This comparison outraged many deputies from the ruling parliamentary group ‚Ak-Zhol‘. Ulugbek Ormonov and Askarbek Shadiev accused Otunbaeva of unfounded criticism and warned her not to divide the people:
‚What does it mean the Kokand Khanate appears? […] Don’t divide the people! If you ask around, we are all relatives! We are a little people, we should stick together! Today is the time to increase the wealth of the people and the economy of the country!‘ (Ormonov)
Shadiev seconds:
‚Why does the opposition speaks only of bad things, about the shortcomings of the president and his relatives? You need to be blind to not to see how extensively our roads are built everywhere in the republic. Today the capital is improved and for the first time „Kambar-Ata-2“ is realized. […] To contend that someone is somehow ruling is wrong. We shouldn’t divide the people! We have one and the same aim and task! In times of economic crisis we have to close ranks and get out of the crisis.‘
Interesting to see, how representatives of ‚Ak-Zhol‘ constantly refer to the unity of the people, being afraid that someone might actually introduce some form of difference (and thus disunity). It is the prerogative of the opposition to criticize and thus introduce an alternative perspective. It is not only the prerogative of the opposition, it is main genuine job opposition has to fulfill. To deny this prerogative simply means to reject opposition at all. One might add that such strategy realizes itself as the arrival of the Kokand Khanate, Otunbaeva was speaking about.
A second very interesting moment is the rejection of any reference to misbehavior of the president and his family. Today it becomes difficult in Kyrgyzstan not to see the parallels between Bakiev’s regime and Akaev’s regime who promoted his relatives into central positions within the state apparatus as well. With his son Maksim now being responsible for all question of state finances and foreign investments and his brother Zhanysh heading decisive parts of the security forces, one can hardly deny that the political regime in Kyrgyzstan resembles more and more a family-run business organization, and less a modern polity. And the fact that Ak-Zhol members furiously react to any reference made to these developments simply confirms that all observers in Kyrgyzstan perceive it exactly like that.
CentralAsianMemory 