Dushanbe Appeals for Public Assistance
sent by Khorsheed Bakhshayesh
Dushanbe
Mayor of the Tajik capital has appealed to heads and workers of all managing subjects of the capital irrespective of the patterns of ownership and departmental subordination to transfer 50% of their monthly salaries in coming May and June to the Raghun Dam construction account. The appeal follows President Rahmons recent address to the nation where he explained the current state of affairs in the dam by giving contradictive figures about the annual amount deducted from the state budget to resume construction operations. The first phase of the construction needs approximately $600m, he stated. It sounds like a mission impossible for a country with an estimated $700m annual budget.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Dushanbe municipal government points out that, if the appeal is heeded, economically active part of the city-dwellers can donate $10m by July 15 to facilitate completion of the Raghun hydroelectric power station. The statement emphasizes Raghuns crucial importance in Tajikistans energy independence, and Dushanbe inhabitants are encouraged to take part in achieving the goal.
Members of both upper and lower chambers of the Tajik parliament have already set an example by deciding to donate their one months wages to the Raghun account, said Mahmadsaid Ubaidullaev, Mayor of Dushanbe and the head of the upper chamber. It is not clear yet whether other Dushanbe citizens will follow suit voluntarily or their share will be deducted automatically.
Tajikistan is still known as the poorest country of the post-Soviet Central Asia with $1,600 of GDP-per capita as of 2007. The average monthly income of its inhabitants does not exceed $35. These facts put in doubt people’s willingness to contribute to the dam construction.
However, it is not the governments first charitable appeal to the nation. During 1990s many ordinary citizens of Tajikistan contributed to the Sangtuda-1 dam construction, but the figures of their contribution have not been revealed. 75 % of the construction is funded by the Russian RAO-UES.
It is quite presumable that other municipalities would follow the pattern and issue similar appeals in their own domains. According to some observers, Dushanbe has made such an appeal with a perfect understanding that the past winter crisis is still fresh in minds and it could trigger peoples active participation in constructing the dam. Nevertheless, with 60 percent of the nation below the poverty line governments optimism could face the lack of enthusiasm among masses, unless artificial enthusiasm is created by government at all levels like in Soviet times.
on May 1st, 2008 at 10:55 pm
If being a member of parliment in Tajikistan is anything like being a US senator, they could give up their salary for a year. One term as a US senator’s and you’ve got it made for the rest of your life. Yeah it’d be a tough year, but their heat certainly wouldn’t be shut off and even if it was they’d be sure to be taken care of.
Now that the frontier is gone, I think things have settled down and the American Dream is a thing of the past. Essentially, America’s forefathers were pirates and profiteers and even though there’s still a lot of open space here, the opportunity to “stake a claim” and make it big is gone.
It seems like Tajikistan ought to be able to bank a lot more on their water resources, but maybe the world economy really is suffering to the extent that nobody can, or is approved to take the risk.