Postcard from Bishkek

The phrase “In God We Trust” first appeared on an American banknote on October 1st, 1957.  Although this was its first appearance on a banknote, it had made its first appearance on coins in 1864 when it was first featured on the two cent coin, (which was minted between 1864 and 1873).  From then on, until 1938, it made frequent appearances on coins but was only in 1938 that it became a regular fixture on all coins.

The phrase was officially adopted as the motto of the United States of America by a law passed in 1956, which required that the phrase appear on all banknotes and coins minted from then on.  It was gradually phased in as new designs were introduced, the final one to acquire the motto being introduced in 1966.

It has been no stranger to controversy over the years.  President Theodore Roosevelt, (that’s the earlier one), was opposed to its appearance on money as he considered this to be “sacrilegious”.   

Some people have seen the presence of the motto on the nation’s currency as inconsistent and contradictory to the clause of the First Amendment to the US Constitution which forbids the “establishment” of religion and therefore separating Church and State.  It was only in 1970, however, that this was tested in the courts when the judges ruled that there was no violation, that: “it is quite obvious that the national motto and the slogan on coinage and currency ‘In God We Trust’ has nothing whatsoever to do with the establishment of religion. Its use is of patriotic or ceremonial character and bears no true resemblance to a governmental sponsorship of a religious exercise.”

Some activists who have strong feelings, however, have been known to cross out the motto on paper money as a form of protest.  Even though the defacement of currency is prohibited under federal law, as I understand it, there have been no cases that have come to court.  This seems to be because the provision relates to actions with the “intent to render such bank bill…unfit to be reissued”, (and the Federal Reserve frequently reissues notes that have been marked in such a way), or by way of “notice or advertisement”, (and it’s clearly not a case of that).

 

Kyrgyzstan is like the States in that it is a secular state; there is a formal separation of Church/Mosque and State.  That doesn’t mean that there is no religious influence – Most Kyrgy identify as Muslims; the deputies have installed a prayer room and a break in proceedings for prayers; the café where we’ll stop for breakfast on out way to Naryn also has a prayer room; and so on.  Well, there’s a saying that “God helps those who help themselves,” and it is apparently evident that, even of people are putting their trust in God, they are also directing some of it elsewhere.

 

The Presidential election campaign has now begun in earnest.  We learned than of the 86 hopefuls, the Central Election Commission had registered just 20 for the ballot paper.  There are still doubts being expressed about the rejection of some of the candidates and about the number and some of them succeeded in getting a court to overall their decision, and the number seems to have grown daily.  Of course, the decisions were subject to appeal and the Election Commission lost in decisions which were handed down in the Supreme Court and the Commission has decided to recheck the lists.  This might cause timing problems, (they’ve admitted that they were already running late having to “check” some 30,000 signatures a day as well as cope with other elections), but they are adamant that the election cannot be postponed.  Anyway, some of the candidates put their trust in the courts, and I can’t help thinking that is a good sign, even if they hadn’t won their cases.

There’s a fly in the ointment, however, in that the Electoral Commission is going to register a complaint against the judges.  There is a lot of concern about judges and I have passed over this particular story for several weeks but it now looks as if it could be taking a more prominent position in the affairs of the country.

There has also been controversy about the frequency of the recent journeys of Atambaev, (the Prime Minister – who has now handed his office over to Babanov so that he can participate in the campaign), to Russia and China in order to obtain aid and support for the country – and his candidacy.  Is he putting his trust in the leadership of these countries?

The Russian embassy came to the rescue of the television companies, (or, at least, to the rescue of the First Channel – a Russian government run TV channel), flying in and installing the equipment necessary to allow the local companies to record the channel’s output, screen it and then retransmit after a one hour delay.  As it happens, I note that the local cable TV provider did not suspended any of the foreign channels straight away – CNN was available until Wednesday but on Thursday it had been replaced by a Russian music channel – that means it now carries no English language channels and I am seriously thinking of cancelling my subscription.  In fact the Parliament has introduced amendments to postpone this requirement for a year to give the TV companies time to purchase the necessary equipment.  They still carry, however, responsibility for the material they broadcast in respect of upholding the business reputation and honour of the candidates.

And it’s not just the TV companies that are going to be subject to scrutiny – the print media will also be monitored …

Meanwhile, the European Union has said that they trust that there will be equal opportunities for all candidates and that the freedom of the media will be ensured throughout the election period.

It’s not connected directly with the election, but the parliament seems to have trust in the power of of the media because it has voted to overrule a Presidential veto, (which Roza Otunbaeva had imposed for financial concerns), by enacting a law to convert the Channel 5 TV station, (which was part of Maxim Bakiev’s business empire before it was nationalized following last year’s revolution), into a Parliamentary TV channel.

To get elected, of course, the winning candidate has to obtain more than 50% of the vote.  As well as all the other candidates – 20, 30, … 86? – there will be one more: “None of the above.” Let’s hope that at least one candidate can command the trust of the people and so this option doesn’t win the election.

It’s not clear, however, how much trust the politicians and the general population have in each other.  The President, for example, has gone on record commenting that the population does not trust the authorities, (which reminded of the admonition of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford, who is supposed to have said, quoting Psalm 146: “Place not your trust in Princes! …”).  She does think, however, that they trust instead the information of the Supervisory Boards, (public watchdog bodies that have been set up for every government department), and even if the politicians are subjecting themselves to a popular election.  One group of protestors in Bishkek pointed this out, saying that the authorities “were afraid of the people” and “demanding” that the fence around the White House should be pulled down. In another protest, it was suggested that Roza Otunbaeva remove the tinted windows in her limousine … no-one else is allowed them, so why should she be allowed them?!

To try and foster a sense of trust, some of the candidates have signed a Code of Honour.  I am not sure how much trust it is able to put into this Code, however, as not all of the candidates have subscribed to it and the code has no teeth or method of enforcement.  However, it is thought to have a moral value, raising awareness of the responsibility that the candidates have adopted.  It calls for candidates to commit themselves to conducting their campaign in “a climate of democratic tolerance in which political activity can take place in compliance with the laws, with respect for the opponents’ supporters and candidates” and outlines a number of prohibited activities, including: bribing or threatening voters as a means of gaining their support; distributing weapons, alcohol and drugs at political meetings; as well as using language which potentially incites social, religious, racial and ethnic hatred.  Those who haven’t already signed up still have the opportunity to do so.

Posters have gone up – and some have already been defaced.  Several candidates seem to be putting their trust in the people.  At least, the word “together” being a feature of several early campaign posters: “Together we are Kyrgyzstan”, “Together we’ll win”.  One slogan in particular has come in for some pointed commentary: “Pover, Budet peremeny”, (“Believe it, there will be change”).  As one commentary put it, “Will change … not “reform”, not “progress”, not “development”, not “for the better”, simply “change”.”  As it happens, this is probably the “most sincere slogan”, and it is probably right … there will be change even if Atambaev, the Prime Minister, is elected.

One change in thiose circumstances will be the need to form a new government.  That seems to have come as a surprise, but I don’t understand why – it should have been obvious that he cannot hold both offices.

On the other hand, the authorities in Bishkek have passed a resolution prohibiting placing election posters etc. on the fronts of buildings, fences, bus stops, lampposts, trees and other unsanctioned places.  The law actually prohibits the placing of posters only on monuments, buildings of cultural or historical significance, polling stations, trees and greenery, which raises questions about the validity of the council resolution.

As it happens, one commentator has said that he doesn’t think the election will run to a second round, in other words, that one candidate will get more than 50% of the vote in the first round.  Well, that’s against what I understand to be the general feeling … we’ll see.

When all this is over, of course, at least one person will be out of job.  In all likelihood many of the current administration will be looking for new jobs, places in the new administration, but we know that Roza Otunbaeva will be “in the market”.  I wonder how many job openings there are for former Heads of State.  Mary Robinson, for example, left office to head a UN body and Tony Blair, (although he was only a Head of Government – not a Head of State), got himself a post as a troubleshooter fort the Middle East, (although I am not sure how much he has been able to achieve – especially given the events in the UN over the last week or so).  Well, although she might be well qualified for such a post, Roza has let it be known that she does not intend to accept a similar post with the UN.

 

In the meantime, the Defense Council has been busy considering what security measures may be needed during the election period: reinforcing the state borders, considering potential social and inter ethnic conflicts and even preventing “selected presidential candidates from using methods dividing citizens by ethnic, regional and religious backgrounds.”  They are particularly concerned about the possibility of a North-South divide creating further tensions and possible clashes and also about reports that “militants”, (including some with possible connections with the Bakiev’s), plan intrusions in order to take advantage of and escalate any discord arising from the election process.

The Bakiev’s continue to be the ‘Bogey men” of Kyrgyzstan … with stories of different people meeting with them or having private communications with them: politicians, businessmen, members of NGO’s and militants.  There is a feeling that they seem to be tied in with anything that goes wrong and blame is apportioned to them accordingly.  It’s hard to tell how much of this is justified or might be a smoke screen; an attempt to discredit people currently in power, (or seeking power), or in order to add weight to further requests for extradition.

Meanwhile the government is trying to gain the trust of the population … by saying that they will “regulate” prices during the election period, by introducing regulations, (in accordance with the legislation), if needed so as to prevent profiteering.  They have also announced a reduction in Gas prices, as a result of the deal with the Kazakhs.  They also say that any official using official resources for electioneering will be punished … i.e. fired!

A lot of hope and trust is being placed in the international community; the provision of technical assistance from several of the donors in order to carry out the election and ensure that is will be free, fair and transparent; the international observers that will, hopefully, give it their seal of approval.

The United Nations is, of course, an important partner in all this process and Roza Otunbaeva’s appearance at the UN General Assembly helped to raise awareness of the body and its relevance.  She pointed out that it is important to find a way that would allow for all “stolen funds and those who found asylum in other countries” to be returned to Kyrgyzstan.  Maybe, if Kyrgyzstan is successful in obtaining one of the non-permanent places on the Security Council then outr ambassador will be able to pursue this, but there are some other hot contenders and although she sounds hopeful of success, she does not sound. too confident.  The all important vote takes place on October 13th.

 

In other news, although these stories are not directly connected to the forthcoming election, we have to note that they have arisen during the lead up to it, which may, or may not, be important.

There has been the usual round of stories of investment plans and aid projects, and Turkey has agreed to write off some fifty million US dollars – not as much as Greece is hoping to get written off, but every little bit helps.

Interestingly, Uzbekistan has gone public with a statement that tensions will continue if there isn’t justice for the victims of violence.  The Foreign Minister said that the clashes that we saw last year had become “a serious challenge to peace and stability in the Central Asian region.”

A Russian Colonel-General, in describing a major military exercise, identified another reason for a the potential “deterioration of the security situation in Central Asia”, that is, “the NATO exit from Afghanistan”.  You might expect a military man to put his trust in the armed forces preparing for this situation, “rehearsing various measures to neutralize militant activity”.

A group describing themselves as “The Association of Independent Journalists and Bloggers” sees a different threat – the influence of those involved in drug trafficking, especially the alleged connections the trade has with casinos, and they seem to be putting their trust in Vladimir Putin because they have addressed an open letter to him, asking him to address this issue.  They’ve been getting a fair amount of coverage on the internet in Russia.  An article on Eurasianet.org tried to track down who was behind this particular group and came up with a contender for my favourite quote of the week: “In Kyrgyzstan’s rough-and-tumble political scene, it is hard to tell where the truth lies.”

The Parliament has also been considering the issue of Casinos … and they’ve voted to ban gambling establishments from January 1st.  Despite the publicity given to possible links with criminal gangs, and even members of the former Bakiev regime, most of the argument seems to have been on the social issues.  There was a proposal to keep casinos, for example in special zones, but apparently this was defeated.  There were protests from the people who work in the casinos, (some 1000 out of the 15000 employed in the business gathered in a protest meeting in downtown Bishkek and another involving 300 people in Osh), and even threats to storm the White House and overturn the government once more, but the parliamentarians made their decision.

If the Independent Journalists and Bloggers are putting their trust in Russia and Vladimir Putin, not everyone is.  Seen on Twitter, for example was a post saying that Kyrgyzstan needed to avoid the “protectionist imperialistic trap of the Customs Union, managed by the Kremlin”.  Depite this, Babanov, (as acting Prime Minister), has clearly sided with Atambaev by saying that joining the Union is a “necessity” for Kyrgyzstan.

Meanwhile, one of the top managers of Shell has said that the next global crisis will occur because of water.  Now, there is nothing new in that … access to water, has long been a flashpoint in international relationships all around the globe, and it has been highlighted by many international agencies as a growing cause for concern, especially in a world experiencing climate change and global warming, along with all the associated uncertainties.

The question of fuel for the American airbase at Manas airport is still in the news, with the new contracts coming into force which provides for Gazpromneft-Aero-Kyrgyzstan, (a Russian-Kyrgyz joint venture set up by the government” providing some 20% of the base’s needs, (potentially rising to 50%, or more, by the end of the year).  Apparently, the Russian ambassador has said that Moscow is happy about the new arrangements and guarantees supplies.

There have been comments that Kyrgyzstan needs to diversify and concentrate on production so that we have something to export – especially in terms of agricultural produce, one of the strongest aspects of the Kyrgyz economy.  As it happens, this week there has been a large Agricultural exhibition in Bishkek.  It has even been suggested that we need to shift our emphasis away from mining which, over the years, has offered much but seems to have delivered little in terms of economic development.

 

Perhaps my favourite quote of the week came in a report of comments by an analyst in meeting in Helsinki: “The strange thing about Kyrgyzstan is that it can happen that, in parallel there can be both positive and negative trends.”  I suppose it is a truism – and could apply to any country in the world – but that didn’t stop me thinking to myself: “Oh, how true.”  In fact, when I was thinking about a theme for this particular Postcard, “Positive and Negative Trends” just lost out.  You can tell me if you think I made the right decision.

 

Well.  there is a lot of trust being placed at the moment in the media, which seems to have a particularly important role to play in ensuring a free, fair and transparent election, then what trust can we put in the internet?.  The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, (of which Kyrgyzstan is a member), appears not to have trust in the internet, saying that terrorist groups use computer networks and so greater control of the medium is required.

Of course, to be really useful and trustworthy, the information has to be both accurate and available.  Whereas when we wanted to find out something we might have gone to the library to look it up, a few years ago we “Googoled it, but now we look it up in Wikipedia. Now Wikipedia may not be the fount of all knowledge, although the founders, many student and journalists seem to think it is, but it is useful as a starting point and a source of information that can be used to check and verify what we thought already knew.

One tweet has pointed out that “Wikipedia is horribly useless for information about Central Asian TV stations”, and that’s not all.  A few weeks ago we had what was billed as a “Wiki week”, when people were encouraged to register and add information about Kyrgyzstan as there seemed to be a glaring paucity of information.  Wikipedia is only, however, a source of information and not “the gospel truth”.   No matter how hard it tries to ensure the accuracy of entries, it is still subject to bias and contradictions between entries.

Wiki week also tried to increase the number of pages available in Kyrgyz.  Of the Of the almost twenty million articles at the moment, about a sixth of them are in English, the rest being in one of the other 280-odd languages supported by the site.  But … there are less than 2000 articles which are in Kyrgyz.

The question of Kyrgyz on the internet is becoming more important and I see that even some of the TED talks are being translated into Kyrgyz.  (There’ll be more about TED next week!) At the moment there is a campaign to get Kyrgyz accepted as one of the languages available in services like Google Translate – which I, for one, would find invaluable.

All this made me wonder about Wikileaks, (which is nothing to do with Wikipedia), and all the rest of the information that is available.  I once saw a report about a huge, record breaking ocean going liner being built in Kyrgyzstan’s shipyards on Lake Issyk Kul … which must have been a “joke”.  There might be some boatyards on the lake but no large shipyards and, anyway, how were they going to get the finished liner overland to the ocean?!  This week however, saw a site which had an entry about the “popular” Bishkek Metro which supposedly “connects downtown with apartment blocks, new building and industrial areas” and in 2008 apparently provided “at least 63% of passenger transport” in the city.  Now there have been discussions over the years about building such a Rapid Transit System, but they’ve never come to anything – and certainly not in 2008.

So, don’t put your all your trust in the internet … not even, dare I say it, in a Postcard from Bishkek.

 

Talking about a Postcard from Bishkek, the weekly postcard also gets posted on the website, and each week there are other postcards which don’t get sent out.  This week for example there were posts about Blood Doning – it was Blood Donor Day on Sunday; A new report on Risk Assessment which seems to have concluded that Malta is one of the safest places on Earth?! (notice the use of the interrobang); World Tourism Day; Rabies – Wednesday was the World Day against Rabies; Maxim and his beloved BMX; and Interpreters and Translators – Friday being World Translation Day.

If you decide, however, that you don’t want to receive these postcards in your email anymore, please drop me a line to and I will take you off the distribution list.  Alternatively, if you forward it to someone who might be interested to receive their own copy, (apparently some people do), or know someone who might be interested in being added to the mailing list, then get them to drop me a line and I’ll be happy to add them.

 

Tags: Expat, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan, Weekly_Postcards