Sangay Ngedup

3rd Prime Minister of Bhutan

Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup (born 1 July 1953) was Prime Minister of Bhutan from 1999 to 2000 and again from 2005 to 2006.

Sangay Ngedup was born in Nobgang village in Punakha. He is the second child and eldest son in a family of three brothers and six sisters. Four of his sisters are married to the former King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. His father, Yab Dasho Ugyen Dorji (1925–2019), was the Founder and Proprietor of Ugyen Academy (03/04/2002). His mother is Yum Thuiji Zam (b. 1932). His two brothers are: Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup, whose demonstrated leadership style is democratic, was unanimously elected as president and leader of the newly constituted People's Democratic Party. In his presidential debate, the first ever held in February 2008, Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup has promised that, if he wins the election, he would base his policies of governing on Gross National Happiness (GNH), a philosophy (coined by the fourth king Jigme Singye Wangchuck, his brother in law) that states that happiness is more important than material growth for the people. He led his party during the election, held on March 24, 2008, but lost in his own constituency; the People's Democratic Party took only two seats of a possible 47 in the National Assembly. Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup was awarded the Red Scarf by His Majesty the King on August 24, 1987, and the Orange Scarf on January 1, 1998. In 2002 he undertook with six other members the Move for Health Walk from Trashigang to the capital city of Thimphu covering on foot a distance of 560 km concluded successfully as scheduled. The Walk was conceived by Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup to promote the fund raising for the Bhutan Health Trust Fund , an important initiative to keep the primary health services of Bhutan free of charge. On 8 September 2015, he received the World Health Organization’s excellence in public health award. Lyonpo Sangay Ngedup is the Honorary President of the Bhutan Scouts Association.