I may have my own biases when I declare with almost blunt prudence that the editorials in Bhutan Observer are good. By which I do not mean that the editorials in the other two newspapers are not as good. Perhaps, they need to do a little catching up. Or worst, be more succinct and worth-reading. Sometimes, even bold and open in their opinions.
After all the editorial is the voice of the newspaper. Its stand on certain issues? It can praise a worth praising development or condemn what it feels worth derision. It has to speak for the people. So it is-the tongue of the people, a voice for the voiceless.
Actually I was never a fan of BO. Until recently. And if I am at all writing this with an honest confession of being a loyal BO fan, the credit goes to the daring, bold, and up front editorials it has produced over the last few months. Keep up the great work.
A self proclaimed internet junkie that I am, I have over time become very finicky about the kind of material I feed on. I do read the other news editorials too and this has given me enough reasons to make a comparison. But my attempt should not be misunderstood by other newspapers or their readers as an act to blotch the image of the newspapers. It is a very lonely, subjective and honest expression of my opinions, thoughts and conclusions. .
The best editorial so far I have read in BO is the one titled “Media Rights.” It raised a burning issue. Private media has come into the fray but are they given equal access and opportunities? The Indian prime Minister visited Bhutan to mark our country’s smooth and successful transition to democracy. It was democracy that took precedence even for his visit. But sadly, and to put it more strongly, it was indeed an abject situation when the private media was not allowed when the heads of the two governments met.
The sham of democracy and the lies of the government’s consistent assurance of equal media rights came out in the light. The red tapes of officialdom denied BO and BT their rights in a transparent show of discrimination. BO bothered to raise this before the public. I don’t know how the government took it. Very badly, I believe. Or how the people reacted to it? Given Bhutanese people’s obnoxiously complacent and easy-going nature, I believe the issue was just another cry of desperation. Democracy is here.
“The constitution guarantees the freedom of media. Private media was encouraged to keep abreast with the gift of democracy by His Majesty the Fourth King. A democracy is implausible in the absence of the freedom of press. It should be clear now, in no uncertain terms, that all media should be given equal access and opportunity,” read the editorial. Bold indeed. More than that, it was asking for what it deserved. This editorial sheds light on a system that is flawed. We gotta change what needs to be changed.
Confidential. The editorial was a scathing criticism on the system of job selection maneuvered by the all powerful RCSC-Royal Commission for Sinister Conspiracy. The Secretary must have surely called up the editor-in-chief the morning the newspaper was published. He must have surely given the editor the benefit of doubt, if not his piece of mind. What a reward for bringing to the fore what the nation needs to know and think of?
What is in a signboard? What is in a uniform signboard-blue and white? The Thimphu City Corporation has argued the insistence of putting up uniform sign boards on the pretext of aesthetics. TCC had even pushed this forward to the edge and did not consider the questions raised by the stakeholders-the business community.
BO explained it well:
“The much flogged explanation is always aesthetics. Aesthetics -where does that come from? Certainly not from someone who has any notion of beauty. Leave aside business logic. The beauty of a Times Square in New York or the Champs Elysees in Paris does not come from uniformity. It comes from the mind blowing disarray of colors. The same can be said about the colors on our traditional houses. It is an added attraction.”
This week the editorial talks RICE. In the wake of global food security and inflation in food prices across the globe, it throws light on Bhutan’s fragile situation. Agriculture is the answer, like it or not. Farmers need to be encouraged to farm. Rural Bhutan should be like any place a youth will want to be-job opportunities, basic civic amenities and a choice to live life well. This would put an end to rural-urban drift.
The Government should work toward food self sufficiency. To depend on other countries can be lethal. The editorial raises it all.
Hope to reading many more interesting and important issues.
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