Monkey Business
Getting down to business …
Happy Monkey Day! No, I am not joking … seriously – today is Monkey Day … so, Happy Monkey Day!
Although I may not be joking, apparently Monkey Day did start off as a joke. An student jokingly wrote the phrase on a friends calendar back in 2000, and then with other students celebrated the first Monkey Day – and then the idea just took off.
Fellow students started including references to it in their coursework, references were to be found in comics (sorry – “graphic novels”) and elsewhere in pop culture … and eventually celebratory activities took on an international flavour.
It is usually celebrated by parties and dressing up in monkey costumes – but it has also developed a serious side – drawing attention to issues relating to simians, (all simians, not just monkeys), the theory of evolution, medical research and animal rights. Perhaps the greatest accolade for the joke is that, in 2005, the date chosen for the general release of Peter Jackson’s remake of the cinema classic King Kong, was, yes, you guessed it … Monkey Day. Hallmark Cards, whose business is creating greetings cards for different occasions, says that it’s the one day of the year when Monkey Business is actually encouraged. Describing something as “Monkey business”, however, is not exactly a compliment … it implies that it silly, stupid or waste of time … or, possibly even, something which, whilst it may not actually be illegal, is somewhat questionable … and which possibly should be (in Russian they often say hitrosti).
Perhaps, something foolish like setting a million monkeys down at typewriters to bang away at the keys in order to see what they come with … or something incredibly stupid like a West African soldier handing a loading AK47 to a chimpanzee …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHMnWVKigos
To be honest, I still can’t make up my mind if that was real clip or something staged. People can’t be that stupid in real life … can they?
For the record: Monkey Business is also the name of no less than four films … one in 1926, another starring the Marx Brothers in 1931, the Howard Hawks comedy starring Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe and Ginger Rogers in 1952 and apparently another one in 1998 … oh, yes … and a TV series.
Now, we don’t have any monkeys here in Kyrgyzstan … but I think some people might well say that we make to make up for that in the amount of “monkey business” that appears to go on.
After last week’s extraordinary turn of events which saw both of Kyrgyzstan’s biggest cities lose their mayors … this week has seen some interesting follow up – at least down in Osh.
Supporters of Melis Myrzakmatov, (the dismissed former Mayor), gathered for another protest rally and demand his reinstatement … not that there was much chance of that happening. In fact Myrzakmatov, whilst saying that the decision to dismiss him was a mistake, has taken the approach that he will stand for reelection – which will now be organized as the President has signed the new laws on the status of Bishkek and Osh … and the city is his base of support, there is a fair chance he will be successful in his bid.
Despite the protest, the authorities are now claiming that everything in the city is now calm …
To make matters more interesting, however, Myrzaknatov’s political party has merged with another which draws its support from the neighbouring city of Djalal Abad. Not only does it create a new political force in the south of the country – to rival that of Ata Jurt party. Ata Jurt emerged as the largest party in the parliament after the last revolution, but even though it had the largest number of seats, it never succeeded in getting a place in the government partly, I think, because many of its members are still seen as former supporters of former President Bakiev.
As it happens, whilst the new alignment is actually being referred to in some quarters as being a moderate balance to Ata Jurt which is said to be becoming more and more “radical”. New political alliance as southern parties merge … a “moderate balance” to the “more radical” Ata Jurt.
Another protest has been held in the village of Saruu, on the southern shores of Lake Issyk Kul – once more about the operation of the Kumtor mine. The protesters, apparently anxious about alleged plans of the authorities, (which they, incidentally deny exist), to move in and detain their leaders decided to organize a local curfew … with bands of local volunteers patrolling the village’s four streets to enforce the curfew and maintain a watch on outsiders who might wander into the area.
The trial of the people accused of trying to extort three million dollars from the gold mine is still under way – and the company official whose meeting with them the demand was made (the videotape of which led to their arrest and prosecution) has been giving evidence about they showed him a video clip which purportedly showed leaks from part of the mine workings and asked him if he wanted these made public. As he felt it might have been sufficient to incite more protests even if it wasn’t necessarily an accurate portrayal of the situation at the mine, he had said not really … and, as I understand it, the implication is that this led to the financial “request”.
The Kumtor share price is still wallowing around in the doldrums with no-one really sure what is going to happen next … even though the deadline is impending. Not everyone is selling, however, and if someone is snapping them up whilst they are “cheap” – it will be interesting to see what reactions may result from any changes in the existing agreement are announced.
In the meantime, the prospect of the falling price of gold has caused the government to recommend changes to the tax code – lowering the limit at which special “bonus payments” for the operation of mines become payable.
Whereas Gold is still seen as important for the Kyrgyz economy and the development of the country – it’s not the only mineral resource that has been in the news.
The Accounts Chamber, (the local Audit Commission or Public Accounts watchdog), has issued a report into the Oil and Gas industry in the country. They have concluded that most of the known deposits which have been exploited so far are actually nearly exhausted and, although there are other deposits, (or should that be “potential deposits” because no-one really knows until a strike is actually made), they are virtually undevelopable (is that a proper word?) as they are remote, small and will prove to be too expensive to exploit economically.
In the meantime, the parliament has approved the sale of KyrgyzGaz – the company that supplies gas (mostly imported from our neighbours Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) to domestic and industrial users throughout the country, to the Russian company Gazprom at a knock down price … even though there was some considerable opposition to the deal – perhaps most notably from the former Parliamentary speaker, Keldibekov, who is now awaiting trial on charges of corruption and the “abuse of power”.
Apparently, it’s been reported that the production of Uranium is up … not that it is Kyrgyz Uranium, but raw materials imported from Kazakhstan and processed at the once “top secret” refinery in Kara Balta.
Apparently the Bishkek combined Heat and Power plant is in urgent need of renovation … but we knew that already and everyone is keeping their fingers crossed that it will survive the Winter. There are apparently several countries lining up to help with the project and also possibly to help build another new plant to help meet the constantly rising demand or the rapidly growing city.
On the ten minute walk from my office to the hotel, I counted ten major construction projects – some well advanced but others just getting underway – and beyond those there are more being squeezed into the spaces that were originally left as open land. Each of these will demand more power and place a yet greater burden on the existing infrastructure … and as most of then are high rise developments in a city that was originally conceived as “low rise” that will only only serve to exaggerate the demand.
Land is another issue which has hit the headlines. It has been proposed to change the law to allow foreigners to own land … in certain circumstances. A change in the law, for example, will allow Banks to grant loans backed by pledges of real estate, (including the land on which buildings stand – basically mortgages), even if the banks themselves are foreign owned … something which was formerly not allowed.
The government have also abolished a commission which had to approve the sale of residences to foreigners … as, apparently, it only “met” twice a year it was felt to be a “brake” on foreign investment. Neither move has been universally welcomed, however, with yet more protests being held with people expressing concerns about “selling the country” and the threat to sovereignty.
Another long running story that has been in the news is the on-going debate about whether Kyrgyzstan should join the Customs Union of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. Opinion seems to be divided … with some entrepreneurs thinking it offers the best hope for development and others thinking it poses a threat to that same development. In the past, although the President has said several times that he is committed to the step and the government has approved the application, but they have both said that it will only happen IF it proves to be in the country’s interest … hence the debate. The details, however, are still to be finalised … in theory, as I understand it, by January 1st – that doesn’t leave much time to hammer out a deal.
Kyrgyzstan has presented the commission drawing up the “road map” for accession, a list of concessions that want – basically protections for existing industries so that they can benefit from the larger market that the Union will offer them – but apparently a group of parliamentarians on a trip to Russia were told by one official earlier in the year, that Kyrgyzstan was being “greedy” … and would have to give way. Well, the Commission has presented a “road map” to the government but it hasn’t been met with universal approval. The Deputy Prime Minister went so far as to describe it as “unacceptable” saying it was one sided, having been drawn up by the members of the commission without regard to Kyrgyzstan’s position. More to the point, he said, it is likely to cause social and political dissent within the country if it goes ahead unamended, (is that a proper word?).
Kyrgyzstan is, of course, already a member of the World Trade Organization … nut things don’t appear to be going too well there, either – with some complaints that it is moving too slowly – especially in the field of financial services – to meet the requirements of that body. Whereas the whole issue was once presented as a case of “falling between two stools”, now it almost seems to be a case of “Heads I win, Tails you lose”.
In recent weeks there has been a number of articles on the plight of “sex workers”. The issue is usually addressed in the media in the context of “human trafficking” and people being enticed abroad and working as prostitutes there. Recently, however, there has been some attention to the plight of sex workers in the country – including a fairly long analytical article. Now, following the trends in Europe and elsewhere, it has been proposed to increase the penalties for prostitution. Unlike, however, the proposed measures in Europe – at least as far as I can see – these proposals are aimed at those working in the sex industry rather than – as has been proposed in France – including measures directed at the “clients” who “pay for sex”. For example, the reports seemed to concentrate on health and safety issues, (the transmission of sexual and other infectious diseases – including HIV), but the draft law also introduces the concept of deception, the use of promises of high earnings, as an inducement to work in the industry.
Another issue which has brought about a proposed toughening of penalties is the improper use, or use of forged, VAT invoices. Apparently it seems that this is a favourite way of “cooking the books” and is costing the budget a considerable amount every year. Personally, I am not sure how it works … the system is quite stringent with special rules and regulations and even special forms, (it’s not simply a case of showing a VAT registration number), that all have to be properly accounted for …even a spoiled form – something as simple as mistyping a small detail – can lead to the form being invalid needs a formal letter of explanation written to the tax authority so that it can be annulled … and heaven help anyone who inadvertently loses a blank one.
One of the week’s surprising headlines came from Moscow, describing Kyrgyzstan as an “unlikely window” into Slavic culture. There are about half a million ethnic Russians (and other Slavic nationalities) living in Kyrgyzstan, comprising about 10% of the overall population, and the report highlighted a number of cultural groups which are fairly active in preserving traditional forms of folk music and culture.
We have experienced a number of small earthquakes recently – 2 in one day, one measuring 2 and the other 4 on the scale used to measure the force of earthquakes these days. Fortunately, damage was limited and there are no reported casualties. I always get anxious about this sort of thing around Christmas and New Year, recalling the earthquake in Hunza, Pakistan a few years ago where people were left living in tents for several months … at the depth of winter.
Winter is upon us … here it is reckoned to begin on December 1st … and as well as temperatures dropping we already seen several snowfalls here in Bishkek. In the mountains, of course, the snowfall has been greater, which I suppose bodes well for the upcoming ski season, but it has also brought an increased threat of avalanches. Last night I was woken at 1 o’clock by a “beep beep” on mobile phone … wondering what sort of crisis had emerged. It turned out to be another warning from the Ministry of Emergency situations warning people of the potential dangers – especially in the high mountain regions, and urging them to be careful and exercise caution.
Dogs have made another appearance in the news. Usually we hit the headlines when one of the dog or cat shows held in Bishkek provide photographs which find their way into “Photo of the Day” features in newspapers of the world … or when the shooting of stray animals on city streets to help control their numbers hits attracts the attention of foreign editors. This week it was reported that special registration cards for pet dogs are to be introduced … recording their health details. It seems that not only people and sheep are going to need passports …
New Year is nearly upon us … the street decorations are already going up in preparation for the festivities and scores of people of Ded Moroz (Grandfather Frost – the local equivalent of Santa Clause) and Snegorochka (his grandaughter and helper – no elves here) have appeared. The tree is about to go up in the main square and everyone is hoping that it won’t fall over like it did last year. It’s been announced that the first week of January will be a holiday with people working the remaining Saturdays in January to make up for the “lost” working days and seven and a half million som has allocated for the festivities here in Bishkek alone. In recent times, Melis Myrzakmatov has organized even bigger celebrations down in Osh, so I wonder if they will be more subdued now that he is no longer at the helm.
I am not sure if anyone’s celebrations will include American Rap stars – but we’ve had a visit from a second famous gangsta-rapper this week: Coolio. I’m afraid that I have never heard of the 50-year old star before, but apparently he went down big performing for over an hour and a half – even when the equipment failed on him – alongside local artists in a night club.
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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:
- A Twitching Tour - An Ornithological opportunity in Kyrgyzstan – 08/12/13
- St Yuri’s Day - Russian tradition has it that this is the day you are supposed to have cleared all your debts – 09/12/13
- A letter of complaint - An annoying phone call led to this letter of complaint … people who know me are aware that I do not respond well to “telesales” and attempts at “high pressure” sales pitches … – 10/12/13
- The Pamir Mountains - On the International day of the mountains – alook at one of Kyrgyzstan’s main ranges – 11/12/13
- Statues of Lenin - As pieces of Kiev’s statue of Lenin go on sale on the internet – what of Kyrgyzstan’s 4000 odd memorials to the revolutionary leader? – 12/12/13
- UNOOSA - There’s a growing conviction in the scientific community that “we are not alone“ … and even the UN seem to agree – 13/12/13
It is possible to follow me on Facebook, (where we also have specific pages for Celestial Mountains, the Silk Road Lodge, The Celestial Mountains Guesthouse in Naryn and also links.kg, Kyrgyz Diary and Kyrgyzstan Visitki … and not forgetting ianbek), and also on twitter, (@Bishkekpostcard and @celestialMTC ).
Bishkek