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Translated from Russian by Tanlov members in refuge in Turkey and the United States

U. Khaknazarov - Ideological plots of Karimov's regime
00:05 18.02.2003 [February 18, 2003 12:05 pm Moscow time]

Usman Khaknazarov - political analyst

As always, before moving to the topic of the article, let us stop on the more important questions of the readers' from previous articles. There was a question about Timur Alimov [one of senior Uzbek government officials], there are rumors about his resignation. Indeed, Timur Alimov has been dismissed 'due to [his] retirement.'

After the publication of my article, two articles of Muhammad Salikh, the leader of the Democratic Party Erk were announced on the web site www.centrasia.ru. In connection with this, some readers asked me [by sending comments to the articles to the web site www.centrasia.ru] if I had any connection to that Party [Erk]. Other [readers] simply asked [me] to express my attitude towards Party Erk and Muhammad Salikh.

While answering such questions, I immediately have to say that I have no connection to Party Erk. I mentioned about Party Erk in the article about Abdurakhim Pulatov, the leader of Popular Movement Birlik. Therefore, this time I will limit myself to opinions about this Party [Erk].

Back in the days, Party Erk accomplished enormous task in fighting for political independence of the country [Uzbekistan]. It stood for independence of Uzbekistan from the Soviet Union, for issuing of separate passports to the citizens of Uzbekistan, passports of Independent Republic of Uzbekistan. In addition, that Party [Erk] initiated priority for attraction of foreign [direct] investments into the economy of independent Uzbekistan, over receiving loans from international financial institutions. Notably, at that time, President Islam Karimov opposed all of those initiatives. However, in the following years, he [Karimov] used all of those Erk Party's ideas and called them [ideas] his own proposals for development of Uzbekistan and enforcement of its Independence.

However, by the mid 1990's, Party Erk eased the speed of its work because by that time Karimov's repressions against the leaders and ordinary members of that Party have begun. In that situation, Erk members were forced to slow down their Party activity and also the political fight. The authorities of Uzbekistan have not stopped suppressing the activity of Party Erk to this day. Therefore, today one can say that the activity of Erk has been completely suppressed: there is no ideological, political or enlightening activity. I want to particularly note that ideological work amongst the population, the main work of any political party, is completely absent. Another problem of Party Erk is the age of its members: today the average age of the members of the party is approximately 50-60 years. Simply speaking, members of the Party [Erk] are getting older; there is no young succession to them because, as I mentioned above, there is no ideological activity amongst the population, especially the youth. And the main problem of Erk is the lack of financing for conducting political activity, the importance of which I emphasized in my previous articles.

The listed problems are relevant not only to Erk but to the entire Uzbek [political] opposition including Popular Movement Birlik. Therefore, some members of Birlik and its leader Abdurakhim Pulatov should not rejoice the criticism against Party Erk. As it is known, A. Pulatov [leader of Birlik] and his fellow movement members do not lose a single opportunity to defame Party Erk and its leader Muhammad Salikh, rejoicing others' criticism against that Party [Erk] and its leader [Muhammad Salikh].

Now about Muhammad Salikh. I am not personally acquainted with him, although I saw him several times in the First Session of the Parliament of Uzbekistan. It must be said that Muhammad Salikh was on the list of secret service [KGB] even in the remote Soviet times. By the end of the 1970's his [Salikh's] initials have already appeared in the black lists [of KGB] of the especially dangerous persons, presenting threat to the Soviet regime. The Soviet KGB [Soviet security service] files compiled on Muhammad Salikh are not disclosed to this day. The analysts at NSS [National Security Service - successor of Uzbek branch of KGB] know very well that KGB [Soviet security service] considered Muhammad Salikh a potential leader, capable of arousing pro-national and anti-Communist ideas amongst [Uzbek] people. Particularly, in one of the dossier files for Muhammad Salikh it says: 'Distinguished by [his] incompliance to the orders or limitations of any kind. Considers the interests of an individual above the interests of a group, considers Soviet collectivism an occurrence hurting personal development. Considers the development of the separate Uzbek people above the development of the entire Soviet people. From all of these inferences, openly asserts that Soviet internationalism actually destroys the national traits of Uzbeks. [M. Salikh] does not pose difficulty to intelligence service officers [KGB], because [he] always speaks his mind.'

Although M. Salikh has shortcomings (gullibility, openness and directness etc.), I treat this person with respect because during gloomy Soviet times when we [Soviet people] cowardly fulfilled minute administrative functions in the Soviet institutions, he [M. Salikh] was burning with ideas about independence, national language, freedom [for Uzbek people]. Actually, we also have shortcomings. Is there anyone without shortcomings?! Maybe that what we consider shortcomings (gullibility, openness and directness etc.) of M. Salikh are actually his dignities.

Many people assert that M. Salikh does not qualify to be the President [of Uzbekistan], because he is a poet. They say that economists fit the best for the post of the President [of Uzbekistan]. I will not list the poets who became Presidents [of their countries] and enhanced the prosperity of their countries. [I] will just say that if the President is a stubborn fool, despot and devil, then the economic education and Ph.D. degree in Economics are useless. It is the person who matters, not the profession. For example, the former US President Ronald Reagan who began the policy of the US dollar expansion, that became a huge push for the development of the US in the 1980's, was a film producer by profession. But in the US, no one reproached Reagan that his profession was not an economist but a producer. That is my attitude to the question about Muhammad Salikh. Now, I think, we can move to the topic of our article:

The ideological fraud of Karimov's regime

In the comments to my articles I read several messages like 'It is important for me to be fed, but high material like politics, opposition are of no interest to me.' Unfortunately, many people in Uzbekistan think so and that is their tragedy. Actually, this is the tragedy of all our people. Ladies and gentlemen, who think only about bread, ready to exchange freedom for bread! A person, who exchanges freedom for bread, is left without freedom and without bread in the end. This is a commonly known truth, verified in life. Ladies and gentlemen, who live only with thoughts about bread, ready to exchange freedom for bread! Look around yourselves, look at yourselves! By voting for Islam Karimov during presidential elections [in 1991 and 2000] and also during the referendums [in 1995 and 2002], the Uzbek people, believing the promises of Karimov about building a strong social state in Uzbekistan, exchanged their freedom for social support e.g. [exchanged freedom] for bread. Now, after just two-three years, the people of Uzbekistan are left without freedom and without bread.

In principle, we paid for our narrow-minded nature, perverted mentality, narrow greedy outlook, foxy slyness, indifference to others' doles, mercilessness, cowardice, villainy, betrayal, meanness and baseness. Or not?! We think only about bread, pray to bread like to God. It is important for us to be fed. Our most valued dream is to eat delicious pilaf [ pilaf is a national dish] in a café. If we have pilaf in the pot, we do not think about anything else. If we have pilaf in the pot, we do not care about politics, democracy, opposition and fight for our own freedom. By the way, do we not care about the freedom, if that freedom takes away our pilaf? Or not?! Exactly for this [narrow-minded] nature, we have paid. Knowing this [narrow-minded] nature of ours, devil Karimov launched traps like 'strong social support', 'priority of economy above politics' etc. Assertion that in Uzbekistan, the state would realize the strong social support of the population is one of the most obvious ideological frauds of Karimov regime against Uzbek people. In general, the fraud are all five principles of the development of Uzbekistan planted by Karimov on Uzbek society. Thus...

Five main principles - fraud of Islam Karimov

Although Islam Karimov asserts that he personally devised those five principles, in actuality the author of those principles is the former Prime Minister of Uzbekistan - Shukrullo Mirsaidov, first leader of the Tashkent clan in the Uzbek government. He [Mirsaidov] complains to this day that Karimov stole his work e.g. the five principles. The question is not who is the author of those principles. What matters is what those principles represent. It must be said that all five principles are the fruit of materialistic approach to life. Taking into consideration, that [President] Karimov and [former Prime Minister] Mirsaidov were diligent communists, the five principles of development of Uzbekistan are also the fruits of communist ideology. Everything in [its] order ...

First fraud. Priority of economy above politics.

That false principle means 'First bread, then ideas, word, conscience.' Essentially, this principle calls on people to worship bread like an idol. Karimov needed to remove people from politics e.g. [remove people] from participation in running the state. He [Karimov] needed to make the population [of Uzbekistan] politically inactive, so that the population [of Uzbekistan] occupied itself only with labor. Uzbeks probably remember how after declaring this principle, President Karimov repeated every day that we needed to work, work and work. Here, Karimov exceeded even the communists, who although were materialists, but asserted that one needed to study, study and study. When Karimov says that we need to work and work, he reminds me a 'rich man' from Uzbek film 'Mischievous youngster' ['Shum bola' in Uzbek] who while beating the main mischievous character says '[You] need to work, work and work.' 'Ishlash kerak, ishlash kerak, ishlash kerak' ['Ishlash kerak, ishlash kerak, ishlash kerak' means ' [You] need to work, work and work' in Uzbek]

The principle “Economy first and then politics“ ('first bread, then ideas') has destroyed [Uzbek] people's thinking. [This principle 'first bread, then ideas'] furthered intellectual and spiritual degradation of the population.

In a simple example, it is possible to prove the absurdity of this Karimov's principle. Let us, for example, say that indeed first economy and then politics. [Entrepreneurs] build a [domestic] plant for production of, for example, vegetable oil. [Entrepreneurs] began producing and selling their product [domestic vegetable oil] on the market. The product [domestic vegetable oil] began to displace the imported vegetable oil from the market, which is imported into the country by Mirabror Usmanov [one of the senior Uzbek government officials] and other [senior] officials from the government of Uzbekistan. Those officials, worried by the collapse of their [import of vegetable oil] business, close the [domestic] plant by a government decree. The owners of the plant go to complain to the prosecutor, constitutional court, the Supreme Court. There, the prosecutors and judges say: 'You [entrepreneurs] know in our Uzbekistan the respectful Islam Abduganievich [Karimov] declared the principle 'First economy then politics.' So go and work on the economy, work [on the production] instead of creating political debates about the government decree.' That is all. Thus, begins the extinction of competition, the main lever of developing the market economy, thus, begins the extinction of the entire economy. Thus, following the principle 'first economy, then politics,' 'first bread then ideas,' Uzbekistan headed by idealess president and untalented economist, thinking only about bread, built idealess economy, thoughtless and stupid economic relations.

Second fraud. The state is the main reform maker.

This principle means the realization of reforms not from the bottom but from the top, e.g. from the government's side. This means that reformation applies to what the government wants to reform, government officials, not the people. For example, they, the officials will begin to 'reform' the system of secondary specialized education. Their reforms consist of renaming technical and professional schools into colleges and professional colleges. The students of these colleges study in new buildings 'dressed' in shiny toned glass.

Meanwhile in the police departments, the police-vandals continue to torture people, imprison innocent people. Population, dissatisfied by the police lawlessness, finally moves with the initiative to reform the system of Ministry of Internal Affairs [police], to pass a law about police, limiting the rights of 'green crocodiles' [e.g. police officers]. To this initiative, the government responds approximately this: “Have you not heard the principle of our respected Islam Abduganievich [Karimov] that in Uzbekistan only the state realizes reforms, e.g. the government not the rabble [e.g. people of Uzbekistan]?!' Of course, the state, the government [in despotic countries], will never agree on reforms, limiting the freedom of action of the state, the government and expanding the freedom of action of the citizens.

The principle 'State is the main reform maker' - is the ideological base for not realizing political reforms in the country, not allowing activity of opposition parties. Besides that, this principle ['State is the main reform maker'] confirms the entirety of the state lawlessness, disorder and terror in Uzbekistan. This principle ['State is the main reform maker'] gives all the levers of pressure on the citizens into the hands of the state, [gives Uzbek government the authority] for violating their [people's] rights, suppressing the population, converting free people into subservient slaves of the state machine.

Third fraud. Stage by stage realization of reforms.

This principle also came from the communist ideology, according to which, human being, society and environment develops gradually. This principle idealizes democracy, makes her a remote star, which is achievable gradually, step by step, speaking in Uzbek 'sekin - sekin,' 'asta-sekin' ['sekin - sekin,' 'asta-sekin' mean 'step by step' in Uzbek]. 'Step by step realization of reforms' is a kind of defense of Karimov's regime against criticism. For example, based on this principle, state officials of Uzbekistan, are used to answering criticism: “Yes, there are problems, because we are gradually building the democratic society. 'Sekin-sekin', 'asta sekin' ['sekin - sekin,' 'asta-sekin' mean 'step by step' in Uzbek] these problems will be resolved. Let us not hurry.' However, when these officials are stealing the wealth of the people, of the country, they do not follow the principle 'boskichma-boskich', 'asta-sekin' ['boskichma- boskich',“asta-sekin' mean 'step by step' in Uzbek]: [The Uzbek officials realize] the looting of the country unreasonably fast, with accelerated speed, fearing not to steal everything.

In principle, Karimov's setup 'step by step realization of reforms' is a fraud for the ordinary people. To any question: “Why in the eleven year old independent Uzbekistan to this day there is no democracy, freedom of speech and consciousness?' the teacher of all devils Islam Karimov and his devilish Administration answer that we are still far from democracy, that democracy is achieved gradually, step by step,“sekin-sekin,' 'asta-sekin' ['sekin-sekin' means 'slowly', 'gradually' in Uzbek]. This principle explains Karimov regime's not conducting major alterations in the life of society, especially in the political life. Instead of major alterations, the authorities conduct cosmetic changes. This is reflected even in construction: Old buildings are 'dressed' into new shiny tin covering, toned glass. And superficial changes are called improvement. Overall, the entire dressing of old buildings into the glass is comparable to dressing a barefoot beggar into an expensive robe with golden embroidery and consequent calling of that barefoot [beggar] rich and empowered.

Fourth fraud. Strong social policy. Regarding this fraud we stopped in the beginning of the article, therefore let's not exhaust readers again with its views. Let us just say that this principle - is just a simple trick for ordinary people, always seeking free cheese. Life shows that there is no social policy in Uzbekistan, vice versa, there is a policy of gradual liquidation [by authorities] of all social privileges, earlier presented to the population.

Fifth fraud. Supremacy of the law.

Overall, the supremacy of the law means building a lawful state. Having declared this principle, Karimov began to declare to the whole world that, supposedly, Uzbekistan is a lawful state. Indeed, Uzbekistan is a lawful state because all rights belong to the state [e.g. the government]. Today no one doubts that in Uzbekistan, there is no lawful state, which abides by human rights of citizens. In reality, the principle 'supremacy of the law' is the ideological grounds for human rights violations. Why? Because in Uzbekistan, the people are dismissed from law making: only the state [e.g. the government] deals with this. In the last years, people went to jail for initiating legislature. In Uzbekistan, the legislature is developed in warm offices of state organizations, consequently the state [e.g. the government] will never develop legislature against the interests of the state, the government, state officials. And this state structure prepares even anti-constitutional legislature and the parliament ratifies it. In principle, Oliy Majlis [the Parliament of Uzbekistan] is occupied only with enactment of legislature prepared for the benefit of the state and hurting person [people], legalizes the anti-constitutional actions of the state thieves and devils. [After] passing laws giving the state, the government unlimited freedom of action, the government, of course, calls for supremacy of these laws, e.g. to unquestioned execution of anti-constitutional laws of the state [e.g. the government]. For example, in the Parliament of Uzbekistan, the deputies - trained mules of that parliament, headed by Erkin Khalilov, ratified anti-popular by-law act, Karimov's decree about the limitation of imports of goods by individual entrepreneurs. Meanwhile the state structure, using Karimov's principle - fraud 'supremacy of the law,' forces people to execute this anti-popular document. [I] think that it would be accurate to call this principle 'supremacy of the laws, prepared by the government in the interests of the government.'

We have listed five main ideological frauds of the despotic and devilish regime of Islam Karimov. Besides, those, there are other frauds of ideological plan. Among them ...

Intimidation of the population with war.

Karimov started to use this fraud since the very first years of Independence [of Uzbekistan]. To any initiative for conducting peaceful meetings and marches, he [Karimov] threatened with a war, similar to that of Kyrgyz Republic, and later Tajikistan. Actually, the civil war in Tajikistan became the ideological trump-card in the hands of Karimov against naive and cowardly popular mass. Even now, Karimov's devilish regime suppresses any criticism, initiative for realization of political reforms with arguments: 'What human rights?! What opposition?! Do you want war like in Tajikistan or Afghanistan?!' While the popular masses already cowardly, believe Karimov's threats and themselves suppress all initiatives to following human rights, conducting political reforms, greatly fearing war.

Fabrication of enemy's image

Since the very beginning of Independence [of Uzbekistan], Karimov and his [close] associates, started to fabricate so-called enemies of Independence [of Uzbekistan] to achieve their political and economic goals. It must be said, that during eleven years of Independence, the image of the enemy was perfected by the authorities of Uzbekistan. For example, in the first years of Independence, such enemies were members of Party Erk and Popular Movement Birlik. Later such “enemies“ became believers, who were called extremists and terrorists. In the last few years, as everyone knows, with the help of international community, despot and the teacher of devils, Islam Karimov fabricated a new enemy - 'international terrorists.' This year the nucleus of the NSS [National Security Service] and also the Institute of Strategic Research under the office of the President of Uzbekistan plan to create new enemies of independence of Uzbekistan - the citizens of Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Maybe there is no need to explain why official Tashkent plans to make Turkmens its 'enemies.' While Kazakhs are already called the enemies of economic independence of Uzbekistan, because the citizens of Uzbekistan themselves go to Kazakhs [Kazakhstan] and buy goods on the markets of Kazakstan. In principle, the fabrication of enemies is beneficial to Karimov's regime because [Karimov's regime] can always blame all of its failures, crimes on those 'enemies.' Actually, this method of ideological brainwash of the population is inherited from the former Communist Party of the Soviet Union, which always intimidated [Soviet] people with 'imperialistic West.'

The principle 'God (Allah) in our hearts, in our souls' [Allah also means God in Uzbek]

This Karimov's principle is directed to the destruction of the correct understanding of Islam. By saying 'God (Allah) in our hearts, in our souls,' Karimov calls not to fulfill, in practice, the cannons of Islam. The person [Karimov], who is a staunch enemy of Islam and Muslims, is teaching Muslims how to follow Islam. By stating that God (Allah) is in our hearts one can do anything that soul wants as does devil Islam Karimov. According to this principle, a Muslim does not need to pray because God (Allah) and Islam are in the heart. It means that a Muslim can drink alcohol and hire prostitutes, because God (Allah) and Islam are in the heart. It means that believers can defame and give false testimony in trial and court on innocent people because they have God (Allah) in their hearts. In other words, it is the destruction of Islam, without offending Islam and Muslims. If a believer begins to follow the religion, coming from the rules of the religion, coming from personal beliefs, then the state [e.g. the government] punishes the believer by imprisonment. According to the constitution of Uzbekistan, the religion in the Republic [of Uzbekistan] is separate from the state. However, the state constantly meddles into the matters of religion and believers. The state teaches believers how to follow one or another religion. Actually it is the intrusion of the state into the matters of religion.

In addition, by the confidential order of the President [Karimov], the portraits of the President, devil of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov hang in the mosques.

The idea of creation of bicameral parliament [bicameral parliament was ratified in 2002]. It is a complete fraud. Would the deputies, who sat in one chamber for twelve years and ratified anti-popular laws and by-law acts, begin to ratify democratic laws in the interests of the people, if they [deputies] are divided into two chambers?! Actually, the Parliament has to reflect the structure and the mix of the society e.g. all layers of the society have to be represented in the parliament according to the nationality, religious affiliation, social level etc. Are there representatives of, for example, believers or farmers, middle class or the poor in the current parliament? No. Because the parliament is elected not by the people, but by the NSS [National Security Service], therefore the current Uzbek parliament represents and defends only the interests of the state and the government. Would these deputies begin to represent the interests of the people after the division [of deputies] into two groups? I think no: what is the difference, in how many groups do the trained mules vote - in one or two. The idea of creation of bicameral parliament is needed so that the people, who tolerated the twelve years of devilish [Karimov's] regime, would believe the arrival of true democracy and justice with the creation of bicameral Parliament and would tolerate [Karimov's regime] a bit further. [I] think that in Uzbekistan it does not make sense to create twenty chambers in the parliament, if it [the parliament] does not represent all layers of the society including those layers, which oppose the current Karimov's regime.

In conclusion

There are many other Karimov's ideological frauds, but [I] do not think that it is worthwhile to list all of them. We showed these examples so as not to yield to them. Do not believe the demagogy of the devil [President Karimov]! In principle, these frauds are not concocted by Karimov himself, because he is an uneducated person, who does not know the difference between a simple structure and composition. Besides the five principles of development, almost all frauds of ideological plan are prepared by the Institute of Strategic Research [under the office of the President of Uzbekistan]. This Institute, in essence, prepares methods of defrauding people, gives into the hands of the devil [Karimov] ideological weapons against the people of Uzbekistan. Do not believe the promises, the words of Karimov and his associates! Enough being naive! Explain it to the youth!

Source- CentrAsia.