In a press conference last month, Bhutan Kuen-Ngyam Party (BKP), one of the aspiring political parties, had said two civil servants will be resigning to join their party soon. After a month, the party reveals one of them, making Tshewang Tashi the first civil servant to officially declare her intention to join politics.
Tshewang Tashi, 46, is from Lanjophakha in Thimphu. She was the head of the Central Coordinating Division and the Internal Audit Division until yesterday. She had served the civil service for the last 23 years. She began her career with Department of Revenue and Customs and later on served leadership roles in various capacities. She has a master’s degree in Public Administration with specialty in public finance from Paris.
Tshewang Tashi will be contesting from Upper-Thimphu constituency. She is an avid reader and believes in social services. She said that her beliefs and values in her life were similar to that of the Bhutan Kuen-Ngyam Party.
“When I first met Sonam Tobgay, the founding member of the BKP, he was talking about all the beliefs of what I have all my life and it was like hearing myself. I was impressed,” she said, “When we met I was happy to see there were committed people, who is first priority was to do something for the people.”
Tshewang Tashi added that she felt that it was her moral obligation to join politics. She said that it is always better to have a group of committed people to make a difference than an individual.
The party also revealed other candidates.
A retired Army Major, Kamal Chhetri, is the party’s candidate from Drujeygang-Tseza in Dagana. Kamal Chhettri, 52, went back to his village in Goshi after his retirement. He added that he wanted to serve his community but he had no intention to join politics. However with the emerging political parties, he thought that joining politics will be a better way to serve the community.
The Party’s candidate for Bongo-Chapcha in Chhukha is Thinlay Dorji, who is an entrepreneur.
Both Thinlay Dorji and Kamal Chettri said that they choose to join Bhutan Kuen-Ngyam Party because of the party’s ideology.
Sonam Tobgay, the Party’s Spokesperson, will be contesting from Athang-Thedtsho constituency from Wangduephodrang
