Postcard from Bishkek

“Seven Days in May” was a 1964, Oscar nominated, film staring Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, and Frederic March with Ava Gardner adding the “female” interest.  It tells the story of how US military leaders, (led by Chief of the Defense Staff, Burt Lancaster), plot to overthrow an increasingly unpopular President, (Frederic March), because he supports a nuclear disarmament treaty and they fear a Soviet sneak attack.  Kirk Douglas stumbles across the plot and attempts to assemble the evidence to thwart it.  One of the high points of the film is where Douglas enunciates the classic line: “I’m suggesting Mr. President, there’s a military plot to take over the Government of these United States, next Sunday…”.  Throughout the film, the public remain unaware of the momentous events portrayed on screen as only the two small groups, those loyal to the President and the small band of conspirators, know what is going on.  Although not a blockbuster film, (it was more of a cerebral thriller rather than the “action film” it almost certainly would be if were to be shot today),  it was recognized at the time as being far from “far fetched” and proved to be, possibly, one of the most influential films of its period.

The “seven days in May” that have just passed here in Bishkek, have also been marked by a lack of public awareness as the people seem to be getting on with the rest of their lives as events unfold mainly behind closed doors.

Although not exactly “hot and sultry”, in fact the first ten days of May are nearly always “dog days” … in that it is a “slow time”, events are dull and show an evident a lack of progress.  They include three public holidays, (the 1st – May Day, the 5th – Constitution Day and the 9th – Victory Day),  and at least one weekend although this year, because the 1st was a Saturday, they included two weekends.   As one of the holidays (Victory Day – May 9th), falls on a Sunday the holiday is switched to the following day, the Monday, so it’s like a week with five Sundays,  Because of this excess of “non working days”, it tends to be a quiet period when little gets done.

Things have been happening, however:

We received one good piece of news from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.  They have revised their Travel Advice for Kyrgyzstan.  They “no longer advise against all but essential travel to Kyrgyzstan; there are currently no travel restrictions in place in Kyrgyzstan.” The Brits have always been more responsive to events on the ground than many other nations, even though a Minister or Deputy Minister, has to approve and “sign off” on the advice before it can be officially published.  Although the Americans usually review their travel warnings only once every six months, some other countries usually follow the British example, so I am hoping that the negative impact of such warnings will be minimized.

Despite this, we have received some cancellations which quoted the advice as one of contributory factors.

As it happens, we are still receiving enquiries and the occasional booking … so it’s not all bad news!

I took a phone call on Wednesday asking me to prepare a short speech about the need for marketing.  Yes, Wednesday was a public holiday, (Constitution Day), but at least some of the civil servants were at their desks working.

Constitution Day commemorates an important day in the history of the statehood of Kyrgyzstan, the adoption of the constitution, in 1993, following the collapse of the Soviet Union . However, the holiday is normally a low-key affair, with few special events held to commemorate the holiday.  The main “event” is that the President usually issues an address to the nation.  This year was no exception except, of course, that there is no President.  It’s also cynically noted that in the seventeen years since it’s initial adoption there have been eight different versions of the document – this year will almost certainly see a ninth.

Thursday saw a meeting at the Economics Ministry in order to discuss the budget for financing the development of Tourism.  The “budget meeting” was not like the budget meetings that I used to take part in as a trade union official back in Barnet.  There the council provided us with papers, pages and pages, which we went through with a fine tooth comb raising questions and commenting in detail on various aspects of the budget.  This time we had no papers to work on beforehand, so we couldn’t analyze the likely costs and benefits line by line.   Instead, it was rather like being given the chance to present a “wish list” of what measures we would like the government to spend money on.

Rumours and counter rumours continue to circulate … one that I didn’t mention last week, placed the blame for the revolutionary events on the former President, Askar Akaev, his family and supporters.   They, of course, deny it, although one of his his daughters, Bermet, has arrived back in the country on a visit, and there is talk of her entering political arena.  Now, there are reports from President Bakiev’s supporters that the planned protests in his support are nothing to do with them … apparently, it’s all the work of Akaev’s men.

The border with Kazakhstan is still technically closed … but, as I said last week, nobody seems to know why.  It is possible that Kazakhstan is worried about “importing” Kyrgyz revolution.  Or maybe they are trying to maintain pressure on the Interim Government, worried about protecting their own interests and investments here ion Kyrgyzstan, (for example: banks, construction companies, resorts on Issyk Kul …).  Maybe it is as simple as they still do not recognize the Interim Government.  They are also refusing to register any Kyrgyz citizens as temporary residents.  This is having a huge effect effect on trade.  Kyrgyzstan acts as a conduit of goods from China into the whole Central Asian region and two of the regions largest markets are in the country, near to the borders with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and account for a fantastic amount of cross border trade.  According to one report early in the week, exporters have seen a decline of between 20% and 70% in their business which is “worth billions” – that’s presumably in soms, and here they use the American concept of a billion, (1000 million), which is worth about, 22 million dollars.  It wasn’t clear, however, over what period that loss was incurred but, even so, it’s not a small sum.  I as pleased to say that foreign tourists have been allowed to cross the border, and discussions have been underway resulting in some cross-border traffic to take place and statements that the border will open again on 11th May. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

The new authorities are still pursuing people involved in the previous regime.  Only a few arrests have been made, so far, but about twenty former Ministers, etc. have been questioned by the police.  As a result of arrest warrants issued here for some prominent characters, (notably Bakiev’s son, Maxim), Interpol have apparently issued “red notices” so we could see an extradition attempt.  That could make for an “interesting” situation.  Luschenko, President of Byelorussia, has once again, made it clear that he is not going to allow the extradition of Bakiev, himself, but despite that the interim government have an extradition request.  Are they looking for a dispute with Byelorussia … because one looks likely if they persist with this approach.  Some other members of the “family” have apparently turned up in Europe and, so it is claimed, some have received help from within both the interim government and the police force.  It seems that others are still here in the country somewhere, and the one that was apparently “kidnapped” last week has been in touch with his “supporters”.  All this could also make for an “interesting” situation in the future.

The search for the “Bakiev” money continues.  About 20 “luxury” cars belonging to Maxim have been located  … I wonder why he needed so many, and the Americans have been asked to help trace bank transactions. Apparently, the interim government have seized some “safe deposit boxes” belonging to certain members of the family and their entourage … holding something like USD20million … in one case $8-9 million, (they don’t seem to be certain exactly how much), “belonging” to one former minister. At the moment the money is held in a special account in the National Bank, (I hope they are getting interest on it!), and it will need a court decision to determine what eventually happens to it, (and, I presume, any interest that accrues).   .

There seems to be an opinion that the events in Maevka on the 17th were not, in fact, spontaneous, and the police are pursing investigations to try and locate the people responsible for “planning” the event.   According to the police, about 1000 of the squatters who seized land in the village of Maevka in the events of April 19th, when five people were killed.  It seems as if that operation passed off peacefully, which is probably why it got so little, (if any), coverage in the press abroad, unlike the tragic and gruesome events that Monday evening.   That hasn’t stopped about 5000 people asking for land to be allocated to them … we’ll see what the response authorities will be.

As if all this uncertainty wasn’t enough, the scientists have decided to warn us, (once again), this week that climate change and earthquakes are likely to create problems for Kyrgyzstan in the future, probably in the near future, possibly in the very near future.  They claim that we statistically overdue for a “strong” earthquake somewhere in the region … and although, being a former Statistics teacher, I tend to be wary of such use of figures, I think they make a good point that we need to prepare for one and put in place some proper “crisis management” structures and procedures.  Climate change is, apparently, likely to have more long lasting effects.  They predict a subsequent increase in the number and frequency of landslides and avalanches. We have already seen dramatic retreats in the glaciers and that is expected to accelerate, leading to desertification and water shortages, that will, in turn, lead to failures in the harvest, food shortages, and other economic problems which may well result in further civil disturbances.

I wish I had experienced a quiet time this week … but that was not to be.  I have been trying to catch up with the backlog of work which inevitably got put onto “the back burner” during the eventful days of May.  I have made little dent in the mounting pile of paperwork, however, as new and pressing matters arise.

There was the invitation to participate, (all expenses paid), in a Silk Road forum in Shiraz, Iran.  As usual, however, everything was left to the last moment and I am not sure I can go.  It’s a pity, because I would have liked to see Iran.

We’ve had, belatedly, the regular six monthly visit by the “pest control” agency who for some reason weren’t able to come last month – I wonder why that was.  Anyway, they inspected the grounds and laid traps and poison to deal with any rats that might wander into the yard … although it is some years since I actually saw any here in the city center, there is a saying that “you are never more than twenty feet away from a rat”.   (Like most statistics, of course, it’s not true.  Statistics always raise more questions than they answer.  The population figures for rats, when divided by the land surface area of a country may well suggest a population density that mans one rat every ten yards or so, but despite the fact that rats may be quite numerous, they are not evenly distributed …).  As I say, it’s a long time since I have seen one in Bishkek … maybe our three cats help to keep them away.

Thursday afternoon saw the Krasnaya Gvozdika (Red Carnation) Gala Concert.  It is the culminating event of a competition for war veterans and labour veterans.  Some 247 people from 15 collectives, choirs, folklore ensembles etc. participated over two days during the latter half of April, and the Gala Concert, where prizes are awarded, is usually held near to Victory Day, (Dehn Pobeda – May 9th).  The choir that organizes the event used to be based in the music school next door and we have been involved with them for about seven years of the eleven that the festival has been in existence.  I normally enjoy going to the concert because it is usually  a fairly joyous occasion, despite the fact that it commemorates a war – albeit the ending of a war.  As always, the concert began with a performance of the traditional song Krasnaya Gvozdika, and ended with the traditional song, Dehn Pobeda.  The highlight this year, apart from the fact that it was held at all given the circumstances, was that the Mayor came along and presented the prizes and certificates.  The prizes are really quite modest – from 300 som (about USD6-7) up to 5000 som (about USD120).  It’s clear that the participants aren’t drawn by the value of the prizes … they are there because they enjoy it, it is clearly evident that they derive great enjoyment about participating and performing.  They dress up in national costumes and some even don their old uniforms, whilst others just wear the “Sunday best” which usually makes for a very colourful event.  This year, however, the concert was shorter and more subdued than usual, possibly as a result of the recent events.  Another reason could well be that many of the participants are really getting on a bit and were clearly having difficulty moving … it was markedly noticeable when I compare it to last year’s concert.  The oldest person this year was ninety four and had difficulty walking, even with his walking stick he needed a person either side to guide and help him … and, (I am ashamed to admit), the cynic in me rather unkindly wondered if the weight of all those medals on his chest couldn’t have been part of the problem.

If 1995 and 2000 were the years I spent packing all my earthly possessions into boxes, (in order to come to Kyrgyzstan, and then later having decided to stay here), then 2010 looks like being the year of “remont”.  (Remont is the Russian word for “repairs” or reconstruction, and it’s also used for redecoration.)  The remont I am thinking of is nothing to do, thank goodness, with the revolution.  As I have said on other occasions, we escaped any marauding and looting.  In the hotels we have a rolling programme of “repairs”.  There is a standard in the industry is that every room should receive a “makeover” once a year … although we don’t always succeed to meet this, it is an on-going process.  In addition, this year also started with the decoration of my apartment.  It’s been ten years since I moved in and it was beginning to look quite shabby, so it was about time that I did something.  It’s taken something like six months … because Tony’s apartment, next door, needed attention and his timescale was limited, so the workmen went from my apartment to his.  They are back with me now and the end is finally in sight, although the pipework in the building is quite old and seems to have sprung a few minor leaks … I just hope we don’t have to rip everything out once more in order to repair the pipes.  Then there was the roof that fell in on a family of friends, which  we thought would take about a week to repair.  As always, however, things rarely ever seem to go according to plan, and it’s going to be about a month in all.  Then, after years of discussing the possibility, we erected a fence around the front of the building … it was “finished” in March, although they seem to have forgotten to fit the locks … or at least the locks that they did fit don’t work!  Despite the fact that we couldn’t actually lock the gates, however, the fence was probably a contributing factor to the fact that we escaped serious problems during the revolution.  One of the problems with decorating is that once you start, you find that you have to continue … so now, I hope finally for this year, we are turning our attention to the hall and stairwell.  The outside of the building also needs attention, but that is going to have to wait.

If the situation here in Kyrgyzstan hasn’t been enough to keep me busy, then I have had enough other things to keep me awake at night watching the news, (sipping a Gin and Tonic), such as: the volatile situations in Thailand, Greece and the election in the UK.

I don’t normally comment on politics, (I say “I don’t do politics”).   Even though I have a Residence Permit, I have no vote in Kyrgyzstan … that’s not a problem … I understand.  Being an ex-pat, I don’t have a vote in Britain, either.  (I once registered for a postal vote, but the ballot paper arrived on the day of the election itself, and had to be returned to be in the hands of the returning officer by the close of voting at eleven o’clock.  There was no way I could do it … it seemed like a waste of time, and taxpayer’s money, so I gave up on that and never registered again.  I suppose that I could register to vote by proxy, but I have never really looked into it.

People here are often surprised when I point out that under the British democratic system, a Prime Minister, such as Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair, (most of them don’t seem to even know the name Gordon Brown), may head a party which gained only something like 35% of the votes cast in the election … which means that the vast majority of the population voted for someone else.   … and yet they can push through very partisan programmes.  Despite having, what is effectively, a “minority government”, (virtually every British government has been a minority government in this respect), we still accept the result and manage to govern ourselves without either military coups or “people’s revolutions”.  It wouldn’t happen here, it couldn’t happen here, people tell me.  I fear that they are right.

However, let’s hope that the examples of the “peaceful transfer of power” that we’ve seen in Nigeria and will, hopefully, see in the UK will provide food for thought, if not a model to be emulated, for us here in Central Asia, … in the same way that Britain is looking to learn the lessons about “coalition government” from abroad … .

We also received a lot of emails during the week.  Unfortunately, as I said, some have contained cancellations, but on the other hand there have also been some fresh enquiries and some new bookings, so it’s not all bad news.  I have also received some links to news stories about Kyrgyzstan from around the world.  I need to thank everyone for those … it’s true that I may have already seen some of them, but not all of them by a long shot … and it’s always useful to see what people are writing.

Actually, we were thinking of starting a new website … a sort of portal with links to articles about Kyrgyzstan.  We actually started thinking about it some time ago …  but like most projects it has been put on hold for the time being.  The idea is that there are still large numbers of people who have no idea about Kyrgyzstan, where it is and what is going on here … a portal with links might just help to spread the “gospel” (good news) about Kyrgyzstan a bit more … Of course, we are hoping it will help bring us clients … but, as I said, the plan has been postponed until some time in the future.

Well, this week’s events may not make for an exciting plot for an Oscar nominated film … but it’s been a busy week, all the same.

Tags: Expat, Global_Warming, Interesting_Times, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan, Weekly_Postcards