Postcard from Bishkek

Knowing how keen the people here are on both celebrating each and every holiday and also on Music … I am a little surprised that I have never seen anything about the fact that today is World Music Day.

Each year on the 21st June there are a series of free public events to celebrate the event. Apparently, last year there were events in 108 countries and 726 cities around the world, not including France where there were too many events to count! That’s hardly surprising, because that’s where it all started back in 1982.

In 1982, a study on the cultural habits of the French revealed that five million people, (one child out of two), played a musical instrument, and an official at the Ministry of Culture conceived the idea to bring people out on the streets in celebration of the fact.

Me, personally, I took piano lessons for a year and violin lessons for seven, but with limited success … which I put down to a lack of basic talent – although I suspect my teachers would say it was a result of a lack of application – I was too young and immature to realize the importance of “practice, practice, practice“. 

There must be some talent in my genes – my father could play the piano – which he would regularly do every Sunday evening … regular as clockwork … although he played “by ear” and I never saw him with a sheet of music.  Also, my nephew Dom is a member of a band called The Ridgeways … you can find them on Facebook, You Tube and other social media.  (Please, do look them up!) 

Since then the festival has gone worldwide … well, almost, apparently it’s still got to reach Kyrgyzstan.

Maybe next year!

 

Roads seem to have been one the main themes of the week … there’s been an agreement with the Asian Development Bank, one of the international donors, about financing the reconstruction of the raid between Bishkek and Kara Balta, part of the main Bishkek-Osh Highway.  It’s going to cost one hundred million dollars.

There’s some concern about the work already completed on the  Bishkek to stretch of the road from Bishkek up to Issyk Kul, which will form part of the new alternative road when it is completed in 2017, because the surface is already showing signs of wear with patches of uneven surface appearing.  Of course, the construction company are getting the blame … I presume the design took into account the projected amount of traffic and the climatic conditions – both of which have be also been blamed.

As an aside – talking about the level of traffic it was also revealed during the week that we import about 100,000 vehicles each year into Kyrgyzstan.

On the later sections of the Road to Torugart, some interesting road signs have appeared … which caused confusion and complaint.  The trouble is that that although the symbols used are internationally recognizable, the text wasn’t … it was in Chinese.  To be fair, under the Big bold Chinese symbols there was something in Russian, but it was minuscule in comparison – and “nothing in Kyrgyz” … mind you, most roadsigns in Kyrgyzstan are in Russian.  I suppose I also ought to point out that as the road is the main highway to the Chinese border at Torugart, much of the traffic is Chinese … and in both in other countries, you often find signs near the border written in both the local language and the neighbouring one … especially, for example, on either side of the English Channel, (La Manche to the French), reminding drivers to use the other side of the road.

The other border crossing into China is over the Irkeshtam pass in Southern Kyrgyzstan … but that has been blocked by protesters calling for the release, (or at least improved pre-trial conditions) for the former speaker of the parliament who is currently awaiting trial on abuse of power and corruption charges.  (Apparently he has urged them to lift the blockade – but there seems to have been no movement in this respect.)  

It’s been blocked for over three weeks now, and the there are over 170 trucks stuck, unable to move – although another report suggests the figure should be 300.  The Chinese are getting anxious, the drivers have been stuck for three weeks, living out of their vehicles facing problems problems over feeding themselves and unsure what to do. Their plight means that other drivers are stuck in Osh and Kashgar, unwilling to make the journey unsure of what will be waiting for them.  The embassy has asked the government to clear the road, but it is difficult to see what they can do.

There are some other knock on effects as businesses are running short of supplies.  One of the big works in the South, producing cement, has warned that it will soon have to stop work – depriving it’s one thousand strong workforce of their livelihoods … mind you, there jave another problem ,,, the banks also can’t get through with cash for those in the region.

That’s not to forget the loss of tax and customs duties.

Blocking roads as a protest is a fairly common practice here … but there have been moves to criminalize it and increase the penalties.  The President has also weighed in, even using the “religious card”, saying that Muslims don’t block roads … only unbelievers do such things.

Another road in Southern Kyrgyzstan has also been blocked – but this time it is due to a mudflow … but this time the authorities were able to clear it quickly – within about 12 hours, even though there were some 12 kilometers of affected highway – and traffic resumed to flow.

At least there is some good news on the railroad with the summer service between Bishkek and Balykchy resuming …  The summer is introduced every summer to ferry holiday makers up to the lake … it’s a long, slow ride, but the scenery – especially through Boom Gorge, quite interesting.

The preparations for the new new summer season are well under way … and hopes for a successful season are high.  The Deputy Minister in charge of the Tourism Department is not too keen on concentrating on the summer season up at Issyk Kul, because it concentrates attention just on this existing market … whilst the rest of the country and the year lose out.  He argues that by stressing the season, we are implying that we are basically “closed” for the rest of the year … and I think he has a good point.

That made it all the more surprising, therefore, that he has come out with a big statement about how important the Customs Union could be for the industry … and that Issyk Kul could become a major tourist destination (according to the reports he actually said “the”) with a potential market of over 170 million people.

The debate about entering into the Customs Union continues … with some public meetings being held.  Discussions are also underway with the existing members about how to pay for the necessary measures, with some support coming with agreements, for example, with Astana.  The Economics Minister issued a warning to Kyrgyz businesses, however, that they should start to make their products in compliance with Customs Union standards and requirements … something I would have expected them to be doing anyway, but I suppose that it does no harm to remind them – especially to check to see if there are more stringent requirements that have to be met. Once again, however, there was a “reassurance” that Kyrgyzstan won’t enter the organization if it’s own requirements weren’t satisfied.  I’m not sure, but I can’t see that happening.

There’s been a lot of coverage in the international media, with analytical articles stressing the choice before Kyrgyzstan of whether it wants to be nearer Moscow or Beijing … again, I think that’s unlikely to be an issue … the authorities are clearly clearly closer to Moscow and the rest of the region with historical factors that go back further than just the days of the Soviet Union.

Those articles also drew on the waning influence of the Americans now that the Manas Transit Center has now closed … and the fact that American military assistance to the whole of Central Asia has been retrenched … but that tends to fluctuate significantly from year to year anyway … and they are by no means out of the picture.  There were, for example, a series of high level meetings with representatives from Washington … looking at ways of cooperation in the post Afghan situation and the statements seemed to positive. In particular, the Americans  have just donated the Kyrgyz Customs Service new technology to assist in the detection of contraband prohibited articles.

One of the interesting statistics that emerged during the week is a sharp fall in the number of migrant workers travelling to Russia and Kazakhstan in search of work this year.  It’s down by a factor of four – just a quarter of the figure that left in the same period last year.  It will be interesting to see how entry into the Customs Union, (or not), affects this trend, (or not).

 

If the road to Irkeshtam has been closed for three weeks, the gas supply to Kyrgyzstan has been turned off for longer … and there is little sign of any progress in getting the supply restored.

Uzbekistan seems to be taking the blame for the inconvenience being caused … discussions are apparently underway, but in the meantime arrangements for the delivery of bottled gas.  In one report it was said that it was being delivered at the government’s expense, but another report said that some fifteen points had been established for the sale of bottled gas.  This is only a partial solution, however, as the regulations do not permit the use of bottled gas in buildings over two storeys.  For those living in taller buildings, special equipment is apparently being provided.

 

The other big story of recent times, that of the situation surrounding the Kumtor Gold Mine, continues to grab attention, with particular reference to the damage done to the neighbouring glacier.  One report quoted a specialist as saying that the glacier was already “lost”, that the damage done due to the work of the gold mine was irreparable.

Interestingly, in another snippet of news, it was revealed that the country’s largest river, the Naryn, currently has over 7% more glacial water than previously.

The fact that the draft law On Glaciers was returned to the parliament by the President was also the subject of much comment … if the government were so opposed to it, why didn’t they say so earlier?  Some of the deputies are calling for a special working group to be convened in order to try and resolve the issues so that the law can be reenacted.

The head of one of the political parties, however, is not impressed.  He says that the government is dancing to the tune of Centerra … taking their orders and submitting to their blackmail.

We have been experiencing a strange set oif weather … maybe not as extreme in some other parts of the world if the news that I see is anything to go by,  that road being blocked by mudflows that I mentioned earlier was one of the consequences.  There was also some flooding down south and strong winds.   Up in the Kochkor region, Lightning struck and killed some 30 head of cattle.

Kochkor has been having a hard time of it of late … I mentioned last week about the attacks on livestock which have also resulted in considerable losses – of sheep, goats, hens and rabbits … but the authorities are shying away from suggestions of some legendary beast being responsible and say that it is likely to have been the work of dogs, jackals or wolves.  As part of the measures undertaken to try and catch the culprits responsible some over a hundred stray dogs have been shot.

 

There have been a number of of articles about “raids” during the week … the Pride Minister, for example, paid a surprise visit to a tax office (described in the press reports as a “raid”) and took the opportunity to attack the inefficiency of many government agencies calling on them to show improvements.

The National Bank held a series of raids on Exchange Offices, especially those who had a history of infringements of the regulations, and forced some of them to close … but were complaining that the law is ineffective as the office would reopen once the inspectors had left.  The penalties for operating without a license of breaching the rules were too little given the amount that they could earn.  This looked to me as if it was a ploy in advance of a bill strengthening the provisions going before parliament – given that it was rejected by the deputies last time a similar Bill was considered.

In recent weeks there have been a number of raids on markets looking for young people working illegally, (technically anyone under 16 cannot be employed), especially street children.  This has led to some of the parents of these children complaining that the authorities are harassing the children, acting with impunity and doing more harm than good.

 

Among the other interesting items this week were:

• Apparently there are almost 300 centurians in the country …
• According to the Minister of Social Development, almost a quarter of young women, (that was defined as being between 15 and 23) were exposed to violence in some way ….
• Kyrgzystan has a new sporting hero … with Alexey Fedoseyev winning a World Champion title in Kickboxing.
• The deputies have passed a law establishing an Independent Bar Association … a move which the American Embassy welcomed with a tweet announcing, “Finally a good law! … ” … Hmmm, so much for diplomacy.
• Flashmobs have certainly taken off here … I have mentioned in the past the tendency to announce them in the press before they happen, thus destroying any sense or effect of surprise, but this week saw an “official flahmob” organized by the Ministry of Culture, no less.

Perhaps the most surprising story of the week was a voxpop piece asking, “Should Kyrgyzstan adopt English as an official language?”  Needless to say, the answers, whilst acknowledging that English is important in the modern world, seemed to side with “No, it’s not necessary”.  

 

Perhaps the most worrying item came from the Global Resilience Index … a survey … in which Kyrgyzstan apparently took top place as the the country with the least able to manage risks to its supply chain … I suppose that we are particularly vulnerable, importing virtually everything, we consume … but it is not only external threats that we have to consider … there are domestic ones as well …  think of that cement plant in Southern Kyrgyzstan.  risky country.

 

Enough … I’m a bit late in posting the postcard this week … but I think it’s time to go and listen to music ….

Happy Music 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:

• Money matters …  - The situation is constantly changing, but Kyrgyzstan is still, fundamentally, a case based society … some thoughts about what this might mean for visitors to the country – 15/06/14
• Be-Cha-Ka - On World Water Day, a look at one of Kyrgyzstan’s main water Resource Management Systems – 16/06/14
• Seen from above -  It’s been suggested that the search for the missing flight MH307 should be extended to look at a remote valley in Kyrgyzstan … but … things are not quite what they seem … – 17/06/14
• Small talk  – I am not  very good at this, but @small talk@ is a vital element when doing business here in Kyrgyzstan – 18/06/14
• Accepting Repsonsibility  – Whay is it so hard for people to accept the responsibility when something goes wrong? – 19/06/14
• Take a minute to think of the plight of refugees …  On World Refugee Day, some thoughts and statistics – 20/06/14

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 @celestialM

 

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