Postcard from Bishkek

They say that there are some books that pretend to have read … but which, in fact, very few people have actually done so.

In the various lists of such books that we “lie” about are works like:

The Bible; 1984 by George Orwell; Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy; A Passage to India by EM Forster; Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand; Catch-22 by Joseph Heller; Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky; Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville; Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James; Great Expectations and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens; Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling; Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte; Les Miserables by Victor Hugo; Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov; Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert; Moby-Dick by Herman Melville; Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin; Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen; The Art of War by Sun Tzu; The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath; The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien; The Odyssey by Homer; The Old Man and the Sea by Earnest Hemingway; The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli; The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne; The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith; To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Treasure Island by Rober Louis Stevenson; Ulysses by James Joyce; War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

I am pleased to say that of that composite list of thirty eight titles, (although it contains four that I have never even heard of), I have actually read almost half of them (sixteen) plus a fair amount of the Bible – although not all the way through – and just one of the Harry Potter books … sorry JK Rowling, although it was “fun while it lasted” it didn’t really inspire me to pick up the second volume … or the third, or the … well, I am sure you get the point.

Apparently, most people gain their knowledge of these literary masterpieces from films – which may, or may not, reflect the works as they were penned by the original authors and/or  abridged versions and/or “study guides”.  

As an aside … Sorry … I know this has nothing to do with Kyrgyzstan … but I thought it was brilliant and well worth sharing … I think the Daily Telegraph’ s Classic Books Tweets - summarizing the plot in 140 characters or less are brilliant … for example and – SPOILER ALERT – you may want to skip this bit if you haven’t read any of these books and are planning to do so sometime soon:

• CHARLES DICKENS: GREAT EXPECTATIONS - Pip is poor. Wants to be posh. Old hag raises expectations that are shattered when he finds benefactor is a crook. Heart broken by Estella
• GEORGE ORWELL: NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR - Big Brother controls all, including truth. Winston Smith falls in love, keeps a secret diary. Punished in Room 101 for ‘thoughtcrime’. Obeys
• JRR TOLKIEN: LORD OF THE RINGS - Frodo and Hobbit pals take magic ring on quest. Gollum tries to steal ring. Wizard Gandalf is nice, Sauron is nasty. Battles. Ring destroyed
• FYODOR DOSTOYEVSKY: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT - Raskolnikov, Russian student, may get away with a double murder. Bit guilty. Confesses. Sent to a Siberian prison. Redeemed by love of Sonya
• LEO TOLSTOY: WAR AND PEACE - Napoleon invades Russia. Russian aristocratic families sent into a tizz. War ensues. French retreat. Russians celebrate. Lots of them marry

Anyway, back to my theme … one of the books on the list is A Tale of Two Cities, and I have to admit that, despite making several attempts to settle down and read it, it is one of the books in the list that I have never actually read all the way through.  It is notable for having perhaps the best and most memorable opening and closing lines in English literature; opening with an extremely well crafted list of eight opposites that compliment each other almost like poetry:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

… and closing with a sentence that draws the story to a close with a very definite ending, (although, perhaps, not quite as final as a simple “The End” would do):

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. 

Well today’s date, (12th April),  is very much in keeping with that classic opening sentence … it represents the best of times … and, unfortunately, the worst of times.  

It was on 12 April 1961, for example, that Yuri Gagarin blasted off into space on a 108 minute flight in Vostok I to become the first man into space … followed just twenty years later on 12th April 1981 by the launch of the first Space Shuttle mission.

On the other hand … it was on 12th April, 1994, that the first commercial Spam message was sent out by the law firm Carter and Siegel to advertise their services in preparing paperwork for people to enter the Green Card Immigration Lottery … and it was on 12th April, 1864, that the Fort Pillow Massacre took place, when Confederate forces under Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest killed most of the African American soldiers that were serving in the fort – according to many accounts (although there are conflicting reports about the details) after they had surrendered.

Well, lets hope that today, 12th April 2014, goes down in history as one of the better dates rather than one of the worst.

 

People were anxious about Thursday … what would it bring?, would it be one of the “best days” or one of “the worst”?  The long promised opposition rally that had been postponed from March 17th and then again from March 31st was definitely going ahead … The organizers had stressed over and over again that they were aiming for a “peaceful” gathering … and, fortunately, that’s how it turned out.

There were moments, however, when it looked as if it might develop into something other than a rally.  The organizers had said that they were expecting some sort of provocation … and at the beginning of the day it looked as if the two sides were positioning themselves in order to blame the others if it did …

There had already been calls for it to be cancelled … a group identified as relatives of the “Heroes of the April Revolution”, (the one in 2010), said that no more rallies were needed … and a group in Tokmok – sixty kilometers out of Bishkek held a “protest against protests”.  The media presented stories of people who had been paid to participate – a couple from Djalal Abad who had received 1500 som to travel to Bishkek for the big event.  There were also stories about market traders from the large Dordoi market just outside Bishkek being offered cash to join the crowds.

The police moved quickly to disperse crowds gathering at odd spots around the city … apparently with the intention of marking down to the rally … the authorities pointing out that the only place the organizers had said a rally was to take place was in Gorky Square, so the other “gatherings were illegal.  A moot point.  About 200 people were detained – only to be released at the end of the day.  The son of one of the organizers was apparently one of them.  Photos and video clips were posted on the internet to show the police “waiting in the wings” in case they were going to be needed.

I walked through the square early in the morning, on my way to the hotel, and all was quiet – about seven people sitting on the park benches, a woman walking her dog and a couple of other people taking a short cut through just as I was.  It was just like every other morning … except that there were also workmen busy erecting a stage at end of the park.  There were still lots of cars parked in the neighbouring streets and, at that point, no policemen to be see.  They hadn’t blocked off traffic, although later they were restrict traffic along some of the surrounding streets.

It was supposed to start at eleven o’clock … but by 10:15 the square was still more or less deserted … one reporter tweeted that there were no more than 50 or 60 people there – and most of them were the Press.  I suppose that shouldn’t have surprised anyone … people are usually, generally pretty laid back about punctuality here … it’s one of the endearing features of life in Kyrgyzstan even if it can also be somewhat frustrating at times.  People started arriving and, a little later than advertised, the rally got underway.

The speakers gave their speeches … presented their demands, (the nationalization of the Kumtor gold mine; the resignation of the President and dismissal of the parliament, the release of of the MP currently under house arrest on corruption charges and of the villages from Issyk Kul that had been in the forefront of the protests over Kuntor; and the opening of the Bishkek-Osh road … which came as a surprise to me I didn’t know it had been closed, …), preventing the sale of “strategic enterprises” to foreigners, (which was aimed at the potential take over of Bishkek’s Manas Airport by one of Russia’s biggest companies … ironically coming on the day that the sale of KyrgyzGas to the Russian giant GasProm was formalized … which was quickly answered by denials that any such thing was even been contemplated).

There were a few interesting moments … as one reporter put it … one of the speakers “has just called Atambaev an enemy of the Kyrgyz people,  Seriously, that’s what he said”! Over Lunch time, as packed lunches were handed out the protesters, the press were asked not to film the distribution … could that really be described as “bribing” people to join “Rent-a-mob”?  As the meeting was drawing to a close, one of the organizers appealed to the crowd: “When we arrived the square was clean – let’s leave it the same condition as we found it.”   And they did.  Which was just as well, because although the municipal street cleaners were on hand to clear up … and they normally collect tons of rubbish after such protests – it seems that they haven’t been paid for several months.  

As the crowds dispersed, one of the leaders of the opposition gave an impromptu press briefing by the side of the stage.  It was interesting to hear say over and over again, “it’s normal” … along with phrases like “we’re the opposition, it’s our job to make our voice heard”,  ”we have no power only our voices”, “it’s our job to present alternatives” … “it’s normal”.  It’s normal for an opposition to hold rallies … it part of the democratic process …  and so on.

During the coming weeks, the opposition would present their own, alternative, strategy for the development of the country … after all, “it’s normal … that’s what oppositions do … ”

He also said that was just a first step.  Their aim had been to voice their demands … which they certainly did and “shaped public opinion” ,,, which might be an overstatement, only time will tell.

He also said that they would be continuing their political agitation, but weren’t planning any more large rallies but were intending to hold “round tables”, conferences and “seminars” instead.  That will probably come as a great relief to all … but perhaps more ominously he also said that they would keep an eye on the activities of the government and wait for them to make “a mistake” … that “will be a bad day for them”, he said.

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There were other rallies in other parts of the country – The day before saw a group occupying a local council office in the south of the country, (the disturbing point about that was that a car got set alight outside the building), but after some discussions, the building was eventually vacated.  Djalal Abad saw a gathering of about 500 – according to some press reports, although on the photographs it looked as if there were more. There were also rallies in Osh and Karakol but as no-one informed the authorities in advance, strictly they weren’t legal, but on the whole they also went off peacefully.    

 

Although it passed off peacefully, the rally created a fair amount of anxiety … it wasn’t just the Heroes of the April Revolution and some of the townspeople of Tokmok that felt it was a luxury that Kyrgyzstan didn’t want and couldn’t afford.  It also led to a sharp downturn in business … down by as much as 70% according to one estimate – the Prime Minister sid businesses lost somewhere in the region of 100 million soms.  I suppose that some of this could have been because a lot of places in the city center decided to close early … just in case. 

 

That wasn’t the only thing to happen this week …

The new government, under the leadership of Djoomat Oturbaev, has been approved and sworn in.  Virtually all the Ministers kept their former posts, although there were a few changes.  The new Prime Minister was given the power to dismiss officials without having to get “permission” from the leaders of the parliamentary factions … and almost immediately some other officials decided to go.  The first was the head of the Tax Inspectorate – who resigned in reaction to criticism form the new Head of Government because the Tax authorities had failed to meet their planned targets in the first quarter – raising less than 90% of the projected figure.

The ‘obsession’ with meeting plan targets always struck me as a little odd … I know that the government needs a regular supply of income, but if the economy is suffering then tax revenues will automatically fall … won’t they?  It would be different if the criticism related to irregularities.

The question of irregularities came up at a meeting on Friday … official demanding bribes, government departments duplicating each other’s functions, the number of inspections and the professionalism of inspectors.  One interesting comment from the meeting was that businessmen should be able to get on with running their businesses – not having to spend their time “hosting” visitors from government organizations.

Another interesting comment made at the meeting was: “”The question of why a large proportion of taxpayers do not want to work openly, needs to be explored more thoroughly …”

Those that took up Ministerial posts were given three days to outline a plan of work … and apparently that’s caused some confusion among officials … how, for example, are the new plans to integrate with the existing plans? …

Discussions on the possibility of joining the Customs Union are still going on … with various comments, predictions and projections emerging from both sides – for and against such a move.  Among this week’s contributions there have been observations that a downturn in Russia would have a significant impact on Central Asian economies … including Kyrgyzstan.  Indeed, we’ve seen a slowing down of trade with Russia since the start of the year … by almost 30%, whilst trade with China is still growing – to reach almost equivalent levels … although Russian investment in the country is still considerable.  In particular, it was noted that trade with China has been growing at a faster rate than that with the Customs Union countries.  On the other side … there’s been a warning that failure to enter the Union will lead to Chinese expansion in the region.

A court case in connection with the attempted murder of a British businessman several years ago decided that the Bakiev’s were complicit in the plot and sentenced various members of the family the former President’s entourage to 20 years imprisonment – although it is doubtful that the sentences will ever be served.  

Two operatives of the National Security Services. on the other hand, may face a different fate,  They have been detained on suspicion of being involved in the murder of the journalist  Gennady Pavlyuk, who was thrown from the sixth floor window of his hotel room in Almaty in 2009 … his arms and legs legs having been bound with adhesive tape.  The investigation at the time excluded the possibility of a political motive for the murder but there’s been a lot of speculation about it ever since.  These new arrests are in addition to the three people already convicted of the murder in Almaty in 2011.

There’s been more debate about the draft bill to prevent officials from having or operating bank accounts and other assets abroad … and also to stop officials from creating and registering companies in the names of their relatives.

In what some people seem to think looks like a clear attack on one company, there’s another new draft bill which would make it a criminal offence to “sabotage” output of large, “strategic”, enterprises … and that is not just sabotage in the sense of causing physical damage as, for example, in wartime – but would include any actions leading to an interruption in production and the smooth running of the enterprise … I am not sure how the unions might consider this – it seems to question their right to take “industrial action” and may impact on the management’s right to manage.

As the Spring conscription of recruits into the army gets under way – the Agency for Physical Culture and Sport has announced that some 92% of the high school population fail to meet their requirements … apparently referring to an increase in the number of children born with various disease which is rising faster than the growth in the population.  That seems an incredible statistic – but is probably connected with the Agency’s call  for local authorities to do more to increase public interest in sport.

Agriculture has also been in the news – with Prime Minister saying that it has received little support in recent years … other than good words.  There’s been a downturn in the sector and Kyrgyzstan relies heavily on imports … with the obvious implication that it is vulnerable to shocks caused by disruption occurring on the global stage.

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All in all … in some ways it was a good week – if not the best of times – in others … not so good – but, I suppose that’s par for the course.

 

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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:

• Must see … must do … - Some of the highlights of Kyrgyzstan – 06/04/14
• World Health Day - The seventh may have marked the anniversary of a revolution – but it was also World Health Day - 07/04/14
• Alley of Statesmen - Tucked away in Oak Park – monuments of people who helped to shape the Kyrgyz State - 08/04/14
• So near and yet so far – Samarkand - I have never made it to Samarkand … but I do want to go - 09/04/14
• Harness - Riding a horse involves a lot of tackle - 10/04/14
• The price of Gold - The price of gold: a complex and confusing statistic which has a considerable effect on Kyrgyzstan’s economy - 11/04/14

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