Having served as the Thrompon for the country’s biggest and most populated thromde and being at the pinnacle of the urban governance for the last 10 years, the former Thimphu Thrompon said his past two terms were extremely fulfilling. Although seeking a third term during the recent thromde or mayoral election was unsuccessful, the former Thrompon accepts the people’s choice.
Many say the former Thimphu Thrompon, Kinlay Dorjee, is considered to be among the most popular elected public figures in the country during his 10 years in office.
“Whatever I did in the last 10 years was purely solving people’s problem, ensuring that service delivery was good with enough infrastructure to make life in the city more comfortable and better. So from that angle, with the sole intention of serving the people, I presume that I gained popularity on that basis. And today after losing the election, I am not disappointed. I respect people’s choice and they wanted a change,” said Kinlay Dorjee, the former Thimphu Thrompon.
The past two elections were smooth sailing for the 51-year-old. However, the recent election saw him lose by a close margin, which he has hoped to win. While his first term as the capital’s mayor was lauded by the policymakers and masses, he faced some criticisms during his second term. When quizzed about this, the former thrompon flatly denied it.
“Whatever is the allocation from the government, we tried our best to ensure that everybody gets their share. We have not neglected any part of the city. In fact, some of the projects are tied up with ADB and World Bank funding, which are area and project-specific and we cannot divert it. So I don’t agree that we have given the services first to the elites and ignored the others. It was a mere criticism,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said besides the shortage of manpower and funds, he saw a lack of community vitality as a major hindrance to the effective implementation of infrastructure facilities.
“The division in the society, neighbours not supporting each other and even the implementation of projects such as the construction of roads has been a challenge. And again that was my top agenda during the election to bring the community together. That is not only for development but for sustenance. If we have community vitality and live in harmony, that is what GNH is all about,” he added.
He hopes the Thrompon-elect would strive to enhance community vitality in the Thimphu Thromde.
The former thrompon said he is unsure of re-contesting for the 4th thromde election, but he certainly aspires to work in the areas that are public service-oriented.
Pema Lhaden
