Hunger to replace energy crisis
The latest report of The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) says that the partly solved problem with electricity in Tajikistan, which has been naturally solved - the warmer times have come - was not the main problem to face by the population this year. According to the CSM, the worse crisis is to come in the late spring – ‘humanitarian crisis - which could spark unrest in this volatile region.’
About 260,000 Tajiks are in need of immediate food assistance, and up to 2 million face starvation by winter’s end if they don’t receive swift help, according to the UN. The country urgently needs supplies of portable generators, kerosene stoves, food, blankets and warm clothes.
Obviously this crisis has not come out of a sudden…
Even before the current crisis, according to UN figures, about two-thirds of Tajikistan’s people subsisted on less than $2 per day, while 41 percent lacked regular access to clean drinking water.
The main reason for this to happen is the poor management in the country…
Despite some improvements, experts say that under the increasingly authoritarian President Emomali Rakhmon – who was reelected to another seven-year term in 2006 with no serious opposition – little has been done to rebuild shattered infrastructure, especially in far-flung mountain communities, and that his administration is ill-equipped to deal with a social crisis.
“The Tajik president has concentrated power so narrowly that he’s lost any idea of what’s happening beyond the capital city,” says Andrei Grozin, head of Central Asian studies at the official Institute of Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow. “The authorities are simply not able to cope with the problems, which means they can keep growing till they reach a critical mass.”
Photo: Peter Casier’s Photostream
on March 5th, 2008 at 3:21 pm
This is funny (both funny-haha and funny-strange) that a dude named Arnrei Grozin, who probably doesn’t have a slightest clue what Tajikistan is all about, tells the world about what’s happening in Tajikistan. I’d be surprised if he had anyone among his staff of “researchers” who actually speaks Tajik. What the hell is Institute of Commonwealth of Indipendent States? Never heard of it.
I’d like to know when was the last time he was in Tajikistan. This is so hilarious, no credibility whatsoever on my books.
Sounds like one of those commercials:
Pampers is the only brand recommended by the association of pediatricians.
fineprint: association of pediatrician is the association, whose sole purpose is to recommend pampers.
on March 6th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
You mean Andrei, or like in the US, Andrew. Are there many people with Biblical forenames in Tajikistan? I’m guessing not.
So now you’ve got your country, and they do help, but Tajikistan is held back by Russia. I mean, the US isn’t perfect, but our journalists have nice lives, and the worst that can happen is they get fired or maybe go to jail to protect their sources.
Apparently the Tajikistani government isn’t too fond of the free press either? This web site is great, I think it will do a lot to open up Tajikistan. The world wants to know all your dirty secrets, the press opens up dialog and finds solutions.
I’ve read the Russian’s have waived much of your debts to them, as they should. . . what do the Russian’s owe you, is the question in my opinion. As far as I’m concerned most all your economy goes to make Moscow the most expensive and luxurious city in the world. What do they even produce? As far as I’m concerned it’s all a scam.
I mean, big city’s are always a concentration of wealth, but Tajikistan is left with nothing and Moscow is a very long way off and a very different place. The Russian’s have about as much business in Tajikistan as the US does in Columbia.
I just hope it doesn’t come down to that crazy jihad crap where there’s a bunch of blood thirsty idiots out running around killing infidels. If Allah, God, Yahweh, or whatever you want to call that great omnipotent being, truly wanted to clean his house of nonbelievers, it wouldn’t be a long drawn out process like this whole taliban / al-qaeda type stuff. That’s just adding fuel to the fire.
on March 11th, 2008 at 12:58 am
this comment was moderated due to hate speech.
on March 16th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
this comment was moderated due to hate speech
on March 17th, 2008 at 11:12 am
To Peter:
Peter, I think that your comment is very anti-Russia. By inciting Tajiks against Russians you will not help them with their present difficult situation. Tajikistan now is an independent country which CAN and MUST, as well as other former USSR countries, solve its inner problems without Russia’s influence regardless economical dependence. In spite of accepting Russia as enemy and predator why not conceive it as collaborator/partner from which Tadjikistan can benefit a lot.