The Journalists Association of Bhutan (JAB), which was first announced five years ago, has been reactived with election of nine its executives, Tuesday.
In the election held in the capital, 32-year-old Passang Dorji of The Bhutanese, a daily newspaper yet to be launched, was elected with majority of votes as new president, wrote the Kuensel on Wednesday.
Altogether, 105 journalists from various 11 newspapers and 16 from electronic media were present during the election.
The president elect said he would leave no stones unturned to ensure hassle-free working environment for journalists.
“My first priority would be to bring journalists together and ensure that journalists, particularly in the private media, are well compensated if anything should happen to them in the line of duty,” said he.
Meanwhile, JAB expressed its commitment that it “will submit to the government a proposal, submitted by senior editors last month, suggesting changes to the advertising policy and doing away with the mandatory publication of Dzongkha editions in the English language papers.”
congratulations Mr Dorji
Time is changing and you are leading the process of change
Freedom of expression is the mother of all rights.
But express every thing only if you mean it.
The nature of this freedom is very sensitive but at the same time very noble. So, please do not use it to please some one. Rather you should be pleased that by choosing the profession that upholds the highest freedom, you have already found one believer – you!
Great, take it up.
Hope, under your leadership, freedom of expression in Bhutan will find its true meaning.
Rp Subba.
How many publications have been made in the last five years by this group of ‘journalists’ since its inception about the Bhutanese Exile?
Freedom of press in Bhutan? Isn’t that a contradictio in terminus?
I would like to congratulate the newly elected president of JAB, Mr. Passang Dorji for his new leadership and commitment to take the media group to a new height of responsibility. It is one thing to have freedom but equally important to hold the ethics of responsible journalism. All journalist should bear this in mind and contribute in the best of their capacity as professional journalist, reporting issues and events with full resource back up and with responsibility of what is being published.
Media is a strong tool of democratic society and political awareness for the development of Bhutan and nurturing the new and evolving democracy of Bhutan. It is also an exciting time as there is so much to do in terms of reporting and educating the public. Bhutanese public is very ignorant and unaware of many things that are happening around the world and within the country. It is a great opportunity for the journalist to educate the general public, especially important for making them aware of their rights for freedom of speech and action. It is through the development of this political awareness that people would be able to contribute in the democratic and economic development of Bhutan.
We would like to see Bhutan move in a new direction with the involvement of youth in many spheres of the development work in the country.