12/06/2021
๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ก๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐น๐ฎ๐บ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ต๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต
Analysis
Puran Gurung/ Thimphu
Druk Nyamrup Tshogpa (DNT) has been tight-lipped about the candidates for the post of home minister that remains vacant after the resignation of the ex-minister. However, the rumour mill is rife with projections which PM Dasho Dr Lotay Tshering has dismissed for now.
The ministerial berth is open to all eligible Members of Parliament (MPs), according to PM.
The two candidates around which the hype revolves are Dawa, the Chhoekhor-Tang MP, and Karma Dorji who is contesting the upcoming bye-election from Nganglam in Pemagatshel
and is one of the founding members of DNT.
Dawa is a popular and capable candidate. He has a proven record of accomplishment in the media industry. According to some sections of society, he is an icon of emerging leadership.
He was one of the recognized faces of the party during the last parliamentary elections. In 2013, he lost against Druk Phuensum Tshogpa's heavyweight, Dr (Phd) Pema Gyamtsho, who had already served as a minister and went on to become the Opposition Leader.
Meanwhile, the fact that Karma Dorji is one of the founding members of the party gives him greater leverage to serve as minister because important positions are offered to key members.
Founding members try to fuse party ideologies with the country's development plans. They understand and have in-depth insight into party ideologies. The founding members also take
the risk of deciding to implement significant policies. Other than that, Karma Dorji is also the country's top brass techie.
Asked about his possible nomination to the ministerial berth, Karma Dorji said that the candidate thus nominated must fulfil the criteria set by the Constitution and the electoral laws.
โAs such, the party has not set any particular criteria to nominate ministerial candidates.โ
โBroad-based and cross-national factors as prescribed by the Constitution must be taken into account to nominate ministerial portfolios.โ
With the home ministerial post held by the distinguished Dasho Sherub Gyeltshen whose career along the line spanned more than three decades, it would be challenging to fill in for
him. He served as a top-notch executive, beginning his career in the home ministry where he worked for 11 years, another 15 years as a Dzongdag, then as a Drangpon in the High Court, Royal Court of Justice, and superannuated from the civil service as the Secretary of Dzongkha Development Commission.
As the Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs is one of the most important, people say that
the government must look beyond the founding members; and popularity; while nominating names for the home minister portfolio.
The home minister discharges multifarious responsibilities including internal security, border management, district coordination and relations, management of Armed Forces, and disaster management.
Political observers that the paper interviewed, on terms of anonymity, said that there are more senior and capable parliamentarians in the ruling party who are better suited for the post. โIf one of them is nominated, DNT will have a strong team of cabinet ministers,โ said one.
Among DNTโs MPs who hold promise and potential for such a post are Drukjeygang-Tseza MP, Jurmi Wangchuk, and Bji-Kartshog-Eusu MP, Ugen Tenzin.
Jurmi Wangchuk, 59, is the senior-most MP in the ruling party and a specialist in human rights and diplomacy.
In the 2018 elections, he surpassed the total votes of previous candidates of the constituency.
He is the Chair of Lhengye Zhungtshog Joint Committee. He also has 17 years of experience working in the United Nations Office of the High Commission for Human Rights (UNOHCHR). Additionally, he chaired the Human Rights and Foreign Relations Committee
for two years, and is an active De-Suup. He has a postgraduate degree in International Relations from the New England University in the United States of America.
Ugen Tenzin, 55, is a two-term member of the parliament, and is also one of the senior-most MPs in the ruling party. He has a postgraduate degree in Public Administration.
Meanwhile, the post of home minister has been vacant for the past month when the Speaker formally accepted the home minister's resignation.
The Election Commission of Bhutan will be holding bye-election for Nganglam and Monggar constituencies, poll day being slated for June 27.
According to PM, it is too early to discuss the candidate for the post of home minister.
"We have not discussed anything yet at the moment. Dasho Sherub Gyeltshen has just resigned, and it is wrong and selfish on our part to discuss this now. Let the elections be over, and we will decide,โ he said, โWe have dedicated and equally competent friends who can shoulder the responsibility. If the candidate from Nganglam wins, he can like the rest of the serving MPs, vie for the post.
