PDP MPs reluctant to RTI law

Albeit initial optimism that Bhutan will enter the age of right to information as People’s Democratic Party (PDP) takes rein of the government, things are turning rather impossible.

Against their pledge during the election campaign in July that the people will be empowered through the adaptation of Right to Information policy from the first sitting of the parliament, the PDP MPs agreed to DPT lobbyist that RTI will have to be pushed to the next session. Many PDP MPs now opine small country like Bhutan may not need all kinds of laws.

It is unlikely that the bureaucracy will give up its unwillingness to accept the very concept of the RTI. It was the same story with DPT in the past but faced strong resistance from the bureaucracy.

PDP government is likely to repeat the history unless it goes beyond the interests of the bureaucrats and turn down the resistance. In that case, the government will spoil politics-bureaucracy relation.

Bhutanese bureaucracy is rigid against allowing the public know what cooks inside the bureaucratic process. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay had unveiled the draft RTI bill through his blog.