Message – Wednesday, March 23rd, 2005
The day before the events of the Tulip Revolution unfolded in Bishkek.
A parliamentary election had been held, and many people were disatisfied with the results … the opposition claimed that the elections had been “rigged” so the supporters of President Akaev were elected. Many of the international observers monitoring the conduct of the elections also reported that they were “below internationally accepted standards”. The opposition had gained only a few of the seventy five seats.
Protests in the South called for the cancellation of the results, a re-run of the elections and the resignation of Akaev. Government buildings in Osh and Djalal Abad were seized by the protesters. Many officials declared themselves for the opposition … and eventually Batken also went over to the opposition. To all effect, the whole of the South was no longer under government control.
The situation was widely reported – not just locally, but on CNN, BBC and other global channels.
I decided it was time to write to family and friends to reassure them that I was OK:
You have probably seen the news reports from Kyrgyzstan … it was the second lead story on BBC World last night! There are many accounts – but this seemed one of the best of the early reports (which was quite impressive as the reporter was in Beijing when he wrote it! He arrived here last night – so future reports may be more “first hand”): http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;sessionid=JXONRHENCPATNQFIQMFCNAGAVCBQYJVC?xml=/news/2005/03/22/wkyrg22.xml&secureRefresh=true&_requestid=23472 (You may need to register with the daily telegraph to be able to read it)
Anyway, this is just to let you know that, at the moment, things are OK with us here.
Obviously I have seen this sort of thing before – but always from afar, through a TV screen … never at such close quarters … still it makes for an interesting life.
As it happens, here in Bishkek, things are quiet … everyone is a bit “jumpy” but that is to be expected. There is a lot of conflicting information – claims and counter claims … perhaps the worst thing is: not knowing exactly what is going on.
The next “worst thing” is not knowing how things will unfold …
Following events which have occurred elsewhere – since the fall of the Berlin Wall, I suppose, – I think that events could have been predicted (probably were predicted in some quarters) … but what is going to happen next is a completely open book.
There have always been tensions between the different Kyrgyz tribes – roughly classified as between the North and South – and, (especially in the South), there is an undercurrent of ethnic tensions. Generally speaking, however, the Kyrgyz are an easy going people. The Guardian once called them “the nice guys of Central Asia” – I am sure that’s not just because they were following a pro-western, liberal, free market economy, but also reflected their more liberal and “easy going” approach. They might, originally, have come from warrior stock – but they are basically a pastoral people. Let’s hope that this aspect of their national character prevails over the older, more aggressive, one.
I am currently the president of the Kyrgyz Association of Tour Operators and got called in by the government to appear on TV to explain the likely effects of what is happening on the industry. I pointed out that, as a foreigner, I can’t say or do anything political … if it was an analytical documentary, then: no problem. I was assured it would be. When I got there, however, it turned out to be a televised “meeting” hosted by a government minister – and fortunately the hall was full so there wasn’t a seat for me. Like a “News of the World” reporter … “I made my excuses and left”. As I say, if had been a purely analytical piece – no problem … but as it turned out … ??? …
Obviously it is going to make the next season a little more difficult – but it seems to me that since 1997, when we started, we have had one problem after another to contend with … practically one every year … let’s hope we can recover from this one as well.
Anyway, as I said at the beginning: basically, we are all well … things are quiet, … at least here in Bishkek, … at the moment.
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Note:
As an ex-pat living in Bishkek during the “Tulip Revolution” and witnessing the events of 24th March, 2005, Iwrote a series of messages to friends and relatives to reassure them that he was safe … and describe some of his experiences and reactions.
This is one of them.
I haven’t edited them … they are “as sent”. They are not a comprehensive or accurate historical account of the events – but a series of observations of one person who witnessed the events unfolding and tell part of his story. As such, they reflect the ambiguity and lack of certainty of the times, as well as the mass of rumours which circulated and the changing opinions as more and more information became available.
Bishkek