My fellow Bhutanese, it
gives me great joy to speak to you on this auspicious occasion marking the day
Gongsar Ugyen Wangchuck ascended the Throne, in 1907. Our nation has been
blessed with the benevolent reigns of four monarchs since.
It is exactly five years
since I became King. In these five years, we have made a successful transition
to democracy. The elected government, bureaucracy and government agencies have
implemented important development activities effectively and we have continued
to achieve impressive socio-economic growth. Bhutan’s relations with other
nations have grown more diverse and strong. I am extremely proud of these
achievements and the people and I, are deeply grateful to the government,
dratshang, civil service and private sector.
In October, I married
Jetsun Pema. I am grateful for the warmth and affection with which, all our
Bhutanese people came together to celebrate with me. I deeply appreciate the
efforts and preparations made by the government, bureaucracy and volunteers;
the prayers of the Zhung Dratshang and religious community; the good wishes and
blessings of our senior citizens; the joy and happiness with which the youth
embraced the occasion and the wholehearted love and support of the people of
the 20 dzongkhags. The strength of your love and kindness towards me leaves me
deeply humbled. As a young King, I have not yet been able to serve you as my
father has done but my greatest desire is that I must repay your love, loyalty,
support and trust. I pledge that it shall be my life-long endeavor to do so.
My dear citizens, while I
am deeply satisfied with the progress of our nation, it is my duty as King to
contemplate, every single day, on the challenges that lie ahead for our nation.
My deepest concerns today are:
Democracy –
we have made a unique transition to democracy. What makes this transition even
more extraordinary is the short span of time within which we have done so. Yet,
the true test shall be whether we have the will and commitment to sustain a
well functioning and strong vibrant democracy for all time to come. Further, we
have a strong, committed parliament today, but my worry is, in the future,
whether our best and brightest people will forsake their careers in order to
serve the nation through politics. After all, for democracy to succeed, we will
always need strong, capable and upright people in parliament.
Education –
the government over the decades has built schools in remote areas and trained
teachers to man these schools. It has made immense efforts to build a strong
education system. However, is the education our youth are receiving attuned to
needs of the nation? And once educated, will our children find employment and
realize their full potential?
Corruption –
will we allow it, as in so many developing countries, to spread throughout
society and destroy everything? Or will we meet the challenge and overcome it
no matter how difficult it might be? In fighting corruption, will we remember
to also fight waste, unnecessary expenditure and complacency?
Self-reliance –
how do we achieve a measure of self-reliance that will make our growth
sustainable? How do we overcome our great dependence on imports, for example?
These are my concerns.
But our people must be reassured that it is not only I, as King, who seeks the
solutions to these problems. We have the government led by the prime minister,
the civil service and members of parliament and local government, who shall all
work together to address these challenges.
I am confident because
our people are unique. Our people are proud citizens who love our country and
take it as our sacred duty to serve the nation. As Bhutanese we have so many
qualities to be proud of. The manner, in which we all were united in
celebration of my wedding, is a symbol of the fraternity and brotherhood among
our people. It is an auspicious sign, that we will always come together, in
good times and bad, in the interest of our nation. We will always, together as
one, defend and protect our nation. If we are able to preserve this strength of
unity and harmony, we shall overcome all challenges that may come our way.
Before I conclude, in the
spirit of national days past, I will present awards to those who have served
our nation and people well.
I end with a prayer for
our nation. That the sun of peace and prosperity may always shine on Bhutan – a
nation blessed by the teachings of Lord Buddha – a Shangrila blessed by the
great Guru Rimpoche and founded by our revered and beloved parent Zhabdrung
Ngawang Namgyal – a country born from the labour of Jigme Singye Wangchuck and
the people of Bhutan.
