written by Asel Otorbayeva
style edit by Ryan Weber
Once again, Kyrgyz politicians place the importance of assigning government positions over actual governing.
Old Political Enemies
In its second attempt, the Kyrgyz parliament finally succeeded in electing a speaker. Their choice was the leader of the party [Ata-Jurt] which previously called for the return of ousted President Bakiev [actually, a rumor], and is comprised of many former allies to the fallen President.
Opponents [of Ata-Jurt] were highly critical of its intentions in the run-up to Parliamentary elections in October, charging it with a variety of "sins." Some even suggested members of Ata-Jurt helped instigate the June riots in Osh the ignited ethnic tension [and in several ways increased Ata-Jurts Nationalist rhetoric going into the election]. But the accusations against Ata-Jurt were never proven, and the other parties dropped attempts to link Ata-Jurt with the violence. Being veteran politicians, rather than defend themselves, Ata-Jurt enlisted [Kyrgyz] victims of the June events to protect their reputation.
Relatives of those killed during the April coup that removed Bakiev responded passionately to the former Bakiev administrators, [throwing eggs and] attempting to block their admittance to the new parliament. They demanded that such politicians never participate in government again, but the other ["pro-government"] parties did nothing to block their participation [such as passing a controversial Lustration law]. After a while, the general public acquiesced. [Respublika] party - as if it had forgotten the public distaste for Ata-Jurt - instructed the Social Democrat party (SDPK) to "make friends" with Ata-Jurt. They explained that economic concerns must trump personal animosity.
Now Almazbek Atambayev, SDPK leader and [recently-elected] Prime Minister must find a way to work with Akhmatbek Kelidbekov - the new Speaker of Parliament from Ata-Jurt. Whether they want to or not, their cooperation is vital for any progress [in Kyrgyzstan].
New Political 'Frenemies'
Disorder and disagreements continue in Ata-Zhurt itself. Recently, Ata-Jurt MP Sadyr Japarov announced that he will not vote with the ["Unity and Dignity"] coalition that Ata-Jurt formally joined with SDPK and Respublika. When asked at a meeting of parliament if he would vote for [Khelidbekov as Speaker of Parliament], has said, "I want to say, this is not political. For the sake of the country's stability, I'm ready to cast an affirmative vote [for Khelidbekov]."
This is the [two-faced] nature of Kyrgyz politics: elite public figures can go from being vilified for the worst type crimes one moment, and embraced the next with "hot hugs and kisses."
Younger members of Parliament, seeing the hypocrisy of such transformation for the first time, were especially shocked ("crying in toilets, distrusting their own eyes and ears"). They will need to get used to it!
MPs from the majority coalition parties poured so much praise on Kelidbekov, known as "Bakiev's Revanchist," ahead of the Speaker vote that it was nauseating.
No less "sweet speeches" will be given in honor of the in-coming Prime Minister. Ata-Jurt members will sing Hosanna to Atambayev. The two former opponents understand their new agreement: if one goes down, they will take the other with them. The Speaker vote proved this in practice. As SDPK looked on, Kelidbekov cruised to a clear victory, obtaining votes from 101 of the 120 total deputies.
Stumbling Blocks
Anyone who believes that a 3-party coalition will maintain consensus over the long-term is grossly mistaken. Shaking hands in front of TV cameras is one thing, but the guaranteed back-room infighting will be something else. The 3-party alliance will split ministries, [committees] and government departments. Working together under the watchful eye of one's "frenemy" is not as easy as dispensing kind words across party lines.
Another difficulty facing the Jorgorku Kenesh parliament will be how to handle the inquiry into the April events. The government is mostly comprised of "revolutionary" parties - the former opposition SDPK and Ata-Meken parties that took power after Bakiev's fall. The commission formed to investigate the April events will be torn between the interests of these parties and Ata-Jurt, which has very different concerns. Ata-Jurt will want to defend themselves and convince people that they did not play a role in the bloody events. For their part, the "revolutionaries" will want to dispel any fault they might receive from the April bloodshed or subsequent inability to contain the violence once the interim government took over - especially as it relates to the June conflict in Osh.
Will they strike another bargain [in the public spotlight]? Perhaps. If they do, it will demonstrate once again to the people [of Kyrgyzstan] how talented they are as actors.
The looming 2011 Presidential election is likely to be no less captivating a performance. Electorate, get your brain ready! Try not to curse the outcome when the winning candidate was made possible because you didn't vote on October 10, 2010.
URL: http://eng.24.kg/viewpoints/2010/12/20/15449.html
the opinions expressed are not those of this website or editor, but only those of the author.
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