by Faromarz Olamafruz, Botur Kosimi, and Mahina Mehrdod
7 July 2010
Rise, the people who are still asleep!
“East meeting West, North meeting South: since time immemorial, the Wakhan Valley, in the Pamir Mountains, has existed at the intersection of trails trodden by nomads, peddlers, pilgrims and, at times, the soldiers and emissaries of great powers. When I’d thought about traveling to see this rugged branch of the ancient Silk Road, it had seemed like an adventure to the far-flung periphery of the world. Now, as I looked around the market, taking the long view of history, it felt more like the center.”Certainly, we learn much from such perspectives of foreigners regarding our nation’s history and culture which makes us glad at the first look, but when thinking more deeply it makes us sad since then we realize how we, the Easterners, have noticeably fallen behind from Westerners in science, technology, world influence, and etc. It is while just 10 centuries ago our civilization was the most advanced and influential in practically all vital fields and regions of the world.
While an estimated 3 billion US dollars would be needed to complete the project as originally envisioned, with all six generating units, Tajik leaders are adamant that at least two units can be completed over the next five years using domestic funds.An un-Freedom of Information Act
Earlier this month, President Emomali Rahmon said he was confident that the Tajik people “will do everything they can to help complete” the Roghun project.
Tajik lawmakers have expanded the effort by calling on people to buy shares in Roghun that would be made available for trading on the country’s stock market in 2010.
According to Tajik media reports, public-sector workers in some areas have already begun contributing money to the Roghun project, while others, including the Islamic Renaissance Party, have announced their intention to purchase Roghun shares. (ENG)
In today’s world when every country and organization strives to improve its transparency, accountability and public access to its information in order to gain trust and support in society, the Tajik government once again decides to “swim against the stream.”
Just a few days ago, it issued a decree that envisions charging fees for reimbursement of the costs of providing information to organizations and public. The government is now allowing its offices, ministries, and agencies to require payment of about 10 cents per page or $10 dollars per 100 pages of information before providing it to anyone interested.
Unfortunately, this is happening in a country where average salary is roughly $70 dollars, most of the population don’t have easy or regular access to information and barely two dozen functioning newspapers and other media outlets are already struggling with financial difficulties and hardships in obtaining government-related information.
Although, in developed countries there are some fees for particular government services and processing, but there is nothing that restricts public access to the kind of information that should be readily and regularly available to anyone. Also, there are justified exceptions and privileges for journalists in foreign countries, but the Tajik government wants to impose plain restrictions to its information for everybody.
Evidently, this decree is designed to create a “safety zone” for Tajik government from its own people, make information access expensive and unaffordable for media and push more of them to edge of bankcrupcy and closesure, and generally, keep the population less informed and undereducated, so the ruling “gangsters” can continue robbing their nation, destroying the state, and walking unpunished.
Such action shamelessly defies the notion that in a democratic state government is elected by people and serves its people, but not vice versa. It is absolutely right, as one Tajik journalist noted, that especially in Tajikistan people cannot be expected to pay for government service twice as they already pay government to work through taxes.
Therefore, this is absolutely unacceptable and harmful for a country that has chosen democratic path to development and which, on the contrary, seriously needs to improve transparency, public access to information, and media coverage of its population to achieve its goals.
The Tajik government should immediately recall this decree and in fact, reverse it with additional order to its officials to make sure they conduct weekly or monthly press briefings, maintain highly active and responsive public relations departments, and conduct vigorous collection and distribution of data, information, and analysis regarding government activity.
Only by promoting information access, transparency, and accountability can this Tajik government increase its chances for regaining the trust and support of its own people and of international community that it has lost and improve its image in order to attract big domestic and foreign investments.
President Rahmon must understand that he cannot force Tajik people to buy shares for Roghun construction and join efforts in building such immense and important powerhouse, but in market economy and free society any cooperation can exist only through gaining trust and support which can be achieved exactly by broadening public access to information, transparency of plans, and accountability for ones own actions.
By announcing decree to restrict access to information and at the same time demanding from population to buy shares in Roghun power plant, it looks like this regime wants to tell us “Don’t ask, bring the money.” But doesn’t it remind everyone of the way gangsters deal with issues? I hope they know how gangsters end up, though.
In summary, the Tajik government likes to take “one step forward, but two steps backwards.” While previous decrees which obligated government offices and ministries to conduct regular press conferences as well as be responsive to public remarks circulated in media were steps forward, certainly this step is a backwards one.
Although, I have not had a chance to thoroughly acquaint myself with this new draft of law and in spite of many flaws and unclear aspects in the text of the draft that fortunately Darius has revealed for us, I believe it is still a step forward. If the attempt of government is sincere and patriotic it can be a useful and significant deed, but if this is another game of politics related to visit of Russian leader and somehow to negotiate a bargain, it will certainly further ruin the trust and reputation of current government.
Obviously, in the country where 80% of population speak one language there should be no need to have another language to carry out jobs, duties and official communication. For example, in US, France, Japan and majority of countries worldwide there is one language designated as official or state language which every citizen is obligated to learn and use. It is English or French that is expected to be spoken in all major events including people of various ethnicities. So, anyone who had contributed to accepting the law on Tajik language some 20 years ago, made a big mistake and showed a great disrespect to their own language and identity.
In fact, the language is a main determinant of every nation’s existence and future prospects. Also, it is a basis for national unity, because if the standard language of the state is brought closer to the language that ordinary people speak in different regions of its territory it will enhance sense of national unity among them. Therefore, I believe that teachings in all educational institutions of the state should be conducted in state/official language. People who study and get education in other languages will have much difficulty getting absorbed and involved in their society, so they will feel isolated and unequal members of the communities they live in. All conditions should be made available so that every citizen first learns and knows the state/national language and then they are free to choose whichever language they want to pursue for their own needs and goals. If the language of communication between people of different ethnicities in formal settings is not the official state language itself than problems will inevitably arise for the status of national/official language. For instance, Russian speaker in Tajikistan will never have incentive to learn Tajik language, because he will rather use Russian when communicating with people of different ethnicity rather than using official language. That’s the fine line contradiction, but it can play a significant role.
When the role of language as guarantor of nation’s existence is provided, we will need to try to maintain its growth so that it keeps up with pace of modern world developments. This part of problem is harder to address, but not less important. Since promoting Tajik language in separation from other major Persian dialects, Farsi in Iran and Dari in Afghanistan, will not be right or easy anyways, we should try to cooperate more with these two brotherly nations in order to keep our common language enriched, strengthened and updated. Though we have not yet decided to change back to our Persian/Farsi writing script. This will be one of the main ways to save our Tajik language from degraded and disadvantaged condition it is nowadays. Hopefully, this new law will have a section that will envision protecting the status of Tajik language in Uzbekistan and Pashtun-dominated Afghanistan.
Lastly, for anyone who thinks that the issue of language is not priority in paving our way out from current desperate situation the country is in right now, I can say that until we learn and master our language we will not be able ever to stand up, ask, and demand for our rights and choices in a civilized, organized, and effective manner. We can never get out of misery until we are able to communicate effectively with each other.