She is the second woman to declare her candidature from Punakha
A popular actress, Lhaki Dolma, will contest in the upcoming National Council (NC) elections from Punakha.
Lhaki Dolma, 39, mother of two daughters is the second woman aspirant candidate from the dzongkhag. She is the only candidate from Jimethang village under Dzomi gewog.
She started her career as a human resource officer with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests where she worked for three years.
After resigning from civil service, she joined the film industry assuming it as a full-time career. Currently, she is an actress and film director.
She has a Bachelor’s degree from College of Language and Cultural studies. She also stood second in the Royal Civil Service Examination in 2003. She has a post-graduate degree in development management from Royal Institute of Management.
She wants to contest for the council elections because she feels that by joining the NC she can represent the whole dzongkhag and the people of country, not just one constituency.
Lhaki Dolma feels that it is her sacred duty to respond and fulfill the aspirations of the monarchs who have bestowed the gift of democracy.
She said a woman’s gender should not serve as an obstacle to success.
“I have always felt and acted as a Bhutanese and not as someone belonging to a particular gender, race and religion,” she said.
She believes that as she embarks on this new journey, she has accumulated the maturity to contribute meaningfully to building a vibrant democracy.
Asked about her chances of winning, because she is famous, she said there are two sides to the coin: people know her well which is the positive aspect, while false perceptions and unrealistic expectations could play against her favor.
“I really had to think a lot before making this bold move to jump into the race,” she said.
She does not want to claim that she is the best candidate as she believes that people and destiny will decide one’s fate at the end.
Lhaki Dolma hopes that since this is the third parliamentary elections, more people will vote responsibly and not get carried away by false promises and fear mongering.
Meanwhile, she said that people whom she has worked with have always appreciated her commitment and reliability in matters of work.
If elected, though the council has no direct role in development activities, she wants to be a conduit between the people and the government in raising concerns and issues.
“I have always remained connected to my community and my people. This is something I learnt early on from my grandfather and my father who served as Gup and Chimi for several terms,” she said.
However, right now Lhaki Dolma does not want to preempt anything especially something like the results of an election.
Dechen Dolkar from Thimphu
