Journalists are considerate people. They notice everything. Sorry to say, but in our changed time they are not given such an attentive ear as before. Yes, there were times when any printed publication became a subject of grave consideration. To say the truth, the tendency of press prestige reinstatement is observed, but it is moving too slowly. It seems to me two factors account for it - excessive self-holding out, self-censorship of MM representatives - on the one hand. On the other hand - uninterestedness of power organs themselves in helping journalists to ascertain the truth and justice. Hence effrontery, impudence and check of thieves and tricksters who once being engrafted into the power organs continue to be robbing the people.
My ruminations on lawlessness and the ways of putting an end to it were evoked by the incident occurred on June 23 about 11:00 a. m. at “Kistakuz” militia-post. I decided to go to Khujand from Konibodom by hitchhiking. There appeared a car of “Gazel” model. No few passengers assembled, per two somoni from a person is quite a moderate tariff. There is mutual profit. A passenger preferring a small speedy car to an overcrowded dirty bus can reckon for soon coming to a destination point with relative accommodations. And a driver will be also pleased with good earnings. In so far as to the legality of driver’s action, it is a different question. I mean his having license, timely tax payment. Another phenomenon which turned almost into a norm of our life is bribery - both giving and getting. One person cares not to be exposed, another cares for getting income. One can understand taxi-drivers: under the existing system of licensing a single driver is hardly imaginable to obtain the right for passenger conveyance. The matter is, the Ministry of transport as the primary monopolist has no stake in letting new competitors enter the domain of conveyance. The most curious thing is that its enterprises are unable to cope with it, nevertheless the ministry stands on the way of private taxi-drivers who are eager to render services for population.
Now about the main thing. Our car crosses SAI post. It is stopped by militia. The question arises immediately: does it have the right to stop any car? I understand when an emergency situation springs up, for example, officers of he investigatory department are going to reveal a crime on hot heels. Or there is a concrete campaign when a technical state of vehicles is verified. Of course, it should be done when a concrete driver steering a concrete car is suspected of something. But when our militiamen demand for documents certifying registration of vehicles isn’t if a survival of the civil war times? Internal affairs bodies had been authorized to do it, but since the end of the war superior organs forgot to abolish these powers and this time ensued long ago. Aren’t departmental injunctions higher than the laws of Tajikistan?
Now let us speak about the practice of interrelations between drivers and militiamen; the first ones are compelled to offer bribes, the second ones take them without pricks of conscience. Hereby, both parties commit the actions liable to amenability. A militiaman stops a car, checks documents. If they are in order a driver is asked what or whom he conveys. Everything is done in the form of interrogation. To put it briefly, a driver is a priori set under such circumstances when being afraid of the militiaman he prefers to be tipped off from several somoni in order not to aggravate relations. It is a sort of extortion which is enforced on the roads though of late MIA service tries to dismiss such officers from militia.
However funny my remark may sound, still I shall deliver myself of the opinion. The things are to the following effect: transport services rose up in price because gas had become more expensive; subsequently, SAI officers raise the tariffs of bribes they want to have. Our poor driver didn’t know that at “Kistakuz” post since now on militia takes not two but four somoni from “Gazel” cars for illegal transportation of passengers.