Independent Kyrgyzstan

In the period since Kyrgyzstan declared Independence from the Soviet Union, much has happened - it has been a time of upheaval and change, nation building and revolution.

Following Independence came the process of building a nation.  The traditional trappings statehood (a flag, a state seal - or gerp, a new national anthem, a new currency - the Som, a new constitution and so ) were all adopted.  The move towards strengthening the Kyrgyz language continued: It was declared the State language and Russian as an Official language, and there are calls from Kyrgyzstan's significant Uzbek population for the Uzbek language to granted the same status.  Russian is used for most "inter-ethnic" communication, and is still widely used, especially in the North.  Many official documents are prepared in both languages - but where a Kyrgyz version exists, it is considered to the be the original authoritative version - which can cause problems when there are discrepancies between them. 

There was a change in approach - the President of the new republic declared that under the old system "Everything was prohibited unless it was explicitly permitted", but the new approach was to be that "Everything is permitted unless it is explicitly prohibited".  However, as the old adage puts it, "old habits die hard".  In many cases the institutions of the former Soviet Union, (and the civil servants that manned them), formed the basis of those for the new republic and as such many of the personnel implementing the new policies were the same as those who implemented the old policies - with the same psychology which considered the state as the source of all which was needed for maintaining the populace and maintaining social order.  There was/is still a tendency to prefer that the state should "control" many aspects of life - economic, social and even, on occasion, personal.

Nevertheless, Kyrgyzstan was hailed as an "Island of Democracy", (one British newspaper calling the Kyrgyz - "the nice guys of Central Asia"), and showered with attention from the West in the form of advice and aid (financial, technical, military and other).  Sometimes the aid was in the form of grants, but often in the form of loans which have to be repaid, which has led to a growing national debt.  Some of this aid was bi-lateral, (i.e. from government to government) and some multilateral, (for example through an agency such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development - otherwise known simply as "The European Bank" or the acronym, EBRD).  

The government of President Akaev listened to the advice of many foreign experts, and there were several "special advisors" appointed.  He moved the country away from the Central Controlled economy of the Soviet System towards one based on the principles of a "Free Market Economy".  At first the population were all in favour - probably hoping and expecting to see an improvement in living standards sto reflect the American television serials (such as Santa Barbara) that were now available.  After years of practical isolation, the country opened up to foreign investment, and foreign tourism.

Several large projects were entered into, such as the Kumtor gold mine, which has proved to be the country's greatest earner - so that official economic statistics are often quoted in two forms - with, and without, Kumtor.

Unfortunately, the population was not really warned that the Free Market Economy also had negative aspects which meant that loss making enterprises would be declared bankrupt and go out of business.  Many factories, bereft of the subsidies from Moscow to which they had become accustomed and the sudden disappearance of traditional markets as borders were erected and enforced, were forced into closure.

The mounting debt led to a serious dispute when the government were invited to considered for participation in the HIPC (Highly indebted Poor Countries) programme by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in 2007.  There had already been several special arrangements for rescheduling the country's debt.  The new proposal offered that, in exchange for certain undertakings on issues such as reducing corruption, large amounts of the country's debt would be "forgiven".  Amidst rising public agitation and indignation to what was seen as an insult to the new nation, equating it with small island nations in the Caribbean or Africa, the government withdrew from negotiations.

One prominent politician mounted a campaign drawing upon the wartime practice of donating valuables to the war effort and arranged for a fund and bank account for the population to donate funds to be earmarked for repaying the country's debt.  Unfortunately there weren't that many donations.  Partly because of the rampant poverty of the general population.  Although the standard of living in the main cities, especially the capital - Bishkek - might suggest that the economy was in good shape - in the villages many people were still living below the poverty line, with low salaries, inadequate water supply.

Several plans and strategies were devised to try and alleviate the poverty, but it has been difficult to implement them efficiently.     

The ethnic tensions which have been evident in the region for many centuries still existed.  In order to overcome ethnic issues, with an eye on the ethnic mix of the country's population and the number of emigrations amongst Russians and German's in particular, President Akaev coined the slogan "Kyrgyzstan - nash obshe dom" - "Kyrgyzstan, our common home".   The emigration continued and still goes through spurts where increases.  In recent years a number of ethnic Kyrgyz have also become "economic migrants" becoming "guest workers" in countries such as Russia, Kazakhstan, China and Korea - sadly, not always living in the best of conditions.  However, the money that they remit back to their families in Kyrgyzstan is of great benefit o both, the families concerned and to the economy as a whole, but it has led to comments about a serious "brain drain", (similar to that between New Zealand and Australia, where many of the young graduates migrate in order to seek a better life in the bigger economy of their neighbour).

The emphasis on the Kyrgyz language has a double-edged effect.  Whilst it builds and fosters national pride and identity it also encourages concern and even fear amongst some of the other nationalities.  In particular, there have been calls in recent years from Kyrgyzstan's significant Uzbek population for the Uzbek language to granted the same status in order to safeguard their position in the country.  

In addition there has been a rise in  religious awakening.  Although, in general, the Kyrgyz population are nominally Muslim, (with several throwbacks to an earlier Shamanistic past), and the Russian population nominal Orthodox Christianity, after seventy years of the "official atheism" of the Soviet Union, the new freedoms offered by the new republic has encouraged a growing spiritual awareness.  This has led to a growing tendency towards a revival in Islam within various aspects of life: new mosques are being built; principals of Islamic Banking are being introduced; there have been calls for recognizing polygamy as provided for by Muslim tradition; there were even suggestions that the provision for the country to be a "secular" country to be removed from the constitution.

There has also a rise in Muslim militancy.  The Pamir mountains have long provided a haven for bands of rebels such as the Basmachi.  Since 1999, they have provided the backdrop for a number of incidents where members of militant organizations have tried concentrated their efforts for bringing about a new Caliphate in the region.  The Kyrgyz government have adopted a cautious approach in the face of this tendency: Religious activities are monitored; Hizb ut Tahrir leaflets confiscated and sometimes "agitators" arrested.  After the events in New York on September 11th, 2001, the Kyrgyz government immediately offered their condolences to the people of America and within a few months an American airbase was established on Kyrgyz soil, to be followed by a Russian one at Kant.   

As time passed, problems and intensified.  The promises of a better life seemed to recede into the distance rather than come any nearer, at least for most of the population.  The Akaev presidency was bedevilled by the apparent central role being taken by his family - "privatising" business interests - and the pervasiveness of corruption.  One time political allies became seen as threats or rivals and sidelined.  In 2002 a protest rally resulted in the deaths of a number of the participants - and although the government almost fell as a result, no-one was indicted for any wrong-doing.     

The level of public dissatisfaction with the government culminated in what was perhaps the "defining moment" in the history of the Kyrgyz Republic on March 24th, 2005 - The Tulip Revolution.   The new government which was installed following the Revolution also seemed doomed to repeating the lessons of history.  New reforms seemed to go in parallel rumour and counter-rumour; divisions between one time friends and allies - even between relatives; disputes with international investors;  economic crisis coupled with an energy crisis; assassination and  ... so it goes on.

Having highlighted the "problems", however, it would be wrong to omit mention of the positive, or at least neutral, changes that have been brought about since independence, such as:

• In many ways the economy is improving - and despite the fact that many still live below the poverty line, there are many people who do have more disposable income - as evidenced by the number of vehicles, and mobile phones; the level of internet access and usage - which is amongst the highest in the region;
• Many laws and regulations which governed different activities have been relaxed - the society is much more open than it used to be;
• There is a growing pride and awareness amongst the population of many cultural, social, spiritual and political identity and activity;