My Uzbek professor recently came back from Tashkent, and brought back a copy of Prezidentga Maktublar, a collection of letters written to President Karimov. I thought this migh be interesting for those who may not get a chance to see primary source Uzbek propaganda. I’ll first transcribe the letter I have in Uzbek and then give a (probably bad) translation. –Nathan
Assalomu alaykum, hurmatli Islom aka!
Andijon shahrida bo’lgan fojiali voqealarni eshitib, biz ham halqimiz qatori iztirobga tushdik. Yuz yoshdan oshgan bobom Tovmurod ota, yetmish yashar otam, o’g'lim, qo’ni-qo’shnilar – qo’ying-chi, hammamiz bezovta bo’ldik.
Biz Sizga, davlatimizning oqiloha siyosatiga ishongan holda, bu jinoiy harakatlar qonun yo’li bilan tezda hal etilishi, jinoyatchilar jazosini olishiga ishondik. Shunday bo’ldi ham. Lekin, ayrim xorijiy ommaviy axborot vositalarining xabarlaridan ranjidik. Chunki O’zbekistan o’z ichki ishlarini o’zi hal eta oladi, mustaqil davlatimizning o’z kuchi, o’z salohiyati bor. Ular bo’lsa, uyalmay-netmay yolg’on-yashiq gaplarni tarqatib yuribdi.
Shuni aytish kerakki, Andijon voqeasi har birimiz uchun saboq bo’ldi, chin dost kimu dushman kimligini bilib oldik.
Sizga sog’liq-salomatlik tilab,
Tvmurodovlar oilasi nomidan hurmat bilan
Akbar Tovmurodov,
Navoiy viloyati,
Xatirchi tumani
2005 yil 24 may
——-
Assalomu alaykum, respected Islom!
We heard about the tragic events that took place in Andijon, and we, like our countrymen, fell into despair. My grandfather who is more than 100 years old, my 70 year old father, my son, my neigbhors — became disturbed.
Trusting in the wise policies of our government, we trust you to prosecute these criminal acts quickly and according to the law and to bring the criminals to justice. And so it will be. However, some foreign mass media outlets’ reports upset us. Because Uzbekistan has an independent government with its own strength and capabilities, it can settle its own affairs. They, however, shamelessly spread lies.
It is necessary to say that the Andijon events are a lesson to us all who are true friends and enemies are.
Wishing you great health,
In the name of the Tovmurodov family, with respect
Akbar Tovmurodov,
Navoiy Province
Xatirchi Tumen
May 24, 2005
This post was written by...
Nathan Hamm – author of 2040 posts on Registan.net.
Nathan founded Registan.net in 2003. He was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan 2000-2001 and received his MA in Central Asian Studies from the University of Washington in 2007. Since 2007, he has worked full-time as an analyst, consulting with clients on Central Asian affairs, specializing in how socio-cultural factors shape risks and opportunities. Follow him on Twitter or drop him a line.
{ 44 comments }
Thank you Nathan, want to cry and laugh at the same time while reading the letter. It is the fate of dictators to be afraid of their own people and talk to them only through detailed, thoroughly orchestrated events, speches, ministerial meetings or even worse through letters written by his own SNB killers.
From reading this letter I got the same emotion if I was reading one of those letters in which those guys in Jaslik say that they are part of Al-Qaida, were planning to blow up US embassy in Uzbekistan and etc.. all as a consequence of the torture, watching how their wives and sisters being raped in front of their eyes, and at the end ask Karimov to forgive them, ask for themselves capital punishment and we never hear from them again.
Tell me about it. It’s messed up.
There’s more I feel like saying about why I ended up with this letter from the book, but I generally don’t bring up anything having to do with people I see just about every day. (Because I know some of you are reading this!)
How’s the translation, by the way? And did I screw up anything when I transliterated from Cyrillic? (By the way, if the country’s supposed to switch to Latin, why can’t the government at least print its propaganda in the new alphabet?)
Translation from Cyrillic is great, apart from minor misspelling in two words ((h)netmay, I think it should be – yashin(q)).
Translation into English great as well, you could add – internal (in its own affairs).
Regarding the transition to Latin from Cyrillic, it is one of those stupidest reform agendas of Karimov, one of many reforms, although being stupid from the beginning, he didn’t finish once started, which made it a disaster for the population, why?.
Law on “Uzbek language” was adopted in 1989, it was supposed to make Uzbek language compulsory in all governmental written communications. More than 16 years have passed what happened, all the letters and analysis sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (and the Minister himself), Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investments (and the Minister himself), to the National Bank (Head of the Bank himself), Cabinet of Ministers (and the Prime Minister himself), the Presidents’ Apparatus and to the President himself are all written in Russian, why because most of these ass h…s can’t even speak in Uzbek normally, let alone write properly, because yesterday they were Communists, their parents were ministers and most of them had Russian education, studied in Russian and spoke Russian in the family as well. Then who uses Uzbek – Prosecutor General’s Office, pretty much all “Law enforcement” apart from some departments of SNB (foreign intelligence), State Taxation Committee (apart from some departments), all the courts and the Oliy Majlis – those who do what they are told, those who have almost no input to policy making.
If you are Uzbek and working for government, then you are disadvantaged in comparison to the Russian, Tatar, Korean because their Russian in comparison to yours is better of course. WHY? Because, at the beginning of the 1990′s, in the wave of the nationalistic sentiments Mr. Karimov sent a signal that Uzbek schools should not pay too much attention to Russian and think more about English, later because of the falling wages Russian language teachers left the schools which made the situation even worse, add to this the movement to the rejection of Cyrillic, children in Uzbek schools, from year 1-5 were and are transferred to Latin totally, most of them now can not read in Cyrillic, i.e. don’t know Russian. Now; books, literature in Latin is available, as I said for year 1-5 school students, from year 5 on upwards nothing, no real books in mathematics, physics, geography, chemistry…. real tough, required literature is all in Cyrillic Uzbek and Russian, in the University level as well. So what happens, Uzbek children have to retrain themselves again to Cyrillic to read books from the year 6 and upwards, i.e. they are taught to read and write in Latin and when it comes to gaining knowledge they are told to go and learn Cyrillic.
What about the Russian schools – they never taught Latin, never took it seriously and they were not punished for that, so at the end, the graduates of these schools know Russian, English and some of them German, do not have any problem when it comes to year 6 and upwards.
I hope that I could explained what Mr. Karimov did to the younger generation of Uzbeks, how he secured bright future of Uzbekistan with his reform.
Just an add-on in regard to Uzbek vs. Russian schools: it was my impression that, in some provincial centers at least (but, perhaps, not in Tashkent), the small number of Russian-language classes, probably introduced as a geniune reform, gained traction as a way for local education officials to earn corruption money. Once some ethnically-Uzbek parents decided that a Russian-language education was better for their children, demand went up and it became a way for the Gorono (or Raiono, in some cases Oblono, depending on the administrative subordination of the school) to make money. As with most “education” in Uzbekistan, the renewed love for Russian schools, I think, is more a prestige issue (“my child goes to a Russian school”, etc.) than anything else, though it is possible (as Rustam explained) that the typical Russian school is less bad than the typical Uzbek school.
Also, a question: are there Karakalpak language schools in Karakalpakstan?
The Uzbek school I taught at in Navoiy (Navoiy Viloyati Akademik Litseyi) was quite good. But comparing the Uzbek school I did my practicum at near Tashkent to the Russian school I taught at briefly in Navoiy, there’s no question about the higher quality of the Russian one.
Nathan is CIA-covert agent.
Rustam, harip birovlarni nag’orasiga o’ynama. Xalqingga sodiq bo’l, iymonsiz.
Really now? Care to tell me anything else I don’t know about myself? (I mean, not that it wouldn’t be nice to be an agent. I probably wouldn’t have to be taking out loans for school.)
And what are you? Internal affairs? Foreign affairs? I’d think they’d give you guys something better than dial-up. (Of course, I only know that because of my magical CIA powers.)
Whatever it is you are, you’re certainly not handy with Occam’s Razor and you’re most definitely lacking the testicular fortitude to use your name when making false accusations. I’d tell you to man up, Nancy, but there’s no sense banging my head against the wall.
You say propaganda, but that wouldn’t be surprising. What if this is authentic? That’s when everyone should start worrying, because the absence of freedom degenerates not only the state, but also its people…
There was a comment about advantages of knowing Russian in Uzbekistan, but in reality, this advantage is wiped off by discrimination and ethnic hatred. Why have I never seen posts with regard to these issues here?
“loans for school”
Put your loans into your dirty Uncle Sam ass donkey! Mind your own business and don’t meddle in the affairs of Uzbekistan, bustard. You wanna to exlpoit it and never mind no Uzbek will bow his/her head to you guys. Can you speak about what the hell is going on in your own country. You are losing your time by cutting and pasting GOOGLE alert news, and pretending that you know everything.
It was a bad guess that I’m using a dial-up, the arrogant!
Nathan, Thank you for translating the letter. It seems to have struck a chord. Maybe you can translate some other sections of the book, from time to time? My Uzbek is only very basic, one semester, but I can say to you: “Yaxshi!”
I’m reading Putnam’s “Bowling Alone” now, in which he argues that web-based interaction is no substitute for real-life since, among other things, people say things to each other on the internet that they could never, to someone’s face. Here you’ve got Nodir telling you to insert money into Uncle Sam’s donkey bank, and earlier, Rustam expressed his sincere wish that I experience the sensation of being mowed down by automatic gunfire, which in my memory is the worst thing anyone has ever said to me.
The letter along with the earlier post on polling — as well as the suggestion that one has to be a CIA agent to take an interest in an interesting country — raises the question of the ability of the general population to parse information and draw their own conclusions, that is, critical thinking. The propaganda is coarse, but is it possible that the population on a whole has a limited ability to even ask basic questions, like why would the U.S. support Islamic terrorists? It’s certainly a fact that even if they were to think of these questions, there’s little opportunity to air them and hear alternate answers, dulling the ability to interpret critically propaganda. And as an earlier poster pointed out, even if pollsters are extremely discrete and professional, why in the world would an Uzbek citizen give a comment that’s off message? And since they can’t express any point of view other than the party line, might they actually then begin to internalize the message?
Wow, Nodir’s got some issues. So, moving right along…
I have no doubts about this letter being authentic (or at least representative of an actual letter a citizen of Uzbekistan sent). I have heard the sentiment expressed in the letter from my own parents-in-law, who regard any news report critical of the Uzbek government in this area as being a product of the “Yellow Press.” And they’re ethnic Russians…
People believe what they want to believe about their governments. This is true in every country the world over. The difference is that in some countries you can get arrested for expressing your beliefs.
On the subject of language usage, cities like Tashkent and Navoi are relatively Russian-friendly compared to, say, Qarshi or Kokand. Of course, Navoi is an exception to the rule because of NGMK. Even so, my wife (who is an ethnic Russian) says that Navoi has become much more Uzbek-oriented in the last few years. During her visit there in the fall, she says she drew some stern looks from people when she spoke Russian rather than Uzbek, and was refused service on a couple of occasions. That would never have happened 10 years ago.
By the way, Nathan, do you really have a dirty Uncle Sam ass donkey? If so, I might suggest cleaning it up. No one likes a dirty one.
Dear Nodir,
I hope that there will come a time, when I will look straight into your eyes, with the God’s help, I will be able to hold myself from breaking your neck with my bear hands and get a place in the hell, where people like you and those who you serve will surely find yourselves very soon for the things that you have been doing in my country, with my people.
I am Uzbek, I am talking and minding my business, my seven generations lie in peace in Uzbekistan, God willing my sons and daughters will live in Uzbekistan, I love my country and my people and I am not going to let parasites like you to destroy everything what I and my generations before me have worked for.
People like you, bastards of SNB and your patrons, always hide behind the patriotism when it comes to face the truth, to put forward any solid argument to deny the facts.
The biggest reason that I hate ass wholes and killers, pseudo patriots like you Nodir is that they can not say where I am wrong, when these dicks can not put forward fact that would show Nathan and everyone else here that I am wrong but hide behind these intangible, useless words.
Only people like you and your boss Karimov can beg the Bush and his neocons, kiss their assess, perform a perfect blow job just yesterday and shamelessly express your disgust towards them today, express shock and disbelief to what Wolfowits is doing in WB towards you. You killers and liars should know that when you make a deal with the devil you should keep on playing with the devil’s rules and watch your back constantly.
You dare talk about “iymon”, what do you know about it, do you son of a bitch believe in the end of your rule, your time, that tomorrow there will be a judgement day, that almighty God is there watching you, do you have a sense of justice, sense of morality in you, do you Nodir believe in truth, do you care about the tears of mothers, widows and orphans, do you think about it, do you hear screams of our brothers and sisters who were shot dead in Andijon and being boiled to death in prisons in your dreams, do you?????
Who are you son of a bitch, qanjiq, to speak for me, for my sisters and my brothers, for my friends and for the “Xalq”. “No one will bow his/her head to you” -to whom, You used condom?
Before trying to show yourself to have dignity and honour, think about what I told you above about how you whores were giving a blow job to Bush & Co repeatedly and now how you are doing it to Putin, not only giving your asses, about which I could not care less because whores are whores, but you bastards are giving out for free all the wealth that belongs to us, Uzbeks, not to Karimov, to his killers and bastards and certainly not to the professional whore Gulka.
Nathan really sorry for the content but want to put Nodir into his place, so that the next time he would ask permission before he speaks.
I know one thing and one thing only, these bastards like Nodir, do not understand the language of tolerance, argument and truth, they are sure 1000% that the true way is theirs’. Therefore I say that you should fight them the way they are fighting you, with the lies and fists and guns in necessary, they should be dealt with decisively and ruthlessly. It is either them or Uzbekistan and now Central Asia. There are really disturbing rumours that Karimov is really planning “September 11” in Uzbekistan with the real repercussions for the whole CA.
Rustam, he deserves it. I’d be pretty damned pissed if someone said to me what he said to you.
Laurence, I’ll see if I can get the book. I just had that one letter out of it.
I don’t doubt the letter’s authentic either. Al, I still think that the book put together is propaganda.
And no, I don’t have a Uncle Sam ass donkey, just two Uncle Sam ass cats. They keep pretty clean.
Dolkun, I believe that, yes, people do begin to “internalize” the party line over time.
Critical thinking is generally frowned upon in Uzbek Universities. Original thought is disdained. Many ordinary people are actually suspicious of it, and I think this was true of the culture to an extent even before Soviet influence. (Read the Diary of Muhammad Sharif-I Sadr-I Ziya and his description of the Bukharan response to reform efforts of any kind.)
If you teach a university-level class in Uzbekistan, you will generally find the students to be bright and very capable mimics. They have been trained in the art of regurgitating the required material. Ask a university freshman to write an essay that expresses his opinion on an issue and support it with original research, however, and you’ll find yourself in the middle of a train wreck.
Don’t get me wrong. I sincerely love those students that I taught. Fantastic people. Many of them very gifted, as they had to meet certain language and academic standards to even get into the program. But I was surprised at how many of my otherwise highly intelligent freshman students seemed genuinely befuddled at the suggestion that part of their responsibility as a citizen should be to think critically — about their government, their educators, their futures, etc. — and that it wasn’t enough just to know that something was wrong, but it was important to know why.
Certainly no one can doubt that ‘Uzbeksitan is a country with a great future,’ but I find it sad that probably a third of my students no longer live in the country. While I can’t blame them for their decision to leave, to the extent that I — after encouraging them to use their intellects for something other than memorization — could not help them find a desire and a means to stay in Uzbekistan and be a part of its hoped-for transformation, I consider my efforts with them a partial failure.
Whoa, Rustam’s got some serious anger… the first sentence of your post made me smile. Something about that sheer fury that I gotta respect. Like watching Arnold Schwarzeneger in the movie Commando gun down Arius, the evil ex-president of Val Verde.
Nodir might not be MVD or SNB, he might just be a troublemaking kid or something.
Brian, I’m certain he’s neither just like I’m not with an intelligence service.
Also Brian, I feel that, based on what Nodir said in the Uzbek part of his comment, Rustam’s anger makes perfect sense. I’d probably slap a man who said something like that to me.
Oh, I understand, like I said I gotta respect that kind of rage. I would want Rustam on my side in a fight.
But whoever Nodir is… he doesn’t sound like a person to be taken too seriously. Come on, dirty Uncle Sam ass donkey?
Hey Nodirjon stop kissing Karimovs ASS man.
I understand that you probably came to this site by mistake and have to say somthing “ASSKISSING”
But come ON man that was to MUCH of kissing of Karimov’s old ASS man.LOL
This is what I have on my site
“Хотели бы вы увеличить размер члена?
Hell Yes ! So that I can piss On Islam Karimov from the US.(in case you don’t now, he is a president of Uzbekistan)
Po russki: Konechno da! Nastolko chtobi Ya smog possat na Islama karimova iz USA.
At “PISS ON ISLAM KARIMOV”club, we use the buddy system. No more pissing solo. You need somebody pissing with you at all times. Second off, you’re gonna learn to discipline your stream. You think I got where I am today because I pissed like Peter Pan?”
And this is kind of crap I get from people like Nodir
“Yannis 30 марта 2006 в 16:26
маму твою я ебал гнида пошёл на хуй!!!”
I’m sure Nodir knows that Karimov is an idiot.
My best regards
Azjon.
To Rustam
Hey, Rustamjon don’t be too upset about our ASSKISSING “friend” Nodir. Eshak miya nima devotkanini bilmaidi.
Azjon.
To you Nodir, if you are really stupid, about which I doubt, maybe there will something start to change in your brains, this is one of many:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3944.htm
Hey Rustam there is some more stuff that people live on my site.
“МАН БИРОВНИ ГИБАТИНИ КИЛУВЧИЛАР БИЛАН УМУМАН ГАПЛАШМАЙМАН. ХАЙИР УЗИНГИЗГА МОС ГИЙБАТЧИНИ ТОПИБ ГАПЛАШАВЕРИНГ ШУ ОНА ЮРТДА ЯШАБ ЮРТДОШЛАРИМНИ ЁМОНЛАМАЙМАН УНИ ГУНОХИ БУЛСА СИЗДА ГУНОХ ЙУКМИ ТУЗИНИ ЕБ ТУЗЛИГИГА ТУПИРИШ НОН КУРЛИК БУЛАДИ МАН СИЗИ ФИКРИНГИЗГА КУШИЛМАЙМАН УЗР ЯНА АЙТАМАН БУНАКА НАРСАЛАР ЯНИ ГИЙБАТЛАР КИЗИКТИРМАЙДИ ХАЙР!!!!! ” this was one crazy lady man.
Rustam that was in response to some nasty things I say about Karimov. But how can you say anything positive about that MF?
Hey guys,
Here is again the Nodir. I’m very proud that my previous blogs have created such a furor.
First of all below my humble comments, i.e. textual analysis of “aka Rustam’s” far from Okkam’s razor umozaklucheniy, however very lonely monologue “worth” of speaking standing right at the Hyde Park corner or somewhere in Central Park Square in NYC.
You sound very contradictory in your statements and even do not seem deeply comprehensible in what doo “tolerance”, “patriotism”, “iymon”, “truth”,”justice”, “morality”, “whore”
mean?
Unfortunately, I have to admit that you are very pitiful, emotional, virtual world dependent soul, indoctrinated by left-wing radical sites like ‘informationclearinghouse’ and other doubtful movements.
You possess no independent mind to judge and see a bigger picture what is going on in and around us.
However, I’m inclined to believe that the years will pass by and you will understand what did I really mean to you at the first beginning.
I’m very happy that what I wrote touched you at the target and made you to write so long, necessitated “to defend your case” so extensively, But alas, it lacks arguments.
But still I do hope that it won’t be too late until you’ll open your masked eyes.
It turned out to be that you are anti not only against current regime, but also against so-called ‘neocons’ the Bush regime and you sound very ‘pro-Wahhabi’.
I strongly recommend you to read the history of the world and emergence of different sects. People like you are very dangerous to any society and have different faces.
If you are so patriotic as you declared “my own country” and dare to come to Uzbekistan and try to change it for a better.
You wrote that you won’t “let parasites like ‘me’ to destroy everything what you and your generations before have worked for” Who are you? “A Hero of Uzbekistan”?! Don’t fool yourself, what did you and your generations have invented so far?
In your still next “mini-evidence” you contemplated that you know very clearly – “I know one thing and one thing only, these bastards like Nodir, do not understand the language of tolerance, argument and truth”
Again and again if you are so tolerant where is your own tolerance towards my critical attitude towards you, the undergrown complexity!
You suck saying “So that the next time he would ask permission before he speaks”
You are just generalizing and playing in a tune with “assholes” like Nathan who “untiredly struggled for loans in UWED” openly, but covertly worked for dustruction of Uzbekistan from inside.
As Azjon said succinctly ‘ТУЗИНИ ЕБ ТУЗЛИГИГА ТУПИРИШ НОНКУРЛИК БУЛАДИ’.
I could write more, but “yomon otga ming qamchi urushga vaqtim yo’q” and “hali yosh ekansan, bulbulini o’yna, harip”
Return soon, so we’ll boil you, too.
Nodirxo’ja
Nodirkhoja,
If you are from Tashkent, if you are “khoja”, then please do not insult me with the this “aka Rustam’s” stuff.
First of all, before I turn to your “textual analysis”, could you be so kind to explain to me, to the Agent Nathan of CIA and other employees of MI6 present here, why you have reacted in such a baseless and bias manner to my comments, which one comment is the reason for words “harp”, “Xalqingga sodiq bo’l, iymonsiz.” Choose one or all of them:
I) the letter to the dictator Karimov; the letter as I see it, bears the hallmarks of SNB style and written, constructed, as to answer specific demands, criteria, orders from a client, such as, a) to show overwhelming agreement with and support to the Dictator, to show that people in Uzbekistan are supporting Karimov, not only does Akbar talks about himself but he counts all his grandparents, his son, relatives, neighbours, he would talk on behalf of people in Navoiy if he logically could, i.e. support is overwhelming, almost like all Navoiy, 100% is behind you, all age groups, sex and all social classes support H.E. The Dictator Karimov, b) not only does the letter presents that people support him but it shows that people equate Karimov with the government, and that they blindingly trust his “oqilona” (clever policy, policy based on the principle of justice) policies and that their trust was met by Karimov’s actions; c) in the letter it is presented that for Akbar and Co it is obvious that these actions in Andijon are nothing more than criminal felonies, although only 10 days have passed since the tragic events and no hearings in the court took place, talking about the presumption of innocence, even better, he asks the Dictator to swiftly deal with these “criminals”, but interesting part is that the accent to the “qonun yo’li bilan” (according to the law), why this accent, because in the next sentence Akbar says that his trust that these criminals will be dealt swiftly and according to law were met by H.E. Dictator Karimov, although again no court hearings took place; d) then the fantastic stuff, Akbar expresses that he was really upset by the reports of foreign mass media, why, because he is sure that Uzbekistan, i.e. Karimov, can deal with its internal affairs himself, he continues what people like Nodirkhoja talk about, that “our independent country does posses its own forces and capabilities”, what a tough and inspiring pseudo patriotic words, i.e. Krimov and the Co are perfectly capable of shutting down permanently any voice of dissent, I am sure that Nodirkhoja liked it very much. He continues by saying that he is sure that they (foreign mass media) are walking around without any shame what so ever spreading lies. Who are these liars, reporters of foreign mass media – Galima Bukharbaeva (IWPR), Aleksey Volosovich (Ferghana.ru – that day gave interview to Vesti – RTR), Saidjakhon Zainabitdinov (showed large calibre ammo to the NTV)….. Question how could Akbar know what these bastards, foreign reporters, CIA agents, were saying about Andijan if not only BBC, CNN or EuroNews but even all the Russian channels, more specifically NEWS programmes, were blocked on TV, on cable, websites were blocked, starting from 12-13-14 may till I guess 20 days afterwards, when Karimov reached an agreement with the Putin that from now on he will suck up to him and Putin told the Russian channels to back off, did he know what the situation was there in Andijon before that tragic day, as a person living in Tashkent I can tell for sure that there was nothing on TV or the Radio about ever growing number of women and children sitting in front of the Andijan Regional Court, that the day ago at night SNB and MVD beat up those people who came to the court, took their vehicles; e) then he talks about that the Andijon was a lesson to all of us, what the f…k is this, this is the pressure SNB style, don’t come out to the streets the next time if one will call you to come out, when they will tell you that government will not shoot us as long as we will stick together, because we surely will kill you and your neighbours, then he goes, exactly the same words as Karimov uses, now we know who is the friend and who is not. SNB’s bull shit – this is what it is.
II) Comment regarding the unfinished and stupid reform to switch to Latin from Cyrillic; I based my comment on my own experience, person who was unfortunate to study at the period of Karimov’s Latin reforms in Uzbek school, that I finished school were no good, professional Russian language teacher ever taught me, person who has been seeing how his nephews are learning to read and write in Latin in Uzbek schools, the person who witnessed until recently the poor quality of these stupid books and worst of all that every year new reading and writing books in Latin coming out in to the market and the schools are forcing these pupils to buy it, for 2000-3000 sums, when minimum wage is 9500 or ok, average wage is 45000, I believe very expensive for the toilet paper; The person who has seen the disparity between the teaching at school and the demands at the university and at the government ministries. Nodirkhoja, this is neither the case of foreign policy, here no one purposely made it difficult for Karimov to succeed in these reforms, no CIA agents like Nathan were involved, there were students like me who studied in Uzbek schools and who are now really struggling, I guess that you studied in Russian school. Ok, let alone the switch to Latin, Karimov could not even managed to achieve at least 50% of transition to Uzbek in the government communications, he did not tell to his ministers and to himself to read and write in Uzbek, did not tell his apparatus to bring him notes written in Uzbek not in Russian, how many years have passed since 1989, I hope that you know how to count. What is here, am I bastard, am I CIA agent as well, this is not the only one reform that he has failed, take for example, JKH (utilities), people in Andijan living in 9 storey buildings and everyone burns coal and wood, Uzbekenergo is in total shit because of the huge arrears, why – how the f..k people should pay when their wages are so low and there is an astronomic unemployment, they built roads but after a one good winter of 2004-2005 we came to understand better the quality of roads; Defence, what happened in 1999-2000 when IMU, wahhabies like you like to say, tried to penetrate Uzbekistan, Karimov himself, personally had to fly to Surkhandarya, why would he do that, because situation was really serious, he doubted that they can do it, therefore as always he decided to go there personally, he himself said that he will buy all the weapons necessary for the soldiers to fight them, i.e. even night vision goggles and certain specific automatic weaponry was absent, I always thought that at least in terms of defence we can kick some asses in the region but even this turned out to be mirage; Economy, what is going on there is total mess, foreign economic policy so called “import substitution and export orientation” gave nothing, no sorry, it gave the situation when even the imports of basic products such as sugar, flour and cooking oil are divided up and monopolised, not even talking about more bigger stuff, it gave a situation when we are buying Lacetti for 18000 USD, Nexia for 11000 USD, when for this money we could buy two or even three Toyotas, this would bring down depreciation costs, it would affect positively to transport costs …..; what about taxes, we hear that they are decreasing and so on, but why so few companies are working on the street year after year, in January 2005 Presidents decree came out saying that by July 2005 new tax code should be ready, it outlined directions, but what, nothing, instead we have Zeromax and other companies monopolizing the Republic with the Gulnora at the head; Administrative reforms, after the Russians we also thought that we will ascertain each agency’s functions, what they do, when they do and how they do, what happened, nothing; we talked about that we have signed Article VIII of the IMF Articles of Agreement, free foreign exchange for all current account operations, import-export, transfers for education and medical purposes, what happened, as was before “certain” special companies and citizens are entitled, for others dreaming is not a bad thing; what is going on with the pensions??? What is going on with the official statistics, do we know how to calculate GDP, the answer is NO; What happened with the 16 billion foreign investments, what was the result of investments in the UzbekNeftGaz and textile industry??? DO YOU WANT ME TO CONTINUE????????
Now let’s talk about your humble comments. You say that I “do not seem deeply comprehensible in what do “tolerance”, “patriotism”, “iymon”, “truth”,” justice”, “morality”, “whore” mean. Then would you be so kind to tell me, to the person who does not “deeply comprehend”, what these words mean to you?
Nodirkhoja, I would like to tell you that all these “left-wing radical sites like ‘informationclearinghouse’ and other doubtful movements” do not indoctrinate me, because I have come out with my own views and opinions from the compulsory ideological brainwashing, drilling, called “Istiqlol g’oyasi” (ideology of Independence) and read pretty much all H.E. masterpieces, that I was subjected to during at least six years at the University and more so at work, so therefore don’t even worry about it. I can assure you that I am not easily persuaded even by CIA or FSB to that matter. In contrast to you I like the diversity of information sources, can not stand looking only to the mouth of Karimov, Putin or the Bush.
I would like to beg you to enlighten us with your “independent mind” and explain to stupid and iymonsiz Rustam and CIA Agent Nathan “what is going on in (?) and around us” that I was not been able to judge because of veil in front of my eyes drawn by the CIA Agent Nathan and free me from waiting for “years” to at last understand the truth.
Nodirkhoja, I wish you could look at the complex issues in my country, Uzbekistan, with a little bit of wider angle from the one that you have now. For you and for SNB and so called neocons everything is simple, what you saying is stupid, baseless, if you are against dictatorship of Karimov and neocons then you are pro-Wahhabi – are you out of your mind, don’t watch Fox News too often.
I have question to ask: Why being a religious person in Uzbekistan is taboo, why can’t you go on stage and say I am a believer, I believe in Allah, every time I go to the Mosque I ask from Allah to make Karimov more passionate to his own people, I ask Allah to make Karimov not to kill thousands of religious people of our country…. WHY? Why you have to be turned into Wahabi or Hizb-ut-Tahrir or Akromiya or some other WAHBAHATIA?
Do I think that radical Islam is threat in Uzbekistan – the answer is yes. BUT, it is very miniscule, tiny percentage of people, generally males, mainly originally from Namangan and Andijon but currently in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and UAE. Apart from it, ISLAM in UZBEKISTAN is compassionate, mild and secular. Why should I see how a boy, about 25 years of age, physically fit, my neighbour was put into jail because of the allegations of being Islamic fundamentalist, and after several months, after returning from work I see 4-5 police patrol cars in the neighbourhood and apparent discomfort of my neighbours and the next day I hear that his body was brought to his house and his mother could not even see her son’s, her boy’s, body, face, to say him good buy my son. WHY????
And all this time Bush was giving him money, his planes were bringing people to be tortured in Uzbekistan, Bush has openly was saying that “You are with us or against us”, Rumsfeld and Colin Powell came to endorse Karimov and no talks about the torture and deaths.
Regarding me coming back to Uzbekistan and trying to change things, I will tell you Nodirkhoja, that I did and I will surely do, all what I am writing is based on my experience not as your case, on empty words like patriotism. What about you, did you ever tried to change things, can you give me specific points where you did, or you can only talk about this? How can you try to change things, when you refuse to look at the reality, to see the problems, when you really believe that “The Future of Uzbekistan in Bright”.
My generations have worked, in different spheres of the economy, science, universities, they still do, they gave all that they could, people I know were those from the beginning who expressed doubts about giving so much power to Karimov, from the beginning they were thinking about “Parliamentary democracy” because they knew the dangers the Karimov represented.
Nodirkhoja, more then 15 years of tolerance and acceptance of points and torture of Karimov and SNB led to the fact that we have left behind Kazakhstan, we are living worse in any terms, what we have know is ever growing paranoia of Karimov, police state, total freedom of action for MVD, SNB and courts, no separation of power, no freedom of speech. Uzbek people are very tolerant and accepting people but as you sure can see what happened in Andijan, you should know that for these people, for Uzbeks, to stand up and consciously act knowing that it might lead to deaths, something really big should be there as a stimuli, and it was 15 years of agony and oppression. It will continue forever, do you think that parents, brothers, sisters of those 1000 who were killed in Andijon will forget about it, do you? Now it is race to bottom, who will break first. Therefore, now I do accept the principle of the Karimov and the neocons – originally Lenin’s “I am ready to negotiate even with the devil himself if it helps the revolution”. It is so because as I said before the article of Lord Patten and all the talk of risk of stability to Central Asia as whole, is a serious talk, I do not doubt that Karimov might organize a 9/11 in Uzbekistan on the basis of ethnic hatred to justify his continual in the throne of presidency in Uzbekistan and wipe out all the opposition what so ever for centuries to come. Therefore no other way left.
I hope that this time you can see arguments and at least once write based on my arguments not on your stupid words like patriotism.
And thank you for your wish, in your first message, to boil me as well as soon as I will return to Uzbekistan, I knew that you do work for SNB or at least as sick as they are.
Really hope that you will write constructive reply and deny all the facts and show that I am CIA Agent after all, blinded and seduced by Agent Nathan. But if you can not then the next time please keep your comments in yourself.
P.S. Don’t talk on behalf of Azjon, I hope that you will hear from himself shortly.
jonathan, I thought your post (#15) was really insightful.
Jonathan’s comments are not just insightful but moving as well — they speak of his dedication as a teacher and echo the great sadness that most of us feel about the direction of Uzbekistan and the terrible denial of opportunity for so many there because of corruption, economic failures, bad policies and bad government.
To Fucking askisser Nodirkhoja.
Your last post looks much better than the one before that. What’s fuck man? Is it your SNB helpers? As far as my comments go, I didn’t use them so that an Asshole like yourself can quote them. And last: What’s with khodja talk you fucking asskisser? If you are one of us khodjas you should be the first one to understand that fucking Karimov isn’t the person you should be following.
My best regards to asskisser
Azjon.
My apologies to the rest of you here for my crude language.Unfortunatly my English isn’t as sophisticated as Rustam’s or even Asskisser Nodir’s.I can’t come up with arguments as good as Rustam’s but I do want to shut the fucking ASSKISSER as much as Rustam does.
My best regards
Azjon.
Rustam,
Sani duelga taklif qilaman,
Qanaqa murojaat qilishimni yozib qoldir.
Nodirxodja
You just challenged him to a duel, didn’t you? Priceless.
I’ll make the mint juleps.
To Rustam again,
Nathan himself indirectly admits, though with Redneck’s sarcasm, and most importantly he doesn’t refutes my initial statement that “birovlarni nog’orasiga o’ynamossan, xarip”.
Below in his own words:
“I’d explain how the destruction of Uzbekistan is the last thing I want”
Ko’zini och xarip, ko’p dovdirama!
NX
Nodir, like I said, any explanation to you would be a waste of my time. Your mind isn’t going to change, so I won’t bother. My readers who read in good faith know my point of view, and that’s all I really care about.
On top of that, I’m especially not going to waste my time with someone throwing around such nasty little insults. I do think that a provincial, narrow-minded, anti-cosmopolitan asshat such as yourself calling others “redneck” or “xarip” is pretty damned ironic though.
I am sorry for you Nodirkhoja, you are sick, infected with the virus called IshAK and worst of all neither CIA Agent Nathan nor the new recruit undergoing training programme like me can not help you with it.
It is unfortunate and very sad for me to say but your brains have now already been irreparably destroyed and rest of your body is doomed to die with slow and painful death as well.
How do I know that? The symptoms demonstrated by you: schizophrenia, in which the patient lives in a self constructed world were he/she takes up the role of defending undeniably bright future of his/her country from internal and external enemies. The patient sees only one way of defending the above mentioned self constructed goal, in this case “Bright future of Uzbekistan”, by capturing all these internal and external enemies and putting them in jail and boiling them to death there or kill them by any other sick methods. This kind of anger and ferociousness is explained by the fact that patients sick with paranoiac- schizophrenia are very happy inside their overly simplified and cosy world, they very much like this world that themselves have created, it gives the sense of order not the chaos in the nature and reality, they do not have to question every time their decisions, so therefore anyone who would question this construction of paranoiac- schizophrenia is turned to the enemy of the constructed goal, reality and dealt with swiftly and accordingly. The overall element of paranoia is overwhelming in these patients, demonstrated by the fact that the role of enemies of the bright future imagined by the patient could be any one, from ordinary kurt and cigarette selling old aged women in the market and up to sophisticated CIA Agents disguised into the teachers of English language and walking around the Navoiy region of the country and plotting revolution against the bright future of the patient, using about 100 school children, as a special forces, SAS or Navy Seals, to mount a swift and overwhelming “Shock and Awe” campaign against SNB and Uzbek Army. It is ought to be mentioned here that the role of enemies is essential, therefore even if there is no one around the patient, i.e. when patients are put in empty cells in psychiatric clinic they imagine these enemies in their brains and continue living in their own world, paranoiac- schizophrenia. In the case of Nodirkhoja I am sorry to say but the level of paranoia is not only that he sees enemies in the country, from as I mentioned above old women to CIA Agents but he seems them in macro level as well, i.e. from geostrategic perspective, enemies are USA, EU and Fundamental Islamists, WAHABIES, i.e. highest level of paranoiac- schizophrenia. The problem with these patients is that they can not distinguish between reality and imaginary world, they can not apprehend that the ideas in their brains should be substantiated with the facts, realities on the ground.
Therefore, again very sorry but we have another loss in the fight against IshAK virus. I wish I could do something about it, however it is tragic but the truth.
To stupidass Nodirxoja
“Sani duelga taklif qilaman” you’ve got to be kidding me man? Nodir sani esing pastmi? Huddi Islomakangni kutini upish etmaganday uzingni jinni kilib kursatishni xogati nima? Keyingi martta sani eshak miyangga shunga uhshagan narsa kelsa oldin kogozga yozib ichingda 100 martta uki hopmi? Agar uzingga kulgilu kurinmasa boshka SNB xodimlariga kursatib tekshir. Ilgari xojalarni orasida axmoklar yukdir deb uylab urgan bulsam, hozir xojalarni eshak miyasini kurdim.LOL
My best regards
Azjon.
Nathan, glad to see that letter getting the publicity it, um, deserves. Rather than practicing my Russian dirty jokes or Uzbek nationalist slogans here, to get back to your translation: use “mass media outlets” instead of “public news agencies” and you’ve rendered better what we actually have here that does the talking. The letter-writer means the media in general, not NPR and PBS.
Thanks for the correction. Makes much more sense that way.
Nathan,
You didn’t even doubt how I did want to chop your greyish haired head the other day in D.C. out of your five bucks striped suited shoulder.
Rustam,
Scared to death to a challenge?
I don’t live in DC, dude. Do you? Because your IP address says otherwise.
BTW, Nathan I don’t remember if Registan picked this up earlier, but there was a statement a couple weeks ago by Karimov’s press secretary that the state press service’s need to engage their critics, rather than their silence be seen as tacit agreeement. I don’t suppose this blowing of your CIA redneck donkey-lover cover is part of this?
Wow, look at the last posts Nathan! and you thought that I was bad. At least we both hate Karimov and his dogs.
Azjon.
Dolkun,
That was funny.
Nathan I would advise that you do not let these guys make your blog a garbage bin like they did it with centrasia.org. This is not a good place for that.