But after leading Kyrgyzstan’s fledgling opposition, she never expected to find instant fame as president of a country on the brink of chaos, making life-and-death decisions that could save the tiny country of 5 million or pull it apart. Now, two years after the ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev led to rioting that spread to the ethnically divided south, 62-year-old Otunbayeva has turned over power to a new democratically elected leader.
In Ottawa earlier this week, she spoke to the Star about her role in Kyrgyzstan’s turbulent past.
Q: Kyrgyzstan had gone through strife in the past decade, in spite of the 2005 Tulip Revolution that overthrew President Askar Akayev. Was it a shock to find yourself in the middle of a national meltdown five years later?
A: We were without a government. All the branches of authority had collapsed and parliament just disappeared. The president was gone. We didn’t have anyone in the political field, so we had to take power from the ground up.
Q: You started out as a philosopher. Were you ready to be a president?
A: At first it was very difficult, but I had no choice. I had experience from the past. In the 1990s, I was recruited (by Akayev) as a deputy prime minister and was three times minister of foreign affairs. It was an intense period of relations with the Soviet government. I took over the stabilization of our country, and I was an ambassador in Washington. So, in a way, I was well prepared.
Q: You were an ally of Bakiyev in the Tulip Revolution that overthrew Akayev. Why did you leave his government?
A: I saw that the country was going in an authoritarian direction. I told the president openly how I felt, and I thought it was better that I leave. . . My opposition activity started in 2004, and I was elected three years later by the social democrats.
Q: When the rioting spread after Bakiyev left, and there were attacks on ethnic Uzbeks in the south, how did you avoid civil war?
A: It was a very painful time. We lost more than 400 people. Many lost their homes. I got reports directly from human rights activists, and I decided to call out the troops. In 1990, it took weeks for several battalions of Soviet paratroops to put down that kind of violence. This time it took four long days and nights. I talked with the presidents of Russia and Uzbekistan constantly. Uzbekistan agreed to close the border to avoid a wider inter-ethnic conflict (with Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks in the south).
Q: And Russia?
A: We asked our most trusted ally to help us. But they didn’t send anyone. No one in the region helped. We were alone.
Q: The conflict is over, but complaints of human rights violations against ethnic Uzbeks continue.
A: I believe it takes time to heal those wounds. In the south, there are nationalists and people who are suspicious of the Uzbek leaders. They think they want to separate (the city of) Osh from Kyrgyzstan. There are problems with land and water rights, and social divisions. It is difficult to change that in a day.
Q: You are known as one of the few democrats in Central Asian politics. Are you hopeful for your country?
A: There is a desert of democracy in this region. We need a free press, a strong civil society and human rights. State institutions are still fragile, but they should be supported. If Canada wants to help in any way, that is what they could do. We are fortunate that we have gold mining, and Canada has a large joint venture with us. We are rich in water, which is even more important than oil. We have learned much about the market economy. But we wanted change, and we have paid a very high price for it.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Olivia Ward
No comments:
Post a Comment