Postcard from Bishkek

Back when I was a lad, the students’ union at the local college used to organize a rag week to raise money for various charities.  They held a number of events within the college, but the two main fundraisers each year was the annual carnival which left the college grounds, (just down the road from where we lived), and along the main street through the town for something like eight miles … and a “rag mag” – a collection of jokes and anecdotes, cartoons and funny pictures … the sort of thing that people now post on their facebook pages.

One year the ragmag contained a throwaway line … that in the last 2000 years only 273 have been completely free of war.  I am not sure that I got the joke – the punchline obviously passed me by – but, then again, it probably wasn’t a joke.  I can imagine a serious minded, politically and ethically aware student slipping it in to make a point … and it worked.  It got me thinking.  How did they know? …  Which were those 273 years?

I remember getting some paper and drawing up a grid and trying to make a list of what conflicts had occurred … and when.  Then it occurred to me that it probably meant just in Britain – not globally – and I had to scrap the whole thing and start again.   To be honest, I never finished the table … maybe if I have some spare time, (now there’s a joke suitable for a ragmag), I’ll have another go.

In the meantime, today is the International Day of Peace, sometimes unofficially known as World Peace Day, which has been commemorated by the United Nations ever since 2002 but has, in fact, been marked since 1982.

It is dedicated to world peace, and specifically the absence of war and violence, including temporary ceasefires established in a combat zone in order to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate. In fact, anyone, anywhere can take part in the celebratations, for example: by lighting a candle at noon, sitting in silent meditation; or doing a good deed for someone you do not know; or perhaps a group of co-workers, members of an organization, community or government coming together to take part in a large event. It is hoped that the impact of millions of people in all parts of the world coming together for one day of peace will be immense, and will make a difference.

For the record: It used to be marked on the third Tuesday in September, but The UN decided to rationalize the date and selected 21st September.

So, Happy World Peace Day!

 

It’s actually been quite a peaceful week – but that doesn’t mean to say that it has been uneventful.  Perhaps it’s just a case that after last week’s upheavals as a result of the Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization … everything else seems mundane.   In a way, it’s like the weather … the kids are complaining about how cold it is … and compared to the temperatures that we have been experiencing that reached into the forties, today’s temperature of 21 degrees (Celsius), does seem somewhat cooler – although it is still very pleasant.

Monday was the “professional holiday” of the State Security Service, (the GKNB), and as well as being able to celebrate a job well done, during the week they have also been able to release news about having foiled a couple of plots.  The first apparently involved a number of “terrorists” sent from Syria, although they included two Kyrgyz citizens and a Kazakh, (all allegedly members of the Islamic Jihad Union which has earlier been active in Uzbekistan and Germany), in order to disrupt the summit according to the GKNB.  It is reported that they had been in Syria where they received training, but when the returned to Kyrgyzstan, they were apprehended in the Southern city of Osh before they could actually do any damage.

In another story, it was said that the investigation into claims that the opposition groups intended to stage a coup had revealed a connection with the outlawed group, Hizb-ut-Tahir.  Meanwhile the main informant in the case seems to have said that he was “forced” to tell about their plans to create disruption, (including poisoning water supplies) …. being promised in return for his testimony an apartment and a job … and threats of violence to his family if he didn’t testify.   So that situation is as “clear as mud”, but I suppose that is “par for the course” in this sort of case.

In fact, terrorism, (or the threat of terrorism), may not be the greates threat that Kyrgyzstan faces … according to one “expert”; according to her, the availability of water poses a much greater  threat – indeed, according to her, Climate Change and its effect on the water levels in the country’s rivers pose the main external threat to the country … especially in terms of energy production.  The cycle of low water levels means less electricity produced whilst harsh winters have led to higher demand peaks which has put a considerable strain on the dilapidated power transmission systems … and the situation is not helped by theft of power from the system.  All that has, in turn, led to social pressures.  To renovate the facilities would cost considerably more than Kyrgyzstan has available.

As it happens, finance has been found for twelve of the sixteen energy projects in the country’s development plan and they are currently under construction … and for another which has already been completed.  The Bishkek Heat and power plants, which supply the capital with central heating and hot water celebrated their 52nd birthday this week and agreement has been reached with the Chinese for the renovation of the plans.  So that sounds pretty promising … mind you, the management of the plants has pointd out that, whereas electricity tariffs have been frozen for several years, the cost of coal, (which is an important fuel for the generation of heat and power), has increased by sixfold and the price of gas, fourfold – that’s right, by 600% and 400% … although the press reports I saw didn’t say over what period this increase took place.

Whist we are on the subject of the economy, the National Bank has decided to crack down on the financial sector – and in particular on the Microfinance Institutions, (MFI – for those in Britain … that’s nothing to do with furniture kits),  They have suspended the operations of 27 of them, for non-compliance with the law, or failing to correct irregularities that had come to light.  Microfinance has been a controversial subject for some time … especially because of the high rates of interest that they charge which have likened to usury – and some of the people who have found themselves unable to cope with the repayments have threatened to immolate themselves.  A local businessman who ventured to say that borrowers should not look to others, for example – the state, to bail them out of their responsibilities got into trouble … and to be fair, when I look at some of the banking failures in the West, and how they have been handled, I can see why people do get hot under the collar … although they don’t always understand that MFIs have different problems than “High Street Banks” and the two shouldn’t be compared.  What I find particularly sad is that the MFIs are often the only form of credit available to many of the ordinary people as they don’t require large sums and don’t have much to offer as collateral … and their contribution has been recognized by both former President Roza Otunbaeva and the present incumbent, Almazbek Atambaev.  As Hugh Coulter was fond of saying “a little goes a long way”.

After the successful SCO Summit, President Atambaev has been off on an official visit to Belgium where he met with leaders of the European Union and NATO.  Although lots of nice things were said on both sides – it is pretty clear that Europe is still far away and Russia and China will continue to play the dominant role in the future of the country.

We are used to the fact that, even if Kyrgyzstan has been independent for over twenty years, Moscow still has a substantial influence over events here.  It is sometimes said that where Moscow leads, Bishkek will soon follow … However, President Atambaev has said that there’s at least one measure we won’t be adopting … the new law governing the role of foreign funded non-governmental organizations, (requiring them to register as “foreign agents”).

What’s more, at least one foreign commentator thinks that Bishkek may be stalling on the question of accession to the Customs Union, (which currently consists of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus).  The situation is complicated by the existence of other economic and political blocks, (The World Trade Organization, the Eurasian Economic Community, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization … and even the possibility of a new Turkic block), and a wide variety of opinions and attitudes among the population – some of in favour of joining, but others vehemently opposed.

Finally, on the subject of the economy, the Kumtor decision has finally been announced and are now subject to Public Hearings. There was one on Thursday … and somehow I ended in it.

I got a call saying at 11:40am on Thursday morning telling me that, at three o’clock that afternoon, there was to be a meeting with the participation of the Prime Minister about the Tour Season … and all Tour Operators should go … the word obyazatelno was mentioned, (that is, it was a must, necessary, obligatory, required, compulsory).

Now, that struck me as a little odd – for several reasons:

Firstly, because of the short notice … no, I take that back … after eighteen years I am more than used to the fact that things often happen on a basis of “drop everything and do something  … NOW!”  I usually complain bitterly about it, asking “Have we been invaded?, was there and Earthquake, because I didn’t feel anything”, where’s the fire?”.  In fact, the girl who called me was ready for such an outburst because she started with, “I am sorry about this, but I’ve only just been told myself.”

Secondly, because the newly appointed Deputy Minister who heads the Department, has asked everyone NOT to talk about the Tour Season … it implies that the rest of the year is “out of season”, that there is nothing going on and it’s not worth thinking of coming to Kyrgyzstan.  Whereas the beaches are naturally busy in July and August – in “the season” – and quiet for the rest of the year, there is still quite a lot going on – especially hunting (which the Ministry of Finance revealed contributed something like 60 million soms to the budget in taxes and fees last year), winter sports, cultural festivals and all sorts of other things that might attract tourists.

Then, I was surprised by the apparent obligation to attend … it’s a long, long time since I have been told that … I normally ask on what basis I am obyazen – I have to go.  Obyazen is used to mean all sorts of things and, on a scale of 0 to 10 where 0 is nilzya and 10 is a “real” obyazen, (a legal requirement or a matter of life and death), it can mean anything above a 5 – that is a mozhno tak, (50-50: you can if you want).

I was also a bit surprised about the choice of venue, the Philharmonia – a Concert Hall – which would be far too big for a meeting of tour operators … although there are a lot of tour companies, we would be dwarfed by the venue … maybe, however, I thought to myself,  they were inviting everybody who might have an interest in tourism … even so, it seemed like overkill.

Despite all that, and the fact that it meant having to rearrange my schedule, I decided that I would go along anyway, and “show willing” … who knows, it might be interesting and as there is talk about some amendments to the law On Tourism, we might learn something new.

As I approached the building I noticed the increased police presence and thought to myself, that’s obviously because the PM is going to be there.  That was underlined by the high level of security on the door … but they were very pleasant and even spoke to me in English – so I obviously don’t speak Russian like a native – and told me “where to go” … so to speak, that is … to the third floor.  I climbed the stairs and got another surprise when I was directed to the balcony of the Big Hall rather than the Small Hall, which might have made more sense for a meeting about Tourism.  The meeting was already underway and the place was packed … there were some empty seats, but right in the center and it would have been difficult to squeeze past people, so I settled down to sit on the steps in the side aisle and concentrated on what was going on on the stage.  Yes, there was the Prime Minister … he even interrupted the speaker at one point, getting a single word answer to his question, which I think was an Ova – Yes.  The trouble was that the proceedings were in Kyrgyz and I didn’t really understand much.

Of course, I did understand a little – words like million, dollar and American … and words like strategy … all of which are more or less the same in Kyrgyz, Russian and English … but another word kept cropping up: Altyn, (zolota or Gold), and I began to realize that this meeting  wasn’t about tourism at all – but about Kumtor … and, sure enough, the word Kumtor started cropping up in the presentation.

So, I gathered my things together and went outside and asked an usher what the meeting was about.  “I don’t know,” she said … Hmmm, no surprise there!  “But it seems to be about Kumtor,” I replied … and somebody else who seemed to be more “in the know” butted in and said, “Yes, it’s the public hearing on the negotiated settlement”.  “Oh,” I said, “so why was I told to come here …?”.  “Who are you?, what organization are you from?” he asked … so I told him “I am from a tour company”.  He seemed to be as mystified as I was, “A tour company?  Who told you to come?”, he asked.  “The Ministry for Culture, Tourism and Information?”, I replied … In answer to that he simply smiled … and turned away … and so I decided to do the same.

“So, some things haven’t changed since the days of the Soviet Union,” I was thinking to myself as I approached the door – and got another example of that fact in action.  “No!,” said the security guard sitting there in his best suit, as I attempted to ho through the door.  “But I want to leave,” I said  “Nilzya, zapreshon“, (Never, it is is forbidden).  “How do I get out?”, I asked and he started to give me directions to the toilet.  “But, this has nothing to do me,” I said … surprising, (for me), keeping my cool.  I think he got the idea because in the end he pointed me to the restaurant … and, so I discovered, there was an “unguarded” door – at least, there were lots of police around but no-one in a suit sitting on sentry duty and saying “No!”.

I admit I was not impressed – and it means that next time I get a message from the Department telling me about a meeting, I might be a little less than eager to take it at face value – even if the tell me that I am obyazen to attend.

The high point of that meeting, as I understand the press reports, came when Satybaldiev, the Prime Minister, said that he too wanted Kyrgyzstan to have 105% of the shares in the newly restructured company operating the Kumtor mine -0 but that was impossible and so, wasn’t going to happen.  When I read, that I felt like quoting Shylock, “A Daniel come to judgment! yea, a Daniel!” … but then I remembered that that didn’t exactly end well for Shylock … and, sure enough, there was a warning that the new company could still be disenfranchised after a year if it didn’t satisfy the obyazatelstvo that were laid on it.

There are other matters that are still up for discussion and as the political parties are discussing the proposals … but as one has already chosen to vote against the agreement, so maybe Satybaldaev was right when he said that Kumtor was going to have an impact, (social, economic, political) for about twenty years.

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On other matters, here are a few tidbits of “Also in the News” items:

The Ministry of Justice has expressed concern about the growing evidence of Ala Kachuu,  “bride kidnapping” in the country, despite the law against the practice being strengthened.  The law is not working because of the lack of an effective law enforcement and court system, not to mention “outdated” stereotypes and cultural attitudes.

The question of Ala Kachuu is one of the aspects of Kyrgyzstan that tends to contribute to a negative image of the country abroad … This week, representatives of the BBC apparently visited the country and offered to help create a campaign to create a better, ,more positive, image.  That should have gone down well with the Deputy Minister who heads the Tourism Department as Branding and Marketing are his specialties.  There was, however, one problem: the Bottom Line. The cost of the BBC’s expertise and services is way beyond the budget of his department – and, I suspect, would stretch most departmental budgets here.  So, I suppose, we are going to have to continue to rely on low profile, good will and word of mouth, such as the youtube post that appeared this week:

Kyrgyzstan is a mind blowing country. The terrain is to die for; it’s bicycle touring mecca! The people are ever so kind, the camping and hiking is brilliant, the water blue, the hills grassy… heaven on earth? In our video we cover the experience we had in Kyrgyzstan, in themes: Mountains, Camping, Horses, Bike Riding with Friends, Kindness from Strangers, Home Cooked Cuisine and more.

Mind you … that’s a bit “hit and miss” as a marketing strategy, as another post, (which wasn’t so helpful), demonstrated.  Even though it started with:

Welcome to Kyrgyzstan!”, said the friendliest immigration officer I’ve ever come across. I was surprised by the quick, painless, and friendly immigration process; something I would not have expected from a “stan” country.

It went on to tell a horrifying story that, to be fair, could have been about lots of other places … (I remember the stories and words of warning that I was told before travelling to Miami, New York, Belfast, and even Bangkok) … but was about Kyrgyzstan.  It ended with,

I still can’t fully comprehend how the friendliest welcoming to a country became the most frightening in a matter of minutes, but for sure, this is an experience I will never forget.

Talk about sending out mixed signals.

On a more positive note, a group of students from Bristol in the UK have managed to clock up some seven firsts … climbing seven previously unconquered peaks in the country’s mountain ranges.

One of the interesting aspects of Kyrgyzstan, (at least to people who remember the USSR), is its Soviet Heritage.  As a result, it was good to see that the city of Osh has decided NOT to follow the example of Bishkek and replace the 25 meter tall statue of Lenin which has proudly stood in the city’s central square ever since 1975.

Next week Bishkek celebrates its 135th anniversary.  The city has been around a lot longer – or, at least, there has been a settlement here for a lot longer, but this marks when it was granted the status of a town by the Tsarist Russia.  Large celebrations are planned – which I will miss because I will be in Naryn, (which, incidentally, celebrated its 145th anniversary this week!), and a new book on the history of the city, (called My City), is going to be published after two years in preparation  … with a print run of 500,000 copies!  That astounded me, when most books here have a print run that can be counted in the hundreds rather than the thousands – yet alone running into six figures.

 

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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:

Tags: Calendar, In_the_News, Weekly_Postcards