Thier opinion through my journey

As I traveled for almost two weeks meeting with the newly elected local government leaders of Thimphu, Paro, Haa, Wangdue, Punakha, Gasa, Tsirang, Dagana,
Samtse and Chhukha to orient them on the Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substance and Substance Abuse Act 2005 and Tobacco Control Act of Bhutan 2011 and related issues, I have been greeted well by these leaders and Geog Administrative Officers (GAOs).

Over the weeks, I have given with lots of insights and impacts of these laws. On the drugs, merely any queries were there. But on the tobacco control act, there were numerous questions and queries. Some of the questions the local leaders and the GAOs raised were:

1. 1.      Did any of the parliamentarians consult the general public on these issues since the draft bill remained there for almost two years?
2. 2.      There are talks on the amendment of the Tobacco Control Act. Did any of the MPs ask the implementing agencies on this?
3. 3.      Few raised that should the parliament amend the Act just because few elite and urban dwellers raised some issues on the forums? What about the majority of the people living in the rural areas? Aren’t their opinions are important?
4. 4.      Some MPs are seen smoking, Are they checked whether they possess any receipt or not? If checked, who checks them?
5. 5.      In the olden times, after the parliament session is concluded, the representatives come and brief the resolutions of the outcome, but not these days. Why is it?

These were some of the major opinions raised by the local leaders and GAOs as the democracy matures along.

Thier opinion through my journey

As I traveled for almost two weeks meeting with the newly elected local government leaders of Thimphu, Paro, Haa, Wangdue, Punakha, Gasa, Tsirang, Dagana,

How Moral are our Bhutanese Media are?

The latest BBC’s IQ2 debate on the theme “MEDIA HAVE NO MORALS” during 2011 Festival of Dangerous Ideas the held in Opera House, Sydney, Australia has sparked few thoughts in me about how moral are our local media in Bhutan. 

Like any other democracy, media in Bhutan is
also considered the fourth arm of the government and is often called the “Watch Dog”. However, in the recent years Bhutanese media have faced numerous challenges. One prominent challenge the media today face is the survival and sustainability. When the multi-billion media company like BBC, Aljazeera or Fox News are questioned by the consumers about their credibility and morality, I wonder how credible or what morality does our media have considering their struggle to sustain themselves., with very few not professionally trained reporters and their infancy.  If it fortunate that , until now, we did not any  reports of media not being morally high,. Till today, they have never been questioned any of the media by the consumers, on their morality. Yet  there are gossips that each media is inclined to their own agenda than they are required by the basic principle of journalism. Despite of lack of enough evidences, many readers talk of their choice because each media brings the same issue much more differently except on few occasions. 

In Bhutan media houses are fully dependent on the government advertisements. They also depend on the government policies and implementations when it comes to making headlines. And they are also regulated by the government. One of the speakers Mrs. Mona Eltahawy during the BBC debate said that media should be regulated by the government irrespective of the government “dictatorship or democracy”. She quoted the example how it hampered the morals of journalists in Egypt.  

The speakers also mentioned how international media companies are swayed by the money and other incentives. They mentioned that even the same company broadcasting or publishing the news in different languages differ in their content on the basis of where they are published or broadcast. They cited Aljazeera English and Aljazeera Arabic. 

In short, if even the multi-billion media companies are swayed by the some factors, I am worried how much our small media houses with limited markets, with no professional journalists could have absolute high morals in future. This article is just a tip of the ice-berg and hope to bring more issue on this theme.

Note: This is not to offend any media international or local, the issue is brought out of curiosity  and apologize if this article hurts the sentiments of any  individual or organization.

How Moral are our Bhutanese Media are?

The latest BBC’s IQ2 debate on the theme “MEDIA HAVE NO MORALS” during 2011 Festival of Dangerous Ideas the held in Opera House, Sydney, Australia has sparked few thoughts in me about how moral are our local media in Bhutan. 

Like any other democracy, media in Bhutan is

UN Volunteers Day 2012 preparation:

Internationally acclaimed singerdedicates song to volunteers worldwide as UN General Assembly prepares forlandmark volunteerismdiscussion.

Internationally acclaimed singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, AngéliqueKidjo, joined forces with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme this week,ahead of a 5 DecemberUN General Assembly Session on volunteerism.UNV’s
message to Member States is clear -millions of volunteers are changing lives for the better every day and with better recognition and support much more can be done.

When the internationally acclaimed singer, AngéliqueKidjo, is not wowing audiences with her music she is often volunteering to help UNICEFadvocate for children. As a Goodwill Ambassador, Ms. Kidjo travels to refugee camps and far-flung villages in some of the world’s poorest countries. On a recent trip she met a child soldier and a victim of rape and shared her music with them. “The moment I saw them smile I had won the battle againstthesolitaryconfinement they had put themselves in because of their trauma,” she said.“Volunteering matters to me because there are many things all of us can do every day to helpothers.”

Ms. Kidjo is among the millions who volunteer worldwide every year. From the community health volunteer whose medical know-how reaches the remotest places, to the rescue-trained volunteer who joins government efforts to bring relief when disaster strikes, volunteers are changing lives every day, says UNV Executive Coordinator, Flavia Pansieri. In fact, a recent study of 36 countries estimated that 140 million people engage in volunteer work annually, which taken together, would comprise the 9th largest country in the world.

This week Ms. Kidjo dedicated her song ‘Agolo’ to volunteers everywhere ahead of a landmark UN General Assembly session, which will be the culmination of the tenth-anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers.Hopes are high that the 5 December Session will result in better recognition and support for volunteering.

“If volunteering were better recognized and supported, it would have the power to change many more lives, and evenhelp the world reduce poverty, environmental degradation and other major challenges of our times,” Ms. Pansieri said. “This is our message to the UN Member States.”

Ahead of the Session UNV is calling on volunteers, especially UN Volunteers and Online volunteers, to show the world why volunteering matters by sending a photo that demonstrates the power of volunteer action where they are serving. UNV is active in 130 countries every year, and for this campaignaims to collect one photo from every country in the world. The globalphoto collection will be online and a mosaic of photos collected will be revealed on 7 December.

To furtherstrengthenthe case for volunteering, UNV will also release the first-ever State of the World’s Volunteerism Report on 5 December – International Volunteer Day.

Through her work with UNICEF, Ms. Kidjo says her respect forUN Volunteers and community volunteers has grown immensely because they inspire lasting change.“People might not remember your name as a volunteer, but they will remember how you have helped them to take the lead in their own life.”

You can join the global effort to show why volunteering matter in the lead-up to International Volunteer Day bysending photos from where you are. Simply visit: http://volunteeringmatters.unv.org and follow as the world lights up with examples of volunteer action from every country in the world.

For more information, please contact: elisabeth.hiller@unvolunteers.org.

About UNV:The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development, and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.UNV directly mobilizes more than 7,700 UN Volunteers every year nationally and internationally, with 80 per cent coming from developing countries, and more than 30 per cent volunteering within their own countries.

UN Volunteers Day 2012 preparation:

Internationally acclaimed singerdedicates song to volunteers worldwide as UN General Assembly prepares forlandmark volunteerismdiscussion.

Internationally acclaimed singer and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, AngéliqueKidjo, joined forces with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme this week,ahead of a 5 DecemberUN General Assembly Session on volunteerism.UNV’s