Postcard from Bishkek

I see that a survey of books borrowed from British Libraries reveals that there are definite fashion trends among the books that get taken out.  If Enid Blyton was the favourite author of children’s books when I was growing up, (with over over 800 titles about the likes of Noddy, the Famous Five and the Secret Seven), she has been replaced by the likes of Roald Dahl, (of James and the Giant Peach fame), Judy Blume (who wrote primarily for girls), Hergé (who created Tintin), René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo (who created Asterix) … and, of course, J.K.K. Rowling (as in Harry Potter).

The data seems to suggest that they all seem to be falling out of favour as new authors, books and heroes come into fashion.

Mind you, I think there is a flaw in the survey design … when the Potter books came out, people queued and bought their own copies … it’s said, for example, that referrals of children to accident and emergency departments in hospitals fell dramatically immediately after a new volume of the series was published … so there was no need to borrow them from the libraries.

On the other hand, there are some children’s books that seem to maintain their appeal over the years … even if they end up being redefined in some way.

Take the works of A.A.Milne for example … the stories of the Bear of very little brain: Winnie the Pooh.  Believe it or not, today is his day: Winnie the Pooh Day.

Nobody seems to know who thought of dedicating a day to Winnie the Pooh – or why – but it’s quite clear why it is today … it happens to be the birthday of his creator, A. A. Milne’s.

Alan Alexander Milne was born on 18th January, 1882, in Hampstead, North London.  His father ran a public school where he studied and which doubled as his home.  One of his teachers was H.G. Wells – I wonder if the Science Fiction author might have inspired him to read Mathematics at Cambridge.  His real passion, however, was for writing … and worked for a time on the humourous magazine Punch.

He was also a poet and playwright, but he is best remembered for Winnie the Pooh.  The adventures of the Bear with very little brain began as stories to entertain Milne’s son, and it was only later that they were prepared for publication.  Most of the characters were based on his son’s toys: Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Ee-yor and, of course, Winnie himself.  (Piglet – Winnie’s great friend, was different … in that he wasn’t based on an actual toy).

The three Pooh books have been translated into many different languages – and were given a fillip when Disney created a full length animated film on them.  They are firm favourites all over the world – and here in Bishkek we even have a shop called Winnie Pooh’s.

 

Although they don’t really count as fairytales, the Winnie the Pooh stories almost have fairytale qualities.  We started the week with some surprising news which also seemed to have fairytale qualities … it was revealed that a woman in the Issyk Kul oblast was born in  1888 – which would make her 126 years old and the oldest person in the world.  There are other claimants to the title: The Guinness World Records, for example, says the oldest living person is Misao Okawa, (a 115-year-old Japanese woman) and the person who lived longest, (barring Biblical and mythical stories), was Jeanne Calment of France, (who died in 1997 at the ripe old age of 122 years and 164 days). Last year saw news stories about a Bolivian man who may be 123 years old, and even an Ethiopian farmer who, it is claimed, is 160 years old.  The Guinness Book of Records, of course, requires evidence to validate a record claim, and the two that they names that they have verified have such documentary proof … but the others don’t … and that, unfortunately, includes our latest candidate. She doesn’t have a birth certificate and the claim seems to be based on an old Soviet Passport which records the Date of Birth as simply: 1888.

 

The BIG stories of the week have been:

On Saturday, an incident occurred on the Kyrgyz Tajik border which involved a firefight between soldiers from the two countries … several of them from both sides being injured and hospitalized.  It all looks very strange … indeed, just a few days before, representatives of the two countries had agreed on conducting joint patrols along the border – so it all came as a huge surprise.

It is quite difficult working out exactly what happened, yet alone apportion blame or responsibility for what happened.  It seems that the Kyrgyz side were constructing a road that was supposed to by-pass one of the enclaves that belongs to Tajikistan.  The borders between the two countries are not well delimited … and the Tajiks claimed that the road was passing through Tajik territory and they came to demand that work ceased … immediately.  If we believe the reports in the Kyrgyz press, they came expecting potential trouble – in full battledress and with a wide variety of weaponry including automatic rifles, grenade launchers, mortars and mines.

As appears to be usual in stories of border disputes here – there are claims of somebody being “drunk” and others being rude and offensive, swearing … and each side blames the other for resorting to firing the first shots.  Did the commander of the Tajiks really put his pistol to the head of the Kyrgyz commanding officer before shooting him in the abdomen?  In the ensuing firefight, the Tajiks apparently brought their mortars to bear … contrary, so we are assured, to UN border regulations and a number of international treaties.  The Kyrgyz press has been full of photos of  some of the 200 cartridges found, the mortar shells, (one of which failed to explode), the six shell craters, bullet holes and other damage caused.

That’s not to say that chemical substances and temper  didn’t play a role … Here in Bishkek, for example, we were treated to a sensational news story that we would normally expect to encounter only in the cinema – or outlandish stories from far, far away.  A dismembered body – or at least, parts of one – was discovered wrapped in a blanket in a rubbish bin.  The police managed to identify a suspect fairly quickly, (along with some of the missing body parts), and he confessed to having been acting under the influence of drugs and in a fit of rage.

The press then erupted with suggestions of cannibalism …

Actually, the police have been having a good time recently … they have arrested more “extremists” who were apparently recruiting volunteers to go to Syria.  Four alleged associates of a reputed crime boss have also been detained.

All this seems very peculiar … in complete contrast to diplomatic protocol and rules of engagement.  The whole idea, as I understand it, is to avoid shots being fired.     Can it really all really be blamed on alcohol and tempers flaring?  Both sides claim that there are elements of planning – remember the stories before New Year of a Tajik build up of armour on their side of the border), and the analysts are asking the age old question, “Cui bono?” – who benefits? … with some pointing the finger at drug runners and organized crime and others looking elsewhere.

Whatever, both sides appear to be playing to their respective publics … responding with indignation and taking what they see as appropriate measures, diplomatic or otherwise.  The Kyrgyz, for example, closed the border with Tajikistan and recalled their ambassador from Dushanbe for consultations; initiating investigations; removing troops to a safe distance and establishing a space between their newly reinforced positions – although it’s being denied that it’s a “build up” – and evacuating civilians; about 3000 civilians are reported to be guarding the borders (which seems a little worrying), the politicians have been visiting the wounded who have all been given special grants – and the civilian population have been given a medal.

The Tajiks have responded by saying that the construction of the road went against previous agreements; took place on Tajik territory; that their soldiers were responding to the fact that the Kyrgyz opened fire first, wounding one of their soldiers, and they deliberately aimed their fire at installations rather than aiming at people; and that the Kyrgyz not only jumped the gun, they started building a public relations exercise before the investigations were complete.

One of the more interesting asides came when some members of Parliament started asking awkward questions … like, “where were the CSTO – Collective Security Treaty Organization – in all this?  Why is it that they sit back and do nothing.

Another was that one of the deputies has chosen now to to raise the question of military service, suggesting that it should be compulsory for all – not just the boys “from the villages” … who cannot find a way to avoid the service.  In theory, of course, it is already compulsory, but many young people get away from the call up by studying abroad or taking “alternative service” and paying a fee.

In the past, on the other hand, an alternative course has been proposed … creating a professional army – made up of volunteers with better pay and conditions.

 

This has raised an interesting question – which you would probably expect me to consider: what does all this mean for tourism?  That’s a good question … but I don’t know the answer.  I suppose I am a man of little brain … but I suspect that a lot depends on what happens in the immediate future.

Not many tourists visit this particular part of the country and in the past many countries have advised people not to travel to this particular part – South and West of Osh.  That’s a pity because it does have some spectacular scenery, a great potential for the development of tourism, and bring real economic benefit to the population who are among some of the poorest in the country.

If the situation is resolved then, although it might produce a dip in the figures, that may be short lived … if, however, the tensions persist then very few people will want to go there and, worse, it could have a knock on effect which could/would impact on the rest of the country … but, it’s not a foregone conclusion.

 

The other BIG story of the week has the Mayoral elections in Bishkek and Osh.  Whereas there was no real contest here in Bishkek, with just a single candidate who only had to ensure that he gained the minimum number of votes to be confirmed, down in Osh there was a two-horse race.

One of the candidates was Melis Myrzakmatov, the previous Mayor who had been summarily dismissed, (apparently for making the wrong sort of speech at a rally in support of other politicians who have run-ins with the law).  He was very popular as Mayor and many, (maybe including he, himself), expected him to “walk” the election.  Indeed, most of the analysts agree that had it it been a popular election he probably would have … however, the electoral college consisted of the city council and there his support seems to have been less solid.  There had already been reports that it was dissolving, but he maintained an air of confidence – and called on his supporters not to give in to any “provocations”.

Well, in the end, his support in the council chamber had withered away and his opponent was duly elected – by a vote of 25 to 19 … with one spoiled paper.  I may be wrong but the impression I got from his initial reaction was a bit subdued … almost as if he was shocked at the setback.  I was a bit surprised … thinking that he must have some inkling.  Surely he had some sort of canvass returns and done the arithmetic.  Then again, maybe the canvass returns had suggested a different results … and people changed their minds … it has been known to happen.

His support outside, however, was just as strong as ever … the estimates of the size of the crowd vary from about 250, (to be fair, that was at the beginning – before the voting took place), to two thousand, four thousand and even ten thousand afterwards.  By all accounts, they were incensed.  They demanded the new “Mayor” to come to them … they rejected the result declaring Myrzakmatov the “People’s Mayor” … they demanded a new election … the demanded the council be dismissed and a popular election be held … they tried to storm the administration building, but it had been surrounded by and was protected by a police cordon, so they threw stones at it … they burned a picture of President Atambaev … they warned, if we don’t resolve the issue today, “tomorrow will be too late”.

Then, Myrzakmatov told them that he didn’t accept the results of the election, there had been “infractions” and undue pressure had been brought to bear on the electors.  However, he didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of other politicians who had been arrested for things like trying to climb a fence … and told them to go home … let the “victors” drink champagne now – in the end “we will win” … “after 15 days we will begin a new struggle,” adding, “it will be the end of the current government.”  F0r someone who says he doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of someone who was convicted for calling for, and attempting to, overthrow the government, that seems like sailing a little close to the wind.

To me, it sounded a bit like MacArthur – or should that be Arnie as the Terminator: “I’ll be back”.  Well, they both came back … will Melis?  Oddly enough, there is speculation that this could be a springboard for him to greater office …

Anyway, in the end, the crowd listened to him … and went away – well, it was reported that about 200 were still in the city center at the end of the day.

One interesting tactic that has been suggested that Myrzaknatov and his supporters might use is to resign from the council en bloc.  When a deputy resigns, the seat is handed over to the next person on the party list … but if they have all resigned there will be no one to take the seat.  If there is no-one from his party then the remaining councilors cannot form a quorum … and the work of the council is deadlocked.  Although the administration could presumably continue to operate, after a fashion, no new decisions could be taken – thus forcing the hand of the authorities in Bishkek to take further action … such as call new elections … or … well, we’ll have to wait and see what develops.  The Central Election Committee have tried to calm the situation down by saying that this wouldn’t happen … other people would be appointed and take up their seats.

In another surprising development, it was reported that several members of the city’s staff have resigned … but the picture is as clear as mud … some reports say that they had gone – others that only some individuals had handed in their notice … and they seem to be adamant that the decision was not in protest about the election result, but a case of taking the opportunity to explore other interests and possibilities.

Meanwhile, another of the leaders of “the opposition”, (he always seems to be in the opposition: against Akaev, against Bakiev and now against Atambaev … and, for that matter, saying that they all basically the same have followed the same path to despotism), declared the day of the election the first day of the “new revolution”.  Not everyone agrees with him, of course, and at least one of the political pundits seems to be of the opinion that it’s all pretty normal, run of the mill, things working themselves out … we’ll have to wait and see  who proves to be right.

We are now awaiting another high profile election … for a new Mufti, the last one resigning after an intimate video made an appearance on social media.  The new election is set for 8th February but, although the history of the muftiat is full with scandal and controversy, it’s not likely to arouse the sort of passion and the sort of displays that we saw down in Osh.

Back in Bishkek, the new mayor has been busy already … making promises … including one to report back after 100 days in office so we can see if he is working well … he plans to build a new team, to remove all illegal construction in the cities “green park zones”, to tackle the infrastructure, transport and garbage problems … but not, I presume, all in 100 days.

 

When the week started, I thought that I might get away without mentioning the Kumtor situation at all … but then … the government asked parliament, (following the President’s intervention last week), to delay consideration of the agreement.  In the midweek we got the surprising news that a higher output from the mine – almost doubling on the previous year despite all the problems and controversy that it has faced and the falling price on the world market, had actually led to a big boost to Kyrgyzstan’s GDP,  which showed a growth of over 10% after having fallen slightly in 2012 – exceeding forecasts.  Even without the mine, the economy showed impressive growth of almost 6%.  Of course, the dispute over the ownership and operation of the mine could yet bring about a sharp reversal of all these gains.

I also thought that I might get away without mentioning the closure of the Manas Transit Center … and I almost got away with it.  Despite at least one skeptical forecast of the likely contribution a civilian hub might bring – losing the airport a billion som in revenue, about a third of its income – given international expressions of interest from China and Russia amongst others, the surprising news came in an analysis, (from Azerbaijan of all places), that it shouldn’t adversely affect the economy … being a man of little brain, I am not sure that I follow the argument but like a lot of others I’ll be interested to see what actually happens.

 

Amongst the other stories of the week:

We got another shock when the internet was abuzz with reports that the General Prosecutor, (the country’s chief law officer and the equivalent of the Attorney General), was involved in an accident.  At first there speculation about a car accident but, in fact, like Michael Schumacher, it was all the result of an incident on the ski-slopes.  She suffered broken ribs and a collar bone and needed surgery.

This all happened on Sunday – the day after the border shootout … and, although it took a few days, on of the deputies decided to criticize her for going off into the mountains when there was an emergency situation on the borders … apparently, he said, she had “no moral right” to go off enjoying herself in such a situation.

The deputies have been making quite a bit of news this week … they approved the amendments strengthening the counter terrorism law; and the proposals to increase the penalties for falsification of VAT invoices; but the rejected the proposal to abolish the statute of limitations on corruption (which raised quite a few eyebrows); they approved a bill which would impose penalties for the publication and dissemination of adverts of a “pornographic nature”; they’ve recommended installing “smart meters” throughout the country to help monitor – and control – electricity consumption – cutting off supply if someone exceeds a set level of consumption and one of the deputies has proposed removing all the petrol stations from Bishkek … as a matter of urgency!

It’s probably to argue a case on the basis of single statistics, but going by the figures for the number of couples getting married and divorced in the first nine months of last year – the appeal of the sacrament of marriage seems to be making a comeback.  Not only were there more people getting married compared to the same period the previous year- there were also fewer divorces.

The award for the statistic of the week probably has to go to the announcement that the population of the country now stands at 5,767,200 …  an increase of well over 100,000 in the last year and it’s getting awfully close to six million, already!

Falling last weeks call to legalize the possession and use of marijuana, (by one of Kyrgyzstan’s most famous doctors – a narcologist who makes his living treating addicts), and the potential benefits, (ranging from a reduction in crime to increased budget revenues), I see that our neighbours in Kazakhstan are also looking at the possibility of reaping the benefits from farming the crop.

Perhaps the strangest story of the week involved the arrest of a man who had approached a man on the street and promised to get him appointed as Deputy Mayor of Bishkek – all it needed was a hundred and fifty thousand dollars (!) … and after the “mark” had handed over some sixty thousand, the stranger disappeared … so the mark actually went to the police and filed a complaint.  One has to compliment the police on finding and detaining the suspect … I am not sure what the mark made of it all … down sixty thousand dollars, nowhere near getting the post of Deputy Mayor and probably never giving up the hope of getting any similar job in the future … apparently the authorities are going to prosecute him … for paying a bribe – even if it was to a conman.

The most interesting aspect of the story, however, wasn’t just that the man thought that the post was “up for sale” … he thought it was worth sixty thousand dollars if not a hundred and fifty thousand … now, I presume he expecting to recoup that expense – but how?  It’s all a bit too much for this man of little brain.

One of the good pieces of news to emerge in the last week was that the moratorium on International Adoptions, imposed last year in the wake of corruption scandals, has been lifted – although the rules have been tightened up to prevent a repetition of any abuses.  That will be good news for those families that have been waiting in limbo as their applications were suspended during whilst the ban was in place – and, of course, for the children.

Now its time for a confession … following last week’s postcard I was contacted – almost “by return” as we used to say in the days of snail mail – by one of my correspondents who asked: “haven’t you found out that these pictures happened to be a hoax? It’s been all over the Internet. Look here, for example, http://www.hoaxorfact.com/Pranks/amazing-pictures-showing-snowfall-on-pyramids-and-sphinx-facts.html.”

To be frank – no, I am embarrassed to say that I hadn’t seen that although I had seen reports about the storm in the middle east in some of the British newspapers …  all I  can say in my defense is that the photos were only the stimulus for the theme of the post and don’t really affect the rest of the content!  Anyway, please accept my apologies for misleading you.

 

On a brighter note,  let me wish you all a Happy Winnie the Pooh Day!

 

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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:

• Soviet Tourism - Tours exploring Kyrgyzstan’s Soviet heritage – 12/01/14
• Off your trolley ??? - The trolleybus, one of the mainstays of Bishkek’s public transport system, was introduced on 13th January, 1951 - 13/01/14
• Unwelcome guests - Maybe a hotelier shouldn’t say this … but there are some “guests” that are particularly unwelcome – 14/01/14
• Elebaev – Founder of Kyrgyz Literature - Birthday to Mukai Elebaev – probably! – the “founder of Kyrgyz Literature” – 15/01/14
• “I apologize profusely to all Beatles fans everywhere” - The Beatles crop up everywhere – even here in Bishkek – 16/01/14
• The Kyrgyz Khanate - A new set of collectible coins for numismatics focus on a moment of Kyrgyz history – the Great Kyrgyz Khanate – 17/01/14

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 ).

 

 

Tags: In_the_News, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan, Weekly_Postcards