Postcard from Bishkek

Amongst the questions that I am often asked are: how did I come to be here in Kyrgyzstan?, how long have I been here?, how often do I get back home?, and don’t I miss England?

The answer to the first is a long story, and and as I have told it elsewhere in other postcards I won’t repeat it here and now.  The answer to the second usually elicits a few gasps – it is now 17 years and that’s almost the longest I have ever spent in any one place.  The third answer also results in exclamations; the last time was in 2005 … and the time before that was in 2000.   When it comes to the fourth question, I have to admit that there are some things … things that were common place back home but are difficult to come across here. such as Marmite and Branston Pickle, Polo Mints and Cadbury’s Cream Eggs … but, to be honest … there’s not all that much.  Apart from the fact that the world is now a “global village”, I always joke that I live in “the real world – in the here and now”.

It’s probably at this time of year, however, when I most feel the differences between the world in which I grew up and the one one in which I now live.  At the beginning of September, (and possibly sometime around Christmas).

For twenty years I worked as a schoolteacher in Britain … and at the beginning of September it was always “Back to School”, … or, another way of looking at it, of course, was “back to the grindstone.”  The summer wasn’t yet over, it was still warm and bright.  The kids were always “clean and bright”.  Maybe they weren’t always eager and “happy to greet us”, but there was always an atmosphere of new starts and fresh beginnings.  For twenty years it was part of my routine and it was so ingraioned that it is something I do miss.

The first day of school was usually the first Thursday in September, (unless that was actually the first of the month).  Here, school always starts on September 1st, come what may.  This year, 01/09 – or should that be 09/01 – falls on a Saturday, but that’s no problem … everyone turns up regardless.  Just as back home, not much work actually gets done that particular day … there are parades of the new first graders (that’s seven year olds here), dolled up in their best clothes – with brand new satchels and the girls sporting bows in their hair.  They are quite lucky because they get a “party”, everyone else has lessons in “Peace Studies”.

This September we are in the process of making a new start in more ways than one … the government has basically collapsed as two of the parties wrote to the speaker saying that they were withdrawing from the coalition and the President has been forced to ask one of the parties to conduct negotiations to try and form a new one.  In the meantime, the government continues in office in an acting, caretaker, capacity.

The largest party in the parliament, Ata Jurt which is strongest in the south of the country, seems to have been sidelined in the negotiations.  The Prime Minister’s Respublica party has said that they won’t participate in the new coalition if Ata Meken, the party that forced the issue of no-confidence, is going to be included and it seems that have come to an agreement with the Social Democrats and Ar Namys.

There seems to be some recriminations within the Repspublica party as there have been calls to expel Babanov, the Prime Minister, and reinstate some members who had recently been excluded from membership.

It looks as the negotiations have come to some sort of fruition and the Parliament are due to meet on Monday – September 3rd – in order to formalise the arrangement.

That all seems a little strange to me, coming from a British background where the situation is usually much more clear cut, (I did say “usually”), and I constantly have to remind myself of Italy’s record number of post war governments and Belgium’s recent history of not having a formal government whilst they try to sort out their internal divisions.

In other words, the lack of a government does not necessarily mean chaos …

On the other hand … the end of August brought an announcement in the media that one of the political analysts was suggesting there could be an attempted coup on Monday.  Groups of “athletic” sportsmen had been gathering in the far South and would be making their way up to the capital over the Independence Day weekend.   The plan seems top have been to block the entrances to the Parliament and demand the dissolution of the parliament.  Needless to say, there have been official denials and there has been a heavy security presence in the lead up to and over the holiday.

It’s not only the alleged plotters who want the parliament dismissed.  The former Prosecutor General has decided that the time is ripe to re-enter the fray of public life.  He has also called for the parliament to be dismissed and made claims about different corrupt schemes that, he suggests, have been an integral part of public life over the last 21 years, since Kyrgyzstan declared its independence.

Another opponent of the establishment has been arrested for declaring a Jihad against the government and, in particular, President Atambaev for breaking various aspects of Shari’a law in a video broadcast over the internet back in June.   It seems that he was particularly incensed by the President’s veneration for the Kyrgyz national folk hero, Manas, and overseeing the erection of monuments to him.

As it happens, President Atambaev is probably feeling reasonably confident that nothing’s about to happen … as after the Independence Day celebrations yesterday, he set off to Urumqi on an official visit.

One of those celebratory events was the ceremony to raise the Kyrgyz flag at the newly constructed “tallest flagpole in the country” which has been erected on a mountain just outside Bishkek.   At 75 meters high, it will only be the third tallest flagpole in the CIS, (Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan have taller ones).  The flag itself is huge, at 337 square meters,  made of silk it weighs 50kg and cost eight million som – although that was donated by a bank which acted as sponsor.  It is seen as being symbolic of the hope and faith for a better future, well-being and prosperity of the country.  Despite all the fuss being made with the country’s three top politicians in attendance at the inauguration ceremony, (President, Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament), it’s not actually an “official flag” – the country’s “official flags” are flown in the main squares in Bishkek and Osh.

Whenever there are big events or monuments are erected, there seems to be much made of the fact that little or no money from the budget is spent on them … they are self-financing or paid for by sponsorship.  There has been considerable comment from on high that too much is expected from the state – and that presumably means from the state coffers.  In recent weeks there has been comments about how the country is becoming dependent on handouts from the state in the form of benefits, (what we, in the UK, used to call the “nanny state” … and this week saw the announcement that this year some 275 children have become dependants of the state), there are moves for introduce compulsory insurance so that the state doesn’t have to step in whenever disaster strikes and this week President Atambaev sounded a warning note this week saying that we mustn’t expect too much from the state.

 

The peace of the local community has also been disturbed down in one of the Tajik enclaves which is surrounded by Kyrgyz territory.  According to press reports, it seems that some locals from the enclave have been pelting Kyrgyz vehicles with stones causing some damage.  The authorities, however, seem to have negotiated some compromise including compensation for the damage.  It’s hard to tell from the press reports if it is just a storm in a teacup or a symptom of a greater problem.

Perhaps more pressing is the situation surrounding the embassy of Belarus in Bishkek.  The photographs of Janysh Bakiev apparently safe and sound and enjoying life in Minsk have aroused bad feelings and tension.  Protests have taken place outside the embassy, including some stone throwing which has broken some windows.  The Kyrgyz ambassador to Minsk may have been recalled for consultations, but his counterpart is remaining in place, although Bishkek has been asked to ensure the safety of the building and staff.

 

Protests certainly seem to be back on the agenda.  Although it used to be said that the Kyrgyz got het up in Spring, as in 2005 and 2010, and things would go quiet in the heat of the summer … it seems as if  this year things might be a little different.  A televised auction, organised to distribute mining licenses, (for exploration rather than exploitation), was disrupted by a crowd of demonstrators and had to be called off.  Thirty four companies were bidding for twelve licenses, mainly for gold, but also coal and other metals.  The protesters had held a press conference calling for the auction to be called off, then broke into the studio just before the auction was scheduled to begin.  They seemed to be objecting to the “sale” of the country’s “sub soil” … to foreigners, calling for a ban on “foreign investors from geological exploration”.   The Geological agency pointed out that the land wasn’t being sold, only the right to “work” it and several, including the Prime Minister, pointed out that the protest would be damaging to the prospect of attracting future investors.

It is not as if the Mining industry hasn’t seen enough disruption and controversy in the past.  Kumtor is still undergoing the external international “audits” of it’s operations, one of which, at least, has run into problems:  The investigation into the company’s record on environmental issues has run into a problem because there’s a dispute as to who should collect the raw data.  In the meantime, the company’s share price is still suffering from the continuous uncertainty.

Another story about the economy caused a stir during the week.  An official made a statement which was reported in the media, that Kyrgyzstan was in danger of default.  It brought about an almost instantaneous denial from another official from the Ministry of Finance.  Kyrgyzstan is well and capable and on course for fulfilling all of its obligations.

 

To return to the theme of education for a moment … as well as the new school that was built down south by Kazakhstan, the Chinese have announced that they are also going to open a school, starting with a Kindergarten, which will work in Chinese.

 

Anyway, according to the posts on various outlets of “social media”, Kyrgyzstan has adopted a new brand, logo and slogan which it will use to try and position itself as a potential destination in the ever increasingly competitive global tourism market place.

Most of the elements are symbolic and draw on traditional Kyrgyz motifs, portraying a lake such as Issyk Kul and the mountains, petroglyphs and even a letter “K”.  Although, most of the colours are not traditional Kyrgyz colours, they are bright and cheerful and should appeal to a wide variety of people regardless of age, socio-economic or cultural background.  They make an interesting compromise between the relaxing pastel colours that are suggestive of Sun, Sand, Sea type of vacations and more active Adventure holidays.

The slogan that goes with the design is, “So much to discover!“.   I quite like that … although it is a lot better than it was seventeen years ago when I first came out here, it seems to me that there are still far too many people that have absolutely no idea that there is place called Kyrgyzstan, yet alone where it is or anything about the the history, geography, landscape, wildlife, culture or any other aspect of the place, the people who live here or the lives that they lead.  This slogan is powerful in declaring, “There IS so much to discover …” and at the same time there is a hint of an invitation “… come and discover it with us!”

 

 

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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:

• Celebrating Man’s Best Friend  – a special post to commemorate National Dog Day … which, although being an American creation,  seems to be adopted by several countries around the world … but not yet Kyrgyzstan;
• Ogurtsy Sandwiches - apparently, scientists have now confirmed what we already knew, that one of the best things for keeping cool on a hot summer’s day is a plate of Cucumber  Sandwiches;
• Dividing the nation - A jibe from one of the American presidential candidates about the tactics adopted by his opponent’s campaign sparked these thoughts about the vagaries of the electoral system;
• Maps - I could pore over maps maps for hours … but it wasn’t always easy to get maps of Kyrgyzstan;
• Energy - The energy sector is said to be one of the wings of the eagle that is the Kyrgyz economy;
• The Forgotten General - You might be forgiven for never having heard of Ysakbek Moniev, a Kyrgyz General and one one time Minister of Defence for the short lived Republic of East Turkestan, whose 110th anniversary fell on Friday.

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 ).

 

Tags: Expat, Life_in_Kyrgyzstan, Weekly_Postcards