Who says that arch rivals cannot be friends? The three National Council nominees for Trashigang, Sonam Kinga contesting from Shongphu, Tashi Tshering from Bidung, and Lt. Col. (retd.) Ngawang Gyamtsho from Samkhar appeared together to familiarise themselves in Bartsam after a formal nomination from their gewogs on November 9.
All three candidates received a unanimous “yes� vote at a two-day meeting held on November 7 and 8.
While Bartsham appeared like a testing ground for the three candidates, the friendly interaction among the three candidates made people forget that politics is all about mudslinging, allegations, and accusations of bribery.
According to 76-year old Lobzang Yeshi from Tasha, the three NC candidates from Trashigang were out to set a positive trend in the election process.
“Seeing them appear together comfortably in front of public and making their stands clear, it is consoling to learn that the NC election will be conducted before the assembly ones,� he said. “They could be a good example to the mudslinging party workers and candidates.�
“Let any of them win, we are assured that Trashigang is in good hands,� said Yeshi Phuntsho from Zongthung, Bartsam.
“My opponents are intellectuals and professionals in their own field and I, as a soldier, have contributed to nation-building in my own way for the last 33 years,� said Ngawang Gyamtsho.
Meanwhile, with elections drawing near and Trashigang being the largest dzongkhag with 15 gewogs, the three candidates told Kuensel that there were challenges ahead.
Given the size and geography of the dzongkhag, not many people in other gewogs know who is contesting from their dzongkhag. “The population is huge and villages are scattered. It will be difficult to campaign in one month, when visiting just two gewogs like Merak and Sakten would take about a week,� said Sonam Kinga.
Ngawang Gyamtsho, who had been familiarising for the last two weeks, said that it was impossible to go from village to village, forget about door to door. “For now we are taking advantage of the gatherings organised for gewog zomdus,� he said.
Bidung candidate Tashi Tshering agreed that it would be difficult to go on his own and gather a crowd as people were scattered. “Even in my own gewog, I cannot cover all as there are remote villages like Saling and Dogorong,� he said.
He said with NC candidates touring places after the political parties, people have developed an attitude that, even if they did not attend meetings, it would be all right. “It’s becoming very difficult for us,� he said. “Besides, there are other election procedures that need to be completed. Going to every village is not possible.�
The candidates are also under the impression that with a campaign budget of Nu 0.1 million for each candidate, it would be difficult to meet the actual expenses for a place like Trashigang.
“There has been no logical arithmetic done in allocating the campaign budget equally to larger and smaller dzongkhags,� said Sonam Kinga, adding that no explanation justified the constraint of resources such as time and money that would hinder campaigning in larger dzongkhags.
“For example, Trashigang has more than 80 polling stations and, if a candidate has election representatives in all these stations, they will have to be paid a daily allowance of Nu 500 for at least two days and that itself amounts to not less than Nu 80,000. This means that a candidate will have only about Nu 20,000 to campaign.�
Ngawang Gyamtsho said they had to be cautious on how they spent the fund and banked on their relatives in different villages for accommodation and other necessities. Source:Kuenselonline
