And so, three years
have passed since the elections into the supreme and local legislative
bodies of power. In two years a pre-electoral campaign is bound
to start anew. Did anyone of you cogitate over the issue of
what kind the polls of the past were and what we are to expect
from the future ones? Of what parties candidates are we going
to back?
Until parties exist each common citizen puts a question: what
are they preoccupied with? What goals and objectives do they
pursue? To what extent is their authority and image high among
the people? Still we are common voters and we don’t happen to
be aware of much. Do they exist for nominating their candidates
as deputies for legislative assemblies or, really, for protecting
the people’s interests as each representative of theirs asserts
at meetings and in programs? Let the readers not perceive it
as nostalgia for the Soviet times, but the practice of that
epoch really included the schedules of reception of citizens
by deputies; the latters studied their considerations, gave
an attentive ear to their complaints and proposals, assisted
in their settlements.
Today, except occasional events, this tradition is forgotten.
We often see that the majority of nominees appear only on the
eve of elections, they tell a lot of good words, promise much,
both the possible and the impossible… And the present voters
are more informed, they have elevated noticeably their political
education. They are interested in burning problems. The latters
were topics of debates we applied with to the leaders of viloyat
departments under six political parties: D. Ahmadov - the Communist
Party of Tajikistan (CPT); A. Jalilov - the People’s Democratic
Party of Tajikistan (PDPT); K. Qodirov - the Democratic Party
of Tajikistan (DPT); D. Samadov - the Social-Democratic Party
of Tajikistan (SDPT); D. Yoqubov - the Islamic Revival Party
of Tajikistan (IRPT); M. Horisova - the Socialist Party of Tajikistan
(SPT). The latter, to our regret, didn’t take part in our questionnaire.
We asked them to answer the following questions: 1. How do you evaluate the activity of Your party since its
rise in 2002?
All the respondents evaluate the activities as satisfactory
putting their appraisal to increased membership; SDPT mentioned
especially the resumption of activity, i.e. its regeneration.
2. What are the emergency problems the citizens of Tajikistan
are faced with and what steps are taken to solve them?
KPT - reducing tariffs for electricity, gas, water; free of
charge education, benefits for representatives of indigent families
in secondary special schools and higher educational establishments;
change of a minimal marital age for girls, army recruiting on
a contractual basis: return to former minimal pension age -
60 years for men, 55 for women; working migrants’ rights protection.
In order to solve these problems they resort to the contacts
with the communist fraction of deputies to Majlisi Namoyandagon
and leaders of local authorities.
NDPT - combat with the delinquency, narcotism inclusive; demography
and family planning; population employment (unemployment).
They resort to contacts with deputies from NDPT fraction and
leaders of local authorities.
DPT - population employment, especially in rural districts;
poverty. The party is going to elaborate a special program on
social-economic and cultural development of Tajikistan and present
it first for a consideration of a recurrent congress bound to
be held in June of the current year and after it for that of
the people.
SDPT - priority of the law, reinstatement social justice, training
of highly-qualified specialists.
IRPT - tuition of leaders and population in democracy principles,
combat with corruptibility and bribery, priority of the laws.
In order to solve these problems explanatory work is conducted
among party members and the people, all means of agitation and
propaganda allowed by the law and its institutions in Tajikistan
are used. 3. With what social organizations do you have contacts?
The answers of all the questioned are similar: they have links
with all political parties of Tajikistan, OSCE representatives,
Civic Society Support Center. CPT respondent accentuated especially
the close ties with NDPT, as an example he reminded how communists
had supported the candidature of Tolib Nabiyev from NDPT on
Istaravshan electoral constituency when he was nominated to
Majlisi Namoyandagon. 4. What agitation-propaganda devices (radio, television,
leaflets and etc.) do You use to achieve Your political goals?
All parties use all available means and have printed organs
of their own (except SDPT). 5. What is Your vision of the necessity of Your party activity?
KPT - defense of citizens’ interests, justification of
the people’s confidence at elections-2000, building up a socialist
society of a renovated type, reinstatement of collective farms
and state farms (as dekhan farms are non-available in financial-technical
respect), stoppage of privatization process. NDPT - elevation of the people’s political education,
consolidation of peace and Tajikistan population’s cohesion.
DPT - strengthening democratic processes, creation of
a democratic society, political and economic independence of
Tajikistan.
SDPT - creation of a law-abiding democratic society, triumph
of reason, justice and development of society. IRPT - development of democracy, moral and political
support of religious Muslims in Tajikistan.
Our readers being voters, can’t help notice that all the parties
are anxious about identical problems of the society. We are
sorry that the important problem of education is not mentioned
among these issues (except CPT). At the same time one must acknowledge
that in order to acquaint the population with their stance and
activities these parties organize a lot of arrangements. SM-1
TRC and Civil Society Support Center “round table” rallying
representatives of different parties are not sufficient. Firstly,
meetings are conducted once a month. Secondly, these telecasts
are not transmitted all over Sughd viloyat. To the issue of
this it would be expedient to organize live translations of
Sughd TV with the leaders of these parties and other social-political
organizations. The population, and to say it more exactly, voters
- should obtain exhaustive information about functioning parties,
their goals and objectives. Though, as we have got convinced,
all these parties and movements declare themselves to exist
for the sake of the people and to defend the interests of the
latter.
