“i Will Revamp the Lottery Business As It Was A Good Casual Source of Income,”

A former statistician with the labor ministry he feels his economics and statistics knowledge will come handy in solving many economic problems of the country including the rupee crisis and the lottery business.One of the newest candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Karma Lhendup, 34, talks to Business Bhutan reporter Yangchen Zam about the upcoming parliamentary elections. He will contest from the Drametse-Ngatshang constituency in Mongar.

How is your academic and professional background going to help you in the elections?

Coming from an economics and statistical background, I speak through facts and figures. I talk about GDP and how GDP is calculated. Just because GDP is growing it doesn’t mean that the welfare of the people has enhanced. Similarly if the poverty rate has declined it doesn’t mean people’s livelihoods have changed. Beautiful figures in papers will not change the ground reality.

Should you be elected what are your priorities for the economy?

Firstly I will revamp the lottery business as it was a good casual source of income. The development partners will be happy to pump out any amount of money if Bhutan has good governance and so things like rupee crisis can also be solved easily.

Further we will welcome FDIs and revive FDI policies.

We will revive and lease the land for establishment for 100 to 130 years.

Then only they will come and invest because the return will be very slow and we will encourage FDI’s through very congenial atmospheres. That way income and employment generation will take place. We need good corporate acts and good monetary and fiscal policies. With this we can revamp all the losses incurred by the present ruling government. We will also change the curriculum of the education system and the health system with better facilities and perks.

What are the main reasons behind your intent to contest for the upcoming elections?

I have a great passion for politics. Moreover it’s quite vivid and blatant that things aren’t going well. Especially the kind of rules we have. Different agencies have different rules and there is no rule that applies uniformly to all sections of the society. Even in the judiciary you can see lots of cases of corruption. Looking at all these instances I think as a legislator I can bring some changes.

You said in the past that you have limited authority in the civil service.

How do you think it is going to be different in politics?

Certainly there is limited authority in the civil service. I have headed...