Reversing the Outmigration of Young Bhutanese: The need for Fairness and Accountability
The increasing number of talented young Bhutanese leaving the country in search of better opportunities abroad is a matter of serious national concern. Given Bhutan’s already small population, a declining birth rate coupled with the continued outmigration of our youth poses significant long-term challenges to our economic growth, social development, and national resilience.
To address this issue effectively, the government must look beyond the symptoms and examine the underlying reasons why so many young people are choosing to leave. Even children from wealthy families are joining the exodus. While economic opportunities are undoubtedly an important factor, they are not the only one. The quality of governance including fairness, accountability, the efficiency of public institutions, and public confidence in the system also plays a crucial role in shaping whether people believe they have a future in Bhutan.
I would like to focus on one of these underlying issues: the need for fairness and accountability in the relationship between government institutions and citizens.
Accountability Must Be Mutual
The Ministry of Labour requires Bhutanese building owners to hire Bhutanese plumbers and electricians. Those who employ Indian plumbers or electricians are subject to substantial fines.
The objective of this policy to create employment opportunities for Bhutanese workers is understandable and commendable. However, its implementation has created significant difficulties for some property owners.
In one case, a person constructing a building in Thimphu complained to the Ministry that the Bhutanese plumber recommended under the policy had damaged the building’s plumbing system due to a lack of competence. The Ministry responded by recommending another plumber, but the replacement reportedly caused even greater damage.
Despite these losses, the Ministry neither accepted responsibility nor provided compensation. Consequently, the entire financial burden fell on the building owner.
If the government mandates the use of specific workers and penalizes citizens for seeking alternatives, it also has a responsibility to ensure that those workers meet acceptable professional standards. There must be mechanisms for accountability and compensation when negligence or incompetence causes financial loss. Otherwise, it is ordinary citizens who bear the consequences of government policy.
Accountability Should Apply to Government Agencies
A similar issue arises in the delivery of public services.
Recently, an individual visited the Bhutan Construction and Transport Authority (BCTA) to renew a vehicle registration. Because the renewal was overdue, the person was required to pay a penalty. After making the payment, however, BCTA’s computer system failed, and all applicants were instructed to return another day when the system became operational.
The irony is striking. Citizens are penalized when they fail to renew their registrations on time, yet when the government’s own system fails, there are no consequences for the agency responsible. Instead, members of the public must make repeated trips, losing valuable time and incurring additional travel expenses. Once again, it is ordinary citizens who pay the price for administrative failures.
Fairness Must Be a Two-Way Street
The same imbalance can be seen in the actions of Thimphu Thromde.
Property owners are regularly warned or fined for failing to comply with municipal regulations. In one instance, a building owner received a warning threatening financial penalties if drainage water from the property was not properly connected to the main drainage system.
However, when a sewer line maintained by Thimphu Thromde overflowed and flooded private property, the affected owners reported the problem to the authorities. They were informed that Thromde did not have the budget to maintain sewer line.
This raises an important question of fairness.
When citizens fail to meet their obligations, they are fined. When a government agency fails to maintain public infrastructure and causes damage to private property, the explanation is simply that there is no budget. While budget constraints are a genuine challenge, they should not exempt public institutions from responsibility for the consequences of their failures.
Government agencies should be held to standards of accountability comparable to those expected of citizens. If individuals are required to comply with the law and bear the consequences of non-compliance, public institutions should likewise accept responsibility when their actions or inaction cause harm.
Building Trust to Retain Our Youth
A troubling pattern has emerged in our system. Individuals are penalized when they fail to meet their obligations, while government agencies often face little or no accountability when they fail to fulfill theirs. This imbalance is fundamentally unfair and gradually erodes public trust.
If the government is genuinely committed to reversing the migration of young and talented Bhutanese, it must address these systemic issues with urgency. People do not leave their country solely in search of higher incomes. Many leave because they become discouraged by a system in which accountability appears one-sided and ordinary citizens feel they are expected to shoulder the consequences of institutional failures.
Retaining our young people requires more than creating jobs or increasing salaries. It also requires building confidence in our institutions. Young Bhutanese need to believe that they will be treated fairly, that government agencies are accountable for their actions, and that the rule of law applies equally to everyone.
A nation that is fair and accountable inspires confidence. A nation that inspires confidence gives its young people a reason to stay, contribute, and build their future at home. If Bhutan is serious about reversing the outmigration of its youth, strengthening fairness and accountability within our public institutions must be an essential part of the solution.
When citizens see that both individuals and government institutions are held to the same standards of responsibility, confidence in the system grows. That confidence is essential if Bhutan is to persuade its young people that their future lies at home.