What do you feel, dear reader, when the information about the endeavors of your country, its people being acknowledged on the international arena reach you? I, being a patriot of my Motherland, feel pride. Let it be even a minor success. However difficult the transitional period turned out to be for Tajikistan, still our country begins to prove the world that it pursues consistently the way of reforms, it got down gravely to the building of a civic society. What for am I doing this introduction?
Again I return to the issue dwelt on in my previous commentary on a financial support of Tajik economy projects. The meeting in Dushanbe within the frameworks of EurAsEC promises a prospective vista as the agreement on financing Sangtuda HEPS by Russia and Kazakhstan was attained. The delegation of industrialists from Ural expressed a concrete desire to assist in the revival of the enterprises of Northern Tajikistan, which are standing idle. At the beginning of the current week we got to know that countries-donors whose representatives assembled in Dushanbe intended to allot 900 million dollars to Tajikistan for three years on the line of the World Bank. This is no small sum exceeding many times the budget of the country. Its assignment is combat with poverty. For the time being we don’t know the totals of the work of the annual session of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development held now in Tashkent. Pleasing news may come from there on as well.
All the events dealing with Tajikistan, which have taken place over last fortnight can’t help rejoice us. But at the same time they make me abandon myself to ruminations causing a sort of trouble. Won’t it take such turn that donors suspend their aid as they did before? What guarantees do we have for today that corruptible persons who hold ingrained positions in State power organs won’t make new attempts to appropriate the resources assigned for the people? Such facts did take place. Neither were they refuted by the president of the country. Moreover, these facts made him flush before representatives of international organizations.
Allotment of such enormous means is, first of all, the acknowledgement of Tajikistan’s being ready for a fulfillment of the terms advanced by the World Bank. As for the latters, this international financial organization declared about them not once. This time the program of Tajikistan government on private business support comports with the requirements advanced. Into the bargain, we should bear in mind other demands as well - discharge of economy from under State supervision, observance of human rights. It is just that sphere where we have a lot fo crucial but unsettled problems. It goes this way that the laws of the country respond basically to international standards creating conditions not only for a free development of all forms of property but for man upon the whole. However, powerful levers of pressure upon a citizen are held by the state as they formerly were - and that is the fact too.
On that issue I can’t help share with a reader the considerations in regard to the forthcoming referendum on introduction of alterations and addenda into the Constitution of the country. This undertaking is the initiative of a group of deputies. Everything seems to be in accordance with the law. Deputies are entitled to the right of speaking on behalf of the people, so their suggestions are legal. Only the question arises: was there any necessity in these alterations if they don’t reinforce the juridical foundations of civil freedoms in any way? Where are the guarantees that a recurrent time the next group of deputies won’t pursue the purpose of pleasing the present clan of the executive power functioning currently in the country? Why do we break the Constitution the third time throughout the decade ere long the elections which should follow in due time?
These questions are a result of my painful meditations as to what extent we are consecutive in our actions and behavior speaking about democracy in the country. I understand democracy is the thing humankind never enjoyed absolutely; this is none in the United States either, for instance. But however keenly our politicians applied the proverb “The Orient is the matter of subtlety”, it is no difficult to guess the purpose of their actions in advance. Into the bargain, we are all from the Orient and such diplomacy is no secret even for a common peasant. To say the truth, no faults are found here. There is nothing illegitimate in their actions. But their authority may be put at stake, any may say.