Postcard from Bishkek

Today happens to be one of those Professional Holidays here in Kyrgyzstan: Workers in Television and Radio Day.

Its amazing how important the Television has become in our lives … for news and entertainment.  Even in these days of internet and instant news, for example, a recent survey here in Kyrgyzstan revealed that people still relied on television and radio as their main source of news.

I am often surprised at how early television broadcasts were introduced … in 1928 in the US, the following year in Britain and Germany and in France, Canada and the Soviet Union in 1931. However, it was originally only to be found in the main cities such as Moscow and Leningrad.  Apparently the first broadcast service in what is now Kyrgyzstan started only in 1958.

As an aside: apparently Liechtenstein only got it’s own television service in 2008!

The station KTR, (Kyrgyz Tele Radio), was launched in the same year and programmes were broadcast in Russian.   The channel still exists and is still operated by the State but since then it has accumulated a number of competitors.  According to news reports there are about 100 TV companies officially registered in Kyrgyzstan, but “only a half of which are working”.   Currently, there are something like eight state owned television stations and twenty private ones, most of which are based in the capital, Bishkek and the Chui region.

For the record: World Television Day, is commemorated on 21st November.  It was established in 1996 “in recognition of the increasing impact television has on decision-making by bringing world attention to conflicts and threats to peace and security and its potential role in sharpening the focus on other major issues, including economic and social issues”.

It may be the case that the internet is making inroads to this statistic, but (as I said) a survey during the year revealed that most people here in Kyrgyzstan get their news from television and radio.  It’s true that I rely heavily on the internet for my daily diet of news and comment.  It is difficult to get copies of foreign newspapers and magazines here and there are only a few English language channels available here.  (This week, for example, I heard the sad news about the death of the Jazz great Dave Brubeck at the age of 72 thanks to the obituaries I saw on-line … ) but in the villages around the country the only access to newspapers and internet is very sparse and so television and radio are really important sources of information for people.

I was at a conference during the week and heard one of the participants complaining that people didn’t read books these days … and I thought of the item I read on the internet recently which dispensed the “trivia” that 42% of graduates don’t read another book once they have obtained their degree – and another survey suggested 33% of people never read another book after they left High School.

Radio may have an advantage in that it can be playing in the background whilst people get on with other things, but television provides stimulation for two senses: sight and sound … and the images presented can often vie with each other for drama and impact in order to grab our attention.

Well, this week, there has been plenty going on which provide material for reports which would attract attention.  From the death of Dave Brubeck to the havoc caused by snowfall in Southern Britain … the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, (SCO), here in Bishkek … Snow Leopards and Shyrdaks … and, apparently, court consideration about America’s request to extradite Maxim Bakiev, which  has now been put off until May … and a visit by one of my favourite Russian jazz groups – Bravo, (mind you … I only learned about that three days after the event!).

Talking of Maxim Bakiev, and consideration of his extradition case being postponed,I see that the case against his father and uncle, (Kurmanbek and Janish), has been resumed here in Bishkek in the case of the murder of the former head of the presidential administration, Medet Sadyrkulov.  Pehaps the most interesting report, however, appeared in the Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda which basically said that the auithoritie in Britain had decided during the Autumn to grant him political asylum.  I have only seen a couple of reports about this but I am not sure what the sources are … but if it is true then extradition to America could be the only way to “save face” – something which is very important here in Asia.  Or am I just being cynical, once again?

The arrival of delegations for the SCO Summit  , (from eleven countries: China, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in addition to ourselves … together with high ranking observers from Afghanistan, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan), caused just as much havoc on Bishkek’s streets as the snow storms in Southern Britain.  It was almost impossible to travel around the city centre with roads closed, traffic diverted, and huge traffic jams – although nothing like the one between Moscow and St. Petersburg, they still cause chaos on the city streets for the poor residents of the city trying to go about their daily business).

Incidentally, it was not only the summit that caused traffic problems this week … I had to laugh because the Bishkek Municipal authority in their wisdom seem to have chosen Friday night rush as the time to erect the New Year street decorations along Prospect Manas – one of the main North-South streets running through Bishkek!

The Summit provides lots of photo opportunities which are eagerly snapped up by television and newspaper reporters.  There has been much attention paid to the relationships between Kyrgyzstan and each of the countries represented, the bilateral discussions conducted between officials, plans for investment projects and agreements that have been signed.   A certain amount of the reporting centred on Kyrgyzstan’s impending accession to the Customs Union with Russia, Kazakhstan and Belorus … and the effects it might have on others – the general impression given publicly is that it won’t have any effect … but who knows what people are really thinking when the TV cameras aren’t running … remember all those gaffes like Reagan’s ‘joke’ about bombing the USSR.

For example, one of the interesting things was a statement from China that they support the path of development that Kyrgyzstan has chosen … coupled with another saying that entry into the Customs Union won’t affect the relationship between the two countries … we’ll see.

There has been some discussion with the Uzbeks over various issues … and, especially in the light of President Karimov’s recent comments about water, I wonder what their attitude was to the news from Parliament that Kyrgyzstan wants to retain control over its water resources.

Amongst the various agreements signed, there was apparently one with Russia granting a hefty loan of USD25 million to contribute towards the stabilization of a “socio-economic stituation”- on a “non-repayable basis” … my first thought was, where can I apply for such a loan?

The International Monetary Fund (IMF), however, has some concerns warning that Kyrgyzstan faces potential difficulties as a result of the global economic environment and rising inflation – especially potentially volatile food prices.    Although they heaped some praise on the country for developing sound economic policies in order to preserve its macroeconomic stability, growth has been adversely affected by a fall in the production of gold.

The annual publication of the Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions index during the week didn’t attract too much attention – with Kyrgyzstan ranking 154th on the list of countries, (out of 174).  Mind you, that’s an improvement on last year’s rating – of 164th.  The basis of the index has been changed this year in order to make use of relevant statistics gathered by other organizations such as the World Bank, Freedom House, Global Insight and the World Economic Forum and it is hoped that the new methodology will make it easier to compare trends over a number of years.  Our ranking isn’t good, although we are better placed than our neighbours Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, than Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia.  It would be nice to think that the government might adopt the same approach as they did with the World Bank’s Doing Business survey and make a positive effort to improve the country’s ranking by adopting appropriate measures, but maybe they think they are doing enough with the current campaign which has led to yet more arrests of high ranking official – most notably the recent  detention of a former head of the Mineral Resources Agency which oversees the Mining industry.

One of the reasons that is sometimes suggested for corruption is the low salaries here in Kyrgyzstan, so the news that when he presented the country development strategy, (the “road map”), President Atambaev has “promised”, (that was the word used in one headline), that in five years time it would be 26,000 som, (that’s two and a half times what it is at the moment), might seem to indicate that the days of corruption are numbered … but I see a few problems.  I don’t, for example, see how it is to be achieved when, at the same time he said that inflation should not be high.  I’m sorry, but it seems to me that such a massive increase is bound to lead to what we used to call in the UK, “wage inflation” and it is hard to see how employers such as us are going to be able to increase salaries if we don’t increase our income.  Reports also quoted him as saying that within five years the GDP per person should be doubled to USD2500, (which struck me as odd because CIA World Factbook reports that it already stands at about USD2400), and that the country should create about 300,000 jobs so that every family has a “breadwinner”.  

At the same meeting he made other interesting things: that we have to recognize that we need investments and have to stop looking askance at investors; we need to ensure the protection of private property and that credit rates should be reduced by one and a half times … “especially in the microfinance industry”.

As an aside, he also went on to say in a press conference that what the country needed was a lot of bees that worked hard and helped the flowers to grow – but that what we’ve actually got, unfortunately,  are a lot of flies doing nothing but flying around and giving the country a bad name.

Slightly more worrying was a report that the cost of flour has apparently risen 50% since June; that’s on average – in rural regions it is even higher!  Milk prices have also risen and are now a third higher than they were last year, and potatoes just over a fifth higher.  What’s more, “The increase in the cost of gas, coal and firewood for the winter months will limit economic opportunities for vulnerable households already spend 61% of their total income on food,” the report said.  Did it have any good news?  Apparently, the cost of the basic food basket is expected to decline in the coming months … note that, “expected”.

During the last week we have seen over 900 power failures here in Bishkek, often associated with the low temperatures and maintenance work being undertaken to ensure the system is ready for the Winter, (… I thought the low temperatures indicated that Winter had basically started already).  The Prime Minister has also announced that saunas and entertainment complexes will be cut off if there is not enough power to ensure that supplies are available for schools and kindergartens.

There has been some controversy over the decision by the Anti-Terrorist Center of the State National Security Committee to recognize some 200 websites as “extremely radical”.  All of our neighbours are trying to limit the internet: China already exercises considerable control over access and content; Tajikistan recently attempted to block Facebook and both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are trying to limit the influence of social media and introduce local varieties – and in Kazakhstan the attention is media in general.  This led to a claim that attention was being paid to “opposition” websites rather than shutting down access to those depicting, for example, pornography.  To be fair, there have been attempts to block porn sites but these have not always been successful.

Although the Americans are apparently grateful to Kyrgyzstan for its commitment to the Transit Center agreement and agreeing to host it until the expiry of the term of the agreement by 2014, and they are looking at ways they can continue to use the facilities – and are even confident that a suitable arrangement will be agreed – the Prime Minister has weighed in to say, yet again, that there will be no military presence there once the current agreement expires.  The embassy has also said that the US won’t cut its support of anti-drugs operations in the region following the NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan – and China has also declared that it wants to cooperate with operations in the future.

It has been announced that the Prime Minister’s Office is working on a draft new government structure … with some Ministries changing their names but also some redistribution of responsibilities.  I wonder if this means that we will now get a Ministry of Tourism – or at at least a separate Department or Agency.  Creating a department in the the Ministry of Culture and Tourism was never a very popular move … but I am not sure that creating a new body will help very much.  I have my own doubts about what a Ministry/Agency/Department can achieve anyway, as most of the issues affecting tourism cut across the responsibilities of other government bodies.  To be fair, however, I should give due credit to the current Deputy Minister who has worked diligently and tirelessly and has helped to bring pressure to solve, or at least address, a number of issues and problems that have arisen.  However, he has been somewhat stymied by the fact that this year only seven million som was allocated to it, (and it actually received less than three million – most of which has had to be used on administering the department itself), so it is hard to see how it can function effectively without a fairly substantial in terms of money – which the government doesn’t have.

An interesting snippet of news is that the government has sold its 10% in the Hyatt Regency here in Bishkek – to the Hyatt International Corporation.

There was a rather strange report in the popular newspaper Vecherniye Bishkek,  about a squabble which broke out between a parliamentarian and a Human Rights activist about Gay clubs and Gay marriage.  The activist is a candidate for the ombudsman’s job.  I know that Gay marriage is a subject that is getting a lot of attention in the West but, as far as I am aware, this is the first time the subject has been raised here.

Snow leopards, (Bars in Russian and Ilbirs in Kyrgyz), have also been in the news a lot recently … with USAID launching a conservation project across the region – worth a total of almost five million dollars.  As part of the SCO summit, there was a seminar on conservation held in Bishkek.  Although it hasn’t been reported widely here, this majestic but reclusive animal has also been receiving much more attention on the global scale as it has been adopted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) this year as a Christmas symbol.

Shyrdaks  – although the news was reported here, it didn’t get as much coverage as I would have expected, (I think that the announcement took everybody by surprise),  but the traditional Kyrgyz Shyrdak, (carpets made from felt which are vibrant with colour and symbolism), has been inscribed in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage In Need of Urgent Safeguarding.  These distinctive carpets are also very deceptive … appearing to be simple and practical but requiring considerable effort and work to produce, containing a wealth of symbolism and in their design and representing centuries of tradition and heritage.  The crafts and skills for the production of traditional felt carpets are at risk of becoming endangered, especially as young people turn to other attractive activities such as the internet and television. 

 

Knowing how I love trivia and statistics, I thought I would share with you a few that I came across during the week:

• Around two billion cigarettes are smuggled into Kyrgyzstan each year
• The European Union spends some 40$ of its budget on agriculture, which generates less than 2% of GDP and employs less than 5% of the workforce
• Apparently, following the introduction of a visa free regime for citizens of 44 countries, the Naryn region saw a tenfold increase in the number of tourists … where do they get their figures from???
• 50-60% of Excise stamps, (used on bottles of alcohol and packets of cigarettes to indicate that the customs duties have been paid),  in Kyrgyzstan are forgeries
• the average pension in Kyrgyzstan has almost tripled in the last four years – it is now 4270 som a month – that’s about USD91, EUR70 or GBP61 … and apparently the Social Fund says that it is up to date with all payments.  I’m not due to get my Kyrgyz pension for at least another three years – so I am hoping it will triple again … although I wonder if the budget can stand the extra expense.
• In a survey of living standards in 221 cities, Vienna came out as the best one to live in, followed by Zurich and Aukland, Munich and Vancouver …  Bishkek was ranked 204th, with Baghdad bringing up the rear.  In terms of infrastructure, (based on availability of: Electricity, Water Availability, Telephone, Mail, Public Transportation, Traffic Congestion & Airport Effectiveness), Singapore took top spot, followed by Frankfurt, Munich, Copenhagen and Dusseldorf (… interesting that Germany does so well), with Port au Prince taking last place.  Unfortunately, Bishkek  didn’t come in the top 50 and wasn’t mentioned in the Press release … as the full report costs USD445, I decided not to satisfy my curiosity on this small point.
• Ten schools could have been built using the funds spent on travelling expenses of government officials – of course, that’s a spurious statistic … but arose because the government has been forced to admit a “failure” in the school building programme and some schools are still using tents.

and … nothing to do with Kyrgyzstan:

• There are 17 people alive today who were born in the 1800s – 16 of them are female.

I also saw a couple of interesting  reports during the week about historical figures.  One suggested that Genghis Khan might have been a redhead … the thing that struck me was that it said “the Kirghiz people were said to be tall and possess red hair and green eyes” … dismissing the traditional view that the Kyrgyz had black hair by referring to an old Chinese account that “those nomads with black hair were descendants of a Chinese general called Li Ling who surrendered to the Huns.”

The other was a profile of Tamerlane as part of the coverage of Disability History Month … yes, it was the first I had heard of this too!   Tamerlane is a rendition of “Timur the lame”, his disability apparently resulting from an injury received in battle.  It pointed out that Tamerlane didn’t let his disability hold him back.  As a commoner ascending the throne, rather than a royal, he had encountered considerable handicaps and a limp was perhaps the least of his worries.  What struck me from the report was that in 35 years of leading his armies – it was claimed that he was undefeated in battle … which made me wonder about the tale of San Tash, (in Issyk Kul), where there is a huge stone mound said to have been created when ordered each man to pick up a stone and place it on a pile as they headed off to do battle with the Chinese … but when they returned they were supposed to pick up a stone from the pile and return it to the place where they had taken a stone on their outward journey.  The remaining mound is an indicator to the number who fell as part of that campaign … and a poignant memorial.

 

Finally, (… and yes, this has been a long postcard – but I did say it had been an eventful week), we all got a bit anxious last May when Astanbek Abdyldaev, (of zima ne budet (There’ll be no Winter) and Putin is a Biorobot fame), got us all worried by going for the hat trick back in May declaring that Konyetz sveta ne budet, (There’ll be no end of the world).  We have now been officially assured by the Ministry of Emergency Situations that the Koyetz Sveta, (End of the World), predicted in the Mayan calendar ne budet, (won’t happen) … But, just in case, the Ministry will be taking steps to prevent it – after all, it’s their job to be prepared for extraordinary disasters!  It is so comforting to hear that they have taken the motto of the Pioneers, (the Communist Party’s equivalent of the Scout movement), to heart … Vsegda gotov, (Always prepared).

 

 

 

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Postcard from Bishkek: the weekly postcard that I send out as an email also gets posted on the website ianbek.kg each week – and there are other postcards which don’t get sent out.  This week, for example, there has been the following postcards:

• November Postcards - a list of the postcards published last month – 01/12/12
• A couple of geeks … - the regular weekly postcard giving a personal review of the week’s news from here in Kyrgyzstan - 01/12/12
• Silk Road Lodge panoramas - some new views of our hotel in Bishkek … The Silk Road Lodge - 02/12/12
• The Celestial Horses - from the Celestial Mountains – 03/12/12
• Russian and Nomad - An introduction to an interesting book that I cam across … – 04/12/12
• The World Through Maxim’s Eyes - Maxim has been taking more photographs and mounted a small exhibition … 05/12/12
• Some advice from Turkey - a report on a conference linking museums, crafts and tourism – 05/12/12
• The Goitered Gazelle - the Gazelle is not only found on the velt and other African plains but also throughout South West and Central Asia as well as the Indian subcontinent and it represents one of the endangered species in Kyrgyzstan - 06/12/12

It is now possible to follow me on Facebook, (where I have specific pages for Celestial Mountains and ianbek … and also links.kg and Kyrgyz Diary), and on twitter, (@Bishkekpostcard and @celestialMTC ).

 

 

 

 

Tags: Expat, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan, Weekly_Postcards