Bhutan's Acession to WTO

As Bhutan prepares to be the part of the World trade Organization (WTO), the Prime Minister talked to the Bhutanese Media. The following is the excerpt from Bhutan Broadcasting Service online.

Even the Cabinet remains divided on WTO

March 26: Should Bhutan join or not join the World Trade Organisation (WTO)? That is one of the pertinent questions looming large for quite some time now among the policy makers, academicians, intelligentsia, and the general public. Some say Bhutan should. Some say it is too early. Even the Cabinet Ministers remain divided on this tricky issue. “Many of our Cabinet Members are also supportive of joining the WTO, the Ministry of Economic Affairs is supportive of joining the WTO but there are a few of us, thankfully, who still think we need more questions not only answers, we need answers to questions,” said the Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y. Thinley. He was speaking to the Bhutanese media on Wednesday. Lyonchhen said that everybody wanted Bhutan to join WTO and even the WTO wanted Bhutan to join. “Do we really know enough about WTO? What is it that we will be loosing if we don't join WTO as opposed to what it is that we will really be gaining? Have we quantified those areas? How will our farmers really be protected? How will our nascent industry be really protected? How will acceding to the WTO really reconcile with our pursuit of GNH,” questions the Prime Minister, adding that the WTO is all about agreeing on set of rules and regulations for the manufacturing and the movement of goods and services and bringing down all kinds of borders. “It impacts on sovereignty as well.” Lyonchhen said that there are more questions than answers at the moment.  “There really is not so much of a cost in waiting. We are not going to loose anything by waiting to be sure but if we go ahead it may be difficult for us to opt out,” Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley said.