On the 30th Day of the 10th Month of the Wood Bird Year corresponding to 31st December 2005, His Majesty the Fourth King decreed that an office of the anti-corruption commission (Commission) be established before the adoption of the Constitution so that a strong foundation for the Commission to effectively carry out its functions and responsibilities is built. As the parliamentary democracy in the country was being established, it was very important to curb and root out corruption from the very beginning.
Nine years of establishment has been a long and arduous journey for the young Commission. The operations started with just four people, who worked from their previous offices and later from cramped private premises. It now has grown to seventy four members and has a new modern facility that is better equipped. Given the important mandate of the Commission in a young democracy with growing political and socio-economic challenges, the journey will continue to be long and arduous.
The Commission, therefore, has the compelling duty to establish itself as an edifice of incorruptibility, inner strength and trustworthiness, bracing itself for the journey; an institution that is nurtured by public trust and confidence. People working in the Commission have to be selfless, highly motivated and committed with the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and a deep sense of purpose. The organizational ethos has to sustainably nurture such supreme qualities in the people working in the Commission, present and future. It is the incumbent commissionersโ unconditional commitment to build the Commission into an institution of pride and dignity, an institution that will be sought after by every Bhutanese citizen.
As a small step towards that, the Commission, for the first time, observed its Foundation Day on 31 December 2012. This year the ACC commemorated the day with hoisting of prayer flags and lighting butter lamps in the morning and followed with the launch of the Employee of the Year Award. This was instituted with the aim to reinforce stewardship of the ACC Ethical Code of Conduct by all the ACC employees; retain high performing employees of ACC alleviating the challenge of recruitment and retention of employees; and foster/encourage initiative and inculcate leadership qualities in the employees of ACC. The officials from the Election Commission of Bhutan conducted the voting for the award using Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). For those who could not visit the polling station to vote at the recent general election, it was their first time using EVM to cast their ballot.