Pemagatshel takes pride of place
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| CONSTITUENCY CENTENNIAL – The prime minister celebrates National Day with the people of Pemagatshel |
20 December, 2008 – “For the last hundred years, we have been blessed with benevolent and exemplary monarchs, who brought us peace and happiness and I surmise only one reason why we were gifted so – It is through the peoples’ accumulated good fortune, which they earned by serving their leaders with tha dam tshi and being grateful to them.”
The prime minister, Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley, was addressing the people of Pemagatshel on National Day. Under a bright blue sky, about 4,500 people, including officials, gathered to observe the day at the dzongkhag’s middle secondary school ground.
For the many Pemagatshelpas, it was a proud moment. One of their candidates from the dzongkhag, from the Nanon-Shumar constituency, had come back as prime minister to celebrate with them an important occasion.
People were visibly proud and glad to be there. Farmers stretched their necks to get a glimpse of the man they’d voted for. Their hearts swelled later when news broke out that His Majesty had conferred the prestigious Druk Wangyel medal to Lyonchhoen and another well-known Pemagatshelpa – Chief Justice Lyonpo Sonam Tobgye. “What more can we folks expect?” said Sangay, 37, who had walked from Dungmin, one of the remotest gewogs in the dzongkhag, for the day.
Lyonchhoen in his address reminded the people of the central role Bhutanese monarchs would play in the lives of the Bhutanese. The theme was one of the cornerstones of Lyonchhoen’s campaign speeches in the election period a few months ago. He repeated the message to the people on National Day.
“Such monarchs were essential in the past and, with the change in the system, the future holds them greatly indispensable. No matter how successful the new system is at present, we still hold concerns how it will fare in future.”
Lyonchhoen said: “Many democracies have failed around the world but we have one last resort against it. His Majesty will be our saviour if such a mishap occurs. His Majesty is the guardian of the Constitution and the constitutional embodiment of the peoples’ unity and harmony.”
HE also said that his party (DPT) had not forgotten the promises they had made to the people and would work in full faith to fulfill them. He said that, if people were not satisfied with his government’s decisions and activities, then they had the right to remove it. “I’m here to remind you of this authority that you possess and will keep on doing so.”
The day ended with the distribution of the coronation coins and tokha.
By Tshering Palden (Kuenselonline)