ECB brings party presidents together

>> The presidents with the Chief Election Commissioner 

Dec 30, 2007-Thimphu: The meeting of the two party presidents with the Chief Election Commissioner on Friday was the first ever tri-party meeting held after a series of complaints were filed in by both the parties to the Election Commission of Bhutan (ECB).

In the discussions that lasted more than three hours in the ECB conference hall, the parties were updated on the status of the various charges against them by the Chief Election Commissioner.

The ECB, after discussions with the party presidents, also formed a dispute settlement body. The nominees of party representatives would observe the meetings of the body when a complaint made by a political party is discussed.

The other agenda of the meeting was to brief the presidents on election dispute settlement rules and regulations. There was also a briefing on the cases reported by both the parties including suo moto and other sources.

Although the Chief Election Commissioner, Dasho Kunzang Wangdi, said it was a common meeting and not a meeting to settle issues, both the presidents termed it as “fruitful.”

“The meeting was fruitful in the sense that ECB was able to bring the two sides together to discuss matters of common and mutual interest,” said the Druk Phuensum Tshogpa president, Jigmi Y. Thinley. “I cannot say the issues were resolved but it was discussed and it is a good beginning.”

The People’s Democratic Party president, Sangay Ngedup, said: “The meeting was fruitful because the ECB was able to share a lot of useful information. We are satisfied with the professional approach taken by them. Their approach of ensuring due process, as opposed to taking hasty action, is sensible.”

Asked if the ECB is doing enough against the charges filed by the parties, both the presidents said the Commission was doing its best given the limitations.

“We hope to be able to contribute to an atmosphere and environment within which the electoral process will take place in a manner that will not call for investigations and actions on their part,” said the DPT president. “We will not further strain their capacity.”

The PDP president said, “I think the ECB like the two parties is a new organization and we’re all going through a learning process. And in spite of this deficiency, the ECB chairman and the commissioners have shown a very positive attitude in discharging their responsibilities. As told by the chairman himself, he has brought the policy of zero tolerance from the audit to the ECB.”

Dasho Kunzang Wangdi said that the meeting was held because there was no opportunity of interacting with the parties together in the past.

“The parties with the ECB are equally responsible to ensure a vibrant democracy and a dynamic government,” he said. “We have agreed that collectively everyone will try to promote the election code of conduct toward ensuring a successful parliamentary election.”

However, reacting to the PDP president’s statement that DPT was propagating the ‘politics of fear’, Jigmi Y. Thinley said it was all a matter of misperception and understanding.

“What sounds like music to some people is noise for others,” he said. “However, it would be right to say there was some instilling of fear in the people of the dangers that lie ahead if they do not exercise their freedom of choice responsibly.”

Supporting his statement, the PDP president said the remarks were made to bring out into the open the strategy resorted to by the other party.

“By constantly hurling accusations in public meetings and fueling false rumors – when we all know that their own people have been implicated in serious infractions – they are creating a fear and distrust in our people and removing all semblance of confidence our people have in the unfolding new system,” he said.

He added that they have also made irresponsible remarks suggesting that the political process in our country is worse than other countries in our region.

“Even before embarking on the new system, they have begun to spell its doom, unless, very conveniently, they are voted into power. Instead of reassuring an already anxious people, they are peddling fear to further their own interests,” Sangay Ngedup said.

On the PDP president’s remark that one of their strategies would be to ‘expose the highly negative campaign of the other party’, Jigmi Y. Thinley said, “That doesn’t sound like a good manifesto.”

Meanwhile, both the presidents refuted rumors that the general elections would be preponed.

Source: Bhutan Times