and good governance as opposed to just economic development, it is gaining momentum among the global community as a viable alternative development paradigm. It is aimed at balancing one’s physical needs with that of mental and spiritual wellbeing. Several countries have embraced GNH and started implementing it in one form or other. Thought leaders, academics and practitioners in various disciplines including politics, economics, natural sciences, education, religion, culture and environment have taken notice of its significance and getting involved in further refining the principles and indicators of GNH. In fact, Bhutan has received worldwide attention because of GNH philosophy and His Majesty the Fourth King is credited with bestowing it as a gift to the world in charting out a more sustainable development path. GNH has helped elevate Bhutan’s standing in the world and forge strong ties of friendship with several countries leading to more development assistance. Today, Bhutan has become synonymous with GNH and helped strengthen our identity as a small sovereign nation with a large heart. It is therefore, very important, that we not only continue to educate ourselves and improve our own understanding of GNH but also to continue promoting it as an alternative solution towards a more sustainable world. The fourth most important asset we have is our pristine environment. We have inherited a largely intact natural environment from our forefathers as a result of the farsighted policies and stewardship by successive monarchs. Our forests, rivers and mountains are home to a wide range of plants, birds and animals. Our carbon emission is way below our sequestration capacity and our air is relatively fresh and clean. Today Bhutan is seen as a role model for successful environmental stewardship and conservation of nature. In fact, we are seen as global leaders in protecting some of the most endangered plant and animal species on earth. Bhutan has won many awards and accolades for managing our environment wisely and effectively. As a result, we have many bilateral and international partners supporting our development programs. Besides, it is an asset that we need to preserve and protect so that we continue to benefit from our key economic growth sectors – hydropower, agriculture and tourism. While it may be of some concern to some of our people in the short-term, it is imperative on our part to continue with the same enlightened policies and strategies to address the long-term interests of our nation and the world at large. Let me therefore appeal to all that we should not lose sight of the power and influence of these soft powers that we have and that we must all recognize their significance in maintaining peace and harmony among our people, strengthening our national security and sovereignty and enhancing our capacity to pursue sustainable socio-economic development. I am convinced that under the wise and dynamic leadership of His Majesty the King, we will be able to further widen and enhance the scope of our soft powers. On behalf of the opposition party, I would like to assure our unconditional support to this cause. During this coming session of the Parliament, we have many important issues for deliberation. As commanded from the Throne, we pledge to have meaningful deliberations and come out with resolutions that are beneficial to the people and the nation. On the part of the opposition party, I wish to pledge that we will continue to conduct ourselves both within and outside the house as a responsible opposition. Finally, I would like to join the previous speakers in wishing His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen continued good health and happiness and offer our prayers that we, their subjects continue to bask in the sunshine of peace and happiness. Tashi Delek!
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 06:24:08 +0000
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