In search of Nero
There is a saying that there is nothing new under the sun, that history repeats itself and that artists and authors find inspiration in the events of the past. I must admit that I often find myself reminiscing with affection BBC television series like “Yes, Minister” and “I Claudius” thinking how they still are extremely relevant and speak to us in the modern world.
The word “Emperor” is derived from the Latin Imperator which was, at first, simple a triumphal acclamation of a victorious general as “Commander in Chief”. It a temporary honour until, that is, Julius Caesar adopted it and used it on a permanent basis as a sort of title and it almost assumed the status of a praenomen, (or forename). Then, the Senate granted the use of the title to Caesar’s adopted heir, Octavian, (the first true Roman Emperor, Augustus) and although it started to fall into disuse as an honourific title for victorious generals, for a while there were Imperator who were not Emperors. From the time of Vespasian, who assumed power in December, AD 69, it was used exclusively for the Head of State.
It was on this day in 68AD, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, Emperor of Rome, committed suicide … or did he? Apparently, faced with revolt from troops in Germany, Spain and even the Praetorian Guard; having been declared an enemy of the state he realized that the end was upon him and began to prepare himself to commit suicide.
Nero went down in history as weak willed, effete, scheming … and this could well be reinforced by his actions in his final moments. Losing his nerve he begged one of his companions to set an example which he could follow … and when the sound of approaching horsemen he asked his secretary to perform the deed. When the horsemen arrived he was still alive – bleeding to death, but still alive. Attempts to stem the bleeding failed and he died. History recorded his death as suicide and his secretary was later executed for failing to prevent the suicide.
Nero is sometimes identified with the Beast in the book of Revelations, whose mark is 666. As it happens, his reputation is somewhat mixed and it seems likely that although he had his opponents who would have rejoiced at his fall, there were others who would have seen his passing with regret. Apparently he was almost certainly NOT responsible for the event with which his name is most commonly associated, The Great Fire of Rome in AD66, when he supposed to have “fiddled” whilst the city burned.
As it happens, June 9th was a big day for Nero in other ways. Fifteen years earlier he had married his wife Claudia Octavia, and six years earlier he had had her executed.
Although we normally celebrate anniversaries, these are examples of how they can be distressing. Tomorrow is another, as it marks the second anniversary of the tragic events in Osh when Kyrgyz and Uzbek communities faced off against each other and so many people lost their lives. Tomorrow has been declared a Day of Remembrance and there will be a number of events to commemorate the fallen, including a Requiem-Meeting in the Old Square and a minute of silence. There is also an exhibition being held in the National Library, containing photos, books, newspapers and journal articles which reflect the “historical events of 2010 that changed political and economic life in Kyrgyzstan”.
It is thought that tensions are still running high, although it was pointed out that the situation in the main population centers was stable. A report from an investigation by the National Security Committee, the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor General’s Office, has come to the conclusion that the ethnic conflict was triggered by revenge-seeking officials of the Bakiev regime and “separatist leaders”, as well as “criminals, drug lords, and external forces”. That’s a pretty comprehensive list and in keeping with the official line even if it is at odds with the conclusions of other investigations that have been conducted.
In Osh they have established a “passport regime” in order to try and prevent any unrest on the occasion. Over ten thousand passports were checked, (from over three thousand households), and almost 30 people were detained for a variety of violations. In addition, almost fifty foreign nationals were found to be living in Kyrgyzstan without the necessary legal documentation, and two of them have been deported.
The Tatar festival of Sabantui, which was earlier planned for last weekend when I was Naryn, was moved to tomorrow, so it looked as if I could go after all. Yesterday, I got a phone call to say that, as it is the anniversary of the Osh events, it’s being postponed once more, until next week.
There has been some attention paid to the relationships between the various players on international stage here in Central Asia. The Americans, (and their allies), are concentrating on arrangements for the support of their troops in Afghanistan, and in particular on the necessary facilities for the withdrawal that should take place over the next two years. Kyrgyzstan, in the person of President Atambaev, has repeatedly given the Americans notice to quit their transit base at Manas, but there have been the odd interesting indications that “something” will need to be in place after 2014 – but no specific details. Kyrgyzstan has apparently signed the international agreement sanctioning arrangements for facilitating the withdrawal, but it hasn’t yet been presented to Parliament.
In what was, perhaps, one of the odder stories of the week, an official has suggested that Bishkek authorities should start inspecting the cargoes passing through the Manas transit base. Just as Kyrgyzstan once straddled several of the routes that went to make up the Great Silk Road, today it is supposed to straddle the main drug trafficking routes from Afghanistan, through Central Asia to Europe and beyond and he seems to think that as neither cargo nor personnel can be searched under the present arrangements, it would been ideal corridor for the tranaport of narcotics. It has been suggested that perhaps he’s been to the cinema and seen the Ridley Scott film, “American Gangster” which depicted a similar plot – and I suppose he has a point. Sometimes it is not clear if Art imitates Life or vice versa. On the other hand, I think it might not be as straight forward as it seems … after all, even Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins had to pass through customs and complete a declaration form when they got back from the moon …
Russia continues to be seen as a strategic partner, but in another of the odder pieces of news during the week, an opposition MP decided to criticize Prime Minister Babanov over the foreign visits he’s been making. Asking, in particular, Why he hasn’t he been to Russia? but has been to Arab states which have been supporting the unrest brought about in the Arab Spring, something with which Russia would be displeased. In reply, the Prime Minister pointed out that Russia has not been ignored by Kyrgyz authorities, as the President has been there. There was no point, he said, in duplicating efforts and he had been trying to develop relationships wioth as wide a range of countries as possible. However, it has also been pointed out that he and Prime Minister Medvedev have held detailed discussion s on a variety of issues, and … yes, he will be making an official visit to Russia … soon.
It seems that he won’t be alone. Apparently, there are some 14,000 people lining up to travel to Russia, but not just for a visit, not even as “migrant workers”; they are looking to emigrate.
China is still interested in Central Asia’s vast reserves of natural resources, in the transit corridor to boost its trade with Europe and in creating a stable buffer between itself and militant Islam which might cause problems for it in Xinjiang. The Kyrgyz are quite keen to develop this, but it’s not going to be plain sailing.
There seems to have been a fair amount of attention paid this week to Ukraine and Georgia, both are often held up as examples of reform. If the government seems intent on pursuing membership of the Customs Union with Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus, then a different proposal to create a Kyrgyz-Georgian Free Trade Agreement was turned down by the parliament.
The conditions in which the border guards live has also attracted a lot of attention – we’ve recently had the Border Guards’ Day, one of the series of Professional Holidays we inherited from the Soviet system – low pay, poor facilities at the remote posts such as Torugart and Irkeshtam. As it happens it has been announced that the Kyrgyz and Tajik governments have decided to give the Dushanbe-Jirgtal-Karamik-Sarytash road the status as an “International Road”, which means that there will be one more point where it will be possible to cross the border. That should please the Germans who should be able to get their supply convoy to their troops in Afghanistan without being held up at the border.
There was also good news for Issyk Kul … in that the Kazakhs have also agreed to open the Karakara and Kichi Kapka checkpoints, (the first for the start of the season – in other words, by the end of the month – and the second one in August). All that is well and good, and has to welcomed as a positive move. I can’t help wondering, however, why there is a tendency for everything to be left to the last moment.
On the domestic front, there have been quite a few allegations flying around and, as usual, it is difficult to know what to make of some of them. One of the deputies has asked for the publication of people whop received loans at special preferential rates, claiming that relatives of officials had received loans at 7% whilst “ordinary people” were being charged 20%. In another example, it was claimed that two million dollars had been transferred from the major mobile telephone operator to accounts in Europe operated by firms run by the sons of former President Otunbaeva and the former Director of the company who is currently detained in prison whilst the affairs of the company are being investigated. One of them denies any knowledge of the firms, accounts or money (well, that’s to be expected, isn’t it), but the other is still, at least as far as I am aware, a schoolboy; so I doubt if he is running any firms in Europe, even if he has a three month summer holiday at the moment.
A couple of stories emerged during the week about Kyrgyz tradition and customs which raised a few eyebrows … first of all, President Atambaev made some comments about the Hijab, saying that it wasn’t traditional Kyrgyz dress. (As it happens there is a growing number of women adopting it as a form of dress, and an item on this trend was featured recently on the website of IWPR - International War and Peace Reporting). One of the deputies challenged this saying that it was indeed and rather pointedly adding: “Yesterday, the President talked about hijab. He probably does not know much on this issue.” Hmmm.
In another, an attempt to amend the law and increase the penalties for ala kaachu, “bride kidnapping”, (in particular imposing a 10 year prison sentence), was somewhat stymied by male MPs who made speeches opposing the measure. Their argument was basically that the proposed terms of imprisonment were too draconian and out of proportion… with one apparently saying something like the prisons would soon be full if the measure was passed; there “is simply not enough room for all those guilty of bride kidnapping” (!)
Perhaps more seriously there are, potentially, some shocks waiting in the economy. Whereas there are some positive signs, (such as talk about opening a new Turkish bank; the construction of an oil processing plant and a pipeline to carry Kazakh oil to China; tax collection is up, raising more than expected; average salaries have also risen, some 36% year on year to 10165 som, (a little over 200 dollars), and the number or “registered unemployed has fallen), on the other hand, growth has slowed down since the beginning of the year – quite considerably … GDP has fallen some 6.4% compared to the same period last year. Apparently 92% of the elderly live below the poverty line – their pension below the official minimum subsistence level of 4166 some – just under 90 dollars. The Minister of Finance has also warned that the budget could also face a few problems as a number of measures planned have not yet been implemented.
Apparently, as I said earlier, it is almost certain that Nero wasn’t responsible for the Great fire of Rome and didn’t fiddle whilst the flames engulfed vast stretches of the city, that he managed to rebuild the city, salvaging much from the ruins of the burned out city and palaces. Although he is still considered to be an unattractive and insidious character, I can’t help hoping that we have learned enough lessons from him and his particular epoch to avoid making the same mistakes. But sometimes I wonder.
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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 were postcards about:
- Waterfalls - A list of some of the most romantic and attractive landscape features in Kyrgyzstan
- AIESEC - An international student organization
- Ulitsa Frunze - A walk along one of the main streets in Bishkek
- An early start to the day - Wednesday saw the Transit of Venus, but to see it, I would have to get up early
- Manap Biy - the background to another statue, this time in Tokmok
- Invest in me – Last week I came across a catalogue of potential investment projects in the Naryn oblast …
It is now possible to follow me on Facebook, (where I have specific pages for Celestial Mountains and ianbek … and also links.kg and Kyrgyz Diary), and on twitter, (@Bishkekpostcard and @celestialMTC ).
Bishkek