Kuensel Editorial

I’ve decided to leave Bhutan by next weekend. It’s all a bit of a rush, but there’s not much for me to stay here for. Marie has asked me to let her take the next assignment on her own – just to prove she can. I’d rather be home for christmas and I think I’d benefit from a few more years experience before relying on consulting as an income.

Before I go, I want to take a chance to tip my hat to the editor of Kuensel (whose name I believe is Kinley Dorji). I’ve never been a reader of newspapers, but I love to read his editorials every Saturday. Despite rumours that Kuensel only tells what the government wants us to hear, I think he takes a very objective stance. Each week, he picks a topic of interest to the community and presents it in a way that challenges both the traditional mindset and the outsider’s view, to come up with a rational view of Bhutan in the new world. This week, he writes on the newly formed ‘Anti-Corruption Commission’.

“…many corrupt practices are allowed to continue in society because of the sensitivities of a small community. As a result, the trend permeates deeper into the system… When we look at corruption at this stage we are questioning norms and customs that were established over time and therefore seen as accepted tradition, as well as the practices developed in recent times that are designed to look like tradition. Today we need tough action on practices that are known to be illegal and corrupt but more of a clarification when it comes to rules and regulations in the grey areas. And tough action, particularly on widespead practices, should spare no one or it will become a farce…”

It is minds like Kinley Dorji’s that will help Bhutan find the middle path into its future.