Marat Kazakpaev: Kurultai of Consent to become last if delegates fail to tell the truth

Kyrgyzstan will hold first Kurultai of Consent on March 23, 2010. According to the presidential decree, it will become “a national advisory body” uniting 750 competent representative of the country. Kyrgyzstanis are to consider fatal questions at the meeting, such as maintenance of territorial integrity, preservation and development of cultural heritage, ecology, increase of an educational level of the population, national language development and nation health. Does the country really need the forum? What it will suggest? Does this convocation mean the return to tribal traditions? Well-known political scientist Marat Kazakpaev answered on these question to the news agency 24.kg.

- What is your opinion about the idea of establishing a national gathering, in particular Kurultai?

- The idea of Kurultai in our country is very popular. In many respects it is connected with the history. It concerns the nomadic mechanism. Throughout many years Kurultai representatives had been resolving many important issues. The present government aspires to optimize a forum and make it as a tool of uniting various public interests. But there are many problems hereto. In the days of Askar Akaev, people were afraid to express own opinion and, of course, supported only official point of view. Therefore, such representatives were given a status of “duty aksakal”.

Kurmanbek Bakiyev has revived the idea of national gatherings, called for carrying out of advisory-recommendatory functions. I think, now it is important not to repeat mistakes of previous years. While president calls the best representatives of the population, they should start talking about most social problems not of all mankind, but of Kyrgyzstan. If it happens, the present gathering will give good results. Then the president will really hear about painful problems. Kurultai of Consent should not become the demonstration that people support the government. Forthcoming congress should find real social support.

- What specific features should possess a national representative?

- Each of participants of Kurultai should come on March 23 with specific vision of the problem in his region. He should not be afraid to tell what he thinks. There are cases when representative with regalia could not tell anything to the country leaders. It is important to the local authorities not to interfere in selection process of delegates. People should choose the worthy representative themselves. We do not need to produce additional institutes with “duty aksakal” and bootlickers.

- What the first Kurultai of the Consent will give to Kyrgyzstan?

- There is a bad tendency in the republic: the Government moves in one direction, people in the other. I believe that Kurmanbek Bakiyev has noticed the people’s relation toward the Government. He wishes to change the situation, intending to meet the needs without intermediaries and build a dialogue with people.

- What do you think, will the authorities substitute national gatherings with functions of already existing state structures?

- As a matter of fact, Kurultai is a duplication of the parliament. The necessity of veche (popular assembly) has arisen because of parliament weakness. World practice shows that other public institutes start to arise in a case of poor parliament regulation.

- Will the government pay for organizing of Kurultai of the Consent?

- There are 750 representatives to be gathered, and they will need to come to the Kurultay, if their work turns to be inefficient, the first congress will become the last.

- Maybe it will be better the president to organize a television space bridge with people instead of congress? It will demand less money from the state budget.

- We have already seen such experience in Russia. It is necessary to tell that it is close to the western approach when they tend to get rid of unnecessary institutes. The president of the U.S., has a prerogative of an active dialogue with the people. Conceptually the parliament is a forum of nations’ representatives. Our problem is that people does not believe the government anymore. Kurultai is an ancient Kyrgyz tradition. The point is that we need a dialog between the government and people.