Postcard from Bishkek

There has been a gap in writing postcards … … the result of a period of  ”forced rest and recuperation”.

On the evening of August 22nd, I settled down to write my regular review of the week in Kyrgyzstan to posted on Saturday morning and I was in the middle of writing it when I suffered a searing pain through my abdomen and it was so bad that I decided to go to bed instead, setting the alarm to get up early in order to finish it off in the morning. Unfortunately, things didn’t improve very much and on Monday I visited the doctor … who diagnosed a case of acute appendicitis and I underwent an operation to remove the offending organ. Although, in the west, patients are discharged within days after the operation … here, it is customary to keep the patient in for a week or ten days … and, on top of that, there were some complications. As a result, when I was sent home I was told to take some time off for recuperation.

Now, I am now back behind my desk, but I am still taking a variety of medicines, am  on a restricted diet and there are  some limitations on what the doctors will allow me to do, (for example, I can’t travel far).

Anyway, this week in Kyrgyzstan … Over last weekend, there were some statistics which caught my eye about the school system here in Kyrgyzstan:  in total there are some 2,207 schools across the country with – 60 of them private institutions such as the Bilimkana schools and the European School of Central Asia.

This was followed by the news that a lucky school down in Osh has been equipped with a brand new football field thanks to Women’s Initiative for Peace project of the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia, (with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development, USAID).  Judging by the reports, I don’t think it was a new field.  The school was established as long ago as 1938 and it was said that the sporting facilities had deteriorated over the years and needed to be reconditioned.  So it’s not just top flight clubs like Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur that are looking to renovate and upgrade their grounds.

I say “lucky” because most schools here are quite small and fairly cramped for space.  When I walk down to the hotel from my office, I often see PE classes (PhysEd –  for the Americans) being conducted in the park … the trouble is that the park also has no facilities and very little open space.  I can’t help recalling my schools back in the UK – both where I studied and where I taught – which were were extremely well endowed in comparison.

It’s quite ironic in some ways, because sport is beginning to attract quite a bit of attention.  In recent weeks we have seen some considerable successes, including world championships, scored by Kyrgyz sportsmen in fields as varied as arm wrestling, billiards, cycling, martial arts (such as judo and tae kwan do), swimming, table tennis, tennis and weightlifting … not to mention in the Asian Games being held in Korea (where Kyrgyz sportsmen have, so far, won six medals – 2 silver and four bronze) and the “Special Olympics” being held in Belgium.

We didn’t fare so well in football, however, with the national team losing several places in the FIFA world rankings. Then, of course, at the beginning of September there were the First World Nomad Games, held in Issyk Kul.

There were 10 kinds of sports represented: Alysh (belt wrestling), Alaman Baige (horse race across uneven terrain for a long distance), Jorgo Salysh (pacing race), Kazak Kurosh (Kazakh wrestling), Kok Boru (oftem referred to as “goat polo”), Kunan Chabysh (a race for 3 year old horses), Kyrgyz Kurosh (Kyrgyz wrestling), Ordo (ankle bone shooting), Toguz Korgool (sometimes referred to as “Kyrgyz Chess”) and Er Enish (horse-mounted racing).  I was in hospital at the time, so wasn’t able to attend, but I did see reports on the TV … and also the photo reports in the world press.

All this interest in sport is quite welcome … but it is hoped to get more people active.  Apparently only something like 7% of the population are actually involved in any sporting activity – that’s about half of the figure elsewhere in the world.

Last year, the government took a decision to introduce “morning exercise” in all schools, but as the Deputy Prime Minister admitted, “at the moment, the programme does not work everywhere”. Perhaps one of the contributing factors to this is that the teaching force is somewhat demoralized.

Up in Issyk Kul there was even a call of some of them to go on strike.  There is certainly a shortage of teachers; a couple of years ago, apparently, the number of teachers rose when they were granted a pay increase … but then the basis for paying teachers was changed from a salary to payment by the hour and so many ended up earning more or less as they were under the old system, and now people are leaving the profession.  It is estimated that there are something like 36000 qualified teachers who don’t want in the schools.  To make matters worse, some teachers are not getting all the supplements they are entitled to: For example, those working in the kindergartens which were designed to bring their salaries in line with those in Primary schools, and here in Bishkek the city council decided to withdraw some of the allowances altogether.

At the moment, so we are told, there is no money in next year’s budget for any increase … the salary bill is already something like 150 billion som, (that’s just under USD280 million), so even a modest increase is going to be expensive – and the suggestion that there should be a 50% increase looks unrealistic … at least until some substantial increase in tax revenues can be achieved.

Incidentally, another children’s playground was in the news – a special, inclusive, playground designed for use by both disabled and able bodied children supported by a British charity, Healthprom - the first of its kind in Kyrgyzstan.  Oh, yes, and a new kindergarten has opened in Bishkek where children with Downs Syndrome can be taught in integrated classes.

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The week started with a lot of attention given over to the proposals to limit the electricity consumption this winter by banning the use of 3-phase supply for heating – for either space or water.  Apparently over twelve thousand properties have had their heating disconnected.

The proposals have caused a certain amount of controversy – especially as the tariff was only recently increased – even though the measure was first suggested some time ago, back in the summer. (As an aside, a court ruling cancelled the government decree increasing the tariff for heating, because they failed to hold a round of public consultations.)

This measure is only one being adopted by the authorities … and it has been suggested that we could face a series of rolling power cuts over the winter … one person even suggesting that they could last for as much as fifteen hours a day.  I am definitely hoping that he’s wrong or, at least, exaggerating … However, we learned on Thursday that in the Batken oblast, (in the extreme South Western corner of the country), they have already started as they have been consuming more power than the plan allows for: rolling blackouts that, according to one report, last for six hours during the day and six overnight – but according to another report, from midnight to six in the morning and from nine o’clock to five in the evening.

Although we are supposed to be rich in hydroelectric power, we don’t generate enough electricity to meet domestic requirements and so the export of electricity this winter has also been banned. The situation in the reservoirs is apparently pretty dire, with predictions that the main Toktogul reservoir will effectively be “empty” by January, (that is, it will have less than 5 million tons of water – out of a total capacity of 19 million), due to an observed reduction in the inflow over the summer, and the release of too much water in the past – either for the generation of electricity or for irrigation purposes.  I wrote a couple of months ago about a similar situation in the Orto Tokoi reservoir just outside Kochkor.

One of the popular types of article here is the vox pop, where a number of prominent people are asked a question and their answers are then printed.  There was one this week on “How to survive the Kyrgyz Winter?”, and there was quite a bit of complaining, references to how people survived in Leningrad during the War, Vodka, “a well proven means of salvation from the cold”, conplaints about how the government were “hibernating during the summer” when they should have been preparing, the practical impossibility of switching to alternative fuels when you live in an apartment block … but the saddest comment was from a pensioner who hinted that she and her sister would install a stove and burn their books.

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Monday also saw an announcement that eight Kyrgyz Jihadists had been killed in the fighting in Syria in the ranks of Islamist forces that are opposing government forces.  It’s thought that there are something like a hundred Kyrgyz citizens that have joined the insurgency, traveling to Syria through Russia and Turkey, (or more).  There have certainly been several other articles about them over the last few months.

Most of them, it is thought come from the southern regions of Kyrgyzstan and several exaples were cited in different stories. That was followed on Tuesday by a couple of analytical articles asking why they do it … and although ideology seems to be one reason, it was also suggested that at least some of them are in it for the money … the figure of a thousand dollars day, (“or more”), was mentioned.  Both were very critical, but one in particular was so negative that it struck me that it could just as easily have appeared in the American or British media.

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During the week we learned that the economic situation is deteriorating.  During the year the exchange rate of the dollar against the som has risen by over 10% – in September alone it  rose by 3%, reaching a high spot for the year on September 26th.   (It’s been faring better against the Euro, reaching it’s maximum back in March.)  The Minister for the Economy has been telling people that they “shouldn’t Panic”, as the the regulatory system developed by the National Bank has helped to make the som a stable currency, reacting to movements and demands of the market.  As it happens, the fluctuations against the dollar are mainly attributed to “external factors” – changes in the policies adopted by the Federal Reserve, the worsening economic position in Europe and among other of Kyrgyzstan’s trading partners; the sanctions against Russia and the situation in Ukraine – although other seasonal factors also play a role.

This is important because many of the commodities, goods and services, that we import are priced in US dollars meaning that we need more soms in order to purchase them.  It’s helping to push prices up … along with increased prices for fuel, including the increased tariffs for household and communal services as well as a reduction in the harvest, possibly due to adverse climatic conditions and a reduced demand for our exports.  As a result the rate of inflation is forecast to finish the year at over 10%.  That’s bad news.

… and … that’s not all … the remittances from migrant workers sent back to their families from abroad also shows signs of falling.

The “sting in the tail”, however, was provided in two interesting footnotes in the National Bank’s report – neither of which looks very promising: first that the indications are that this situation will continue  and that this may have an effect on the planned accession into the Customs Union – maybe not actually stopping the process but perhaps delaying it or making it more expensive.  As it was hoped to make the decision before the end of the year, there’s still a lot to be done in a relatively short time.

The politicians have been emphasizing that the final decision is down to the parliament but I’m not sure when the debate is scheduled to happen.  Once it is taken the decision needs to be signed by the President, and there is time needed for that as well – although, as he has long been a supporter of the move, I expect that could happen very quickly.  There was an attempt to reassure the opponents and waverers when the Minister for the Economy said that if joining the Customs Union proved to be harmful to interests of the country, then Kyrgyzstan could always choose to leave.  (Hmmm , that sounds awfully familiar, reminiscent of the ongoing perpetual debate that has taken place (is taking place) in Britain.  I wonder if it will be that easy.)

However, accession to the Customs Union is still being hailed as the the road to follow … the Minister of the Economy announced on Thursday that there are investment projects currently under way, many potential foreign investors are waiting for us to join before making a final decision and implementing their plans.  Some of these come from other members of the Customs Union but they also include investors from outside, such as from China and Turkey.

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In other news, new regulations have been approved by the parliament barring foreigners from buying residential property – reversing a government decision.

One of the deputies has urged the law enforcement agencies to investigate some of the activities of one of the NGO’s working with USAID, saying that they organizing activities that are very similar to what happened in Ukraine prior to the Maidan protests which led to the conflict there.  The situation in Ukraine, and the possibility of it being repeated here, is a very real fear … after all, we have been through two violent revolutions which overthrew the existing governments, (even if they were over in a relatively short time when compared to the months of protest and conflict over there).  As a result, anything that looks as if it might be a forerunner of such a repetition is treated with suspicion and anything that looks as if is some outsider trying to influence events in the country is treated with distrust.

Today is a Public Holiday – Kurman Ait, which is also known as Eid al-Adha (or the “Feast of Sacrifice”) - and because it falls on a Saturday, that means that Monday is a non-working day.  It is one of the Muslim holidays that falls on different dates each year because it is tied to the Muslim Lunar Calendar and sightings of the phases of the moon.

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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.  Last week, for example, there has been the following postcards:

• A period of “forced rest and recuperation” - Why there’s been a four week gap in postcards – 22/09/14
• Ozbek Boshkoev (1826-1912) - A relatively little known Kyrgyz merchant – Ozbek Boshkoev (1826-1912) – 23/09/14
• Stephen Graham - A British visitor to Central Asia in 1914 writes about his experiences – 24/09/14
• Kok Buro - The quintessential nomadic sport – 25/09/14
• Pavel Kosharov - The first artist to visit the Tien Shan – 26/09/14

and this week:

• Illustrated journeys - One tourist, who created for themselves a special and unique momento of their visit to Kyrgyzstan - 28/09/14
• Skobolev – The White General - One of the names synonymous with the extension of the Russian Empire into Central Asia - 29/09/14
• Sites of Historical and Cultural Importance in Issyk Kul - The official list of protected sites in the Issyk Kul oblast – 30/09/14
• Shipton’s Arch - As Wednesday was China’s National Day, I thought I would mention an unusual and little known geological feature which is found just over the border, not far from Kashgar: Simpson’s Arch - “a curious arch so unique that it has been called one of the world’s top 20 natural wonders” – 01/10/14
• Kyrgyz Scientific Discoveries - A couple of interesting articles about Kyrgyz scientific discoveries - 02/10/14
• It’s all in the name: Pyotor Kozlov - He may have been important in the story of opening up Central Asia, but was only a “bit player” in the story of Kyrgyzstan - 03/10/14

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) .

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