THE PRESS AND PEOPLE’S LAW

 Today, when all the international media are caught by the Tunisian effect of revolution in the Arabian Countries beginning from Tunisia to Egypt, Bahrain, Iran, Yemen and now Libya.  The international media talks range from International sanction of weapons embargo to no fly zone in Libya.  They are then caught by the news of suicide bombers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. And they are also preoccupied with the international
inflation and loss of jobs and measures to address these international needs.

Here in Bhutan be it broadcast or print, every journalist looks as if their eyes have become blind and ears deaf to these issue and instead they look like, their pen nips are replaced with cigarettes buds. Since the enforcement of Tobacco Control Act,  it has subdued the mind and the soul of every reporter and the online forum and penetrated every page of the writers.  At least one article is carried out in every paper on tobacco law. Most criticized the law and enforcement agencies for enforcing the Act, not realizing the contribution of the members of the parliament in legislating the law in the country and their wisdoms. It has caught the attention of one the most prominent bloggers of Bhutan, www.tsheringtobgay.com. Though he himself was one of the parliamentarians, not only heavily criticized the law, but also called the citizen’s movement to amend the law and requested the lawyers to defend Sonam Tshering the first case saying we are imprisoning our fellow citizen.

This has motivated the writers, the bloggers, the journalists and the many urban dwellers comprising mostly the smokers-civil servants, businessmen, youth.

Some editors are even to the extent in saying that the Law is Draconian and archaic which undermines the very principle of democracy. Some wrote that laws are meant for poor and this law is no exception.

The first case of tobacco being the monk and from a humble background brought huge criticism to the enforcing agency, collected voices raising their empathy and sympathy to the first offender to the extent of forming groups in the social network calling citizens to amend the law. Many writers and urban dwellers demanded leniency in the interpretation of the law justifying that the offender was unaware of such law. Some said that the law is such that the principle of proportionate is violated since the penalty is disproportionate to the magnitude of the crime committed. Some even voiced and equated that it is better to abuse drugs or rape a minor than to light a cigarettes. 

This has caught the attention of the Prime Minister of Bhutan to urge the public to convince their respective MPs to amend the law and defending that law is not passed by the government but by the parliaments who are elected members of the people and represent the people’s view.

All said and done, one has already sentenced to three years imprisonment and many would follow him until the law gets amended making the headlines of each and every paper unlike any other Act enacted so far in Bhutan