People’s kurultai is being convened in the republic, which can replace the parliament
On November 25, Kyrgyzstan will host the first People’s Kurultai – a deliberative assembly. The corresponding decree was signed by President Sadyr Zhaparov on August 16. He explained it that there is a need to ensure a national dialogue to unite all nationalities and ethnic groups that make up the people of Kyrgyzstan. Zhaparov will personally finance the event. The leader of the Butun Kyrgyzstan parliamentary faction, Adakhan Madumarov, told Nezavisimaya Gazeta (NG) that holding a kurultai is the first step towards the disintegration of the state.
The idea of creating a new body, the People’s Kurultai, belongs to Sadyr Zhaparov. At his initiative, this provision was included in the new Constitution of the country. In particular, Article 7 of the Basic Law notes that the People’s Kurultai is a public representative assembly that makes recommendations on the directions of social development, and the organization and procedure for the activities of the Kurultai are determined by the Constitution and the constitutional law.
Any adult citizen residing in Kyrgyzstan or in labor migration can become a delegate of the People’s Kurultai. A total of 2.5 thousand people are expected to be elected.
Sadyr Zhaparov approved the composition of the organizational committee for holding the kurultai, which included 23 people – government officials, lawyers and regional representatives of the president. They will develop the rules of the meeting, which is approved directly by the delegates.
“This is the first step towards the collapse of the state. The creation of such a body clearly shows that this person (Sadyr Japarov – “NG”) has no idea about the state structure. The representative body according to the Constitution is the Parliament. But in the wake of populism, such a concept as the People’s Kurultai was introduced into the Constitution. The activity of the kurultai must be determined by the constitutional law. But there is no such law,” Adakhan Madumarov, a member of the parliament and leader of the Butun Kyrgyzstan faction, told NG.
The parliamentarian added that there are no answers to the questions: how the kurultai will be formed, on what principles, what problems will be considered, what options will delegates have.
The society is discussing that at the suggestion of the People’s Kurultai, it will be possible to dismiss members of the Cabinet of Ministers and heads of executive bodies. Delegates will be able to participate in the formation of one third of the composition of the Council for Justice. It is not clear how the independence, competence and objectivity of the kurultai will be ensured.
“This initiative was invented to distract people from pressing problems. Zhaparov deliberately leads the state to disintegration. It seems to me that they (the current government – “NG”) are fulfilling someone’s order. I dare to recall that back in 1997, speaking in parliament, as a deputy, I said that a closed program had been developed, according to which several states should cease to exist by 2025, including Kyrgyzstan. These “brave guys” (the current government – “NG”) purposefully carry out this very program,” Madumarov believes.
The deputy explained that “the Anglo-Saxon program, according to which the Bologna system of education was introduced, which de facto only provided services, but did not provide education.”
He said that as a result, during 25 years they managed to bring up an ignorant generation – they have neither a specialty nor an education. “Therefore, today the authorities can make any decisions, but the society does not understand what is unconstitutional and what is illegal. Accordingly, Zhaparov’s decree on holding a kurultai is illegal. His goal is to replace the parliament with the so-called kurultai. This is nonsense,” said Adakhan Madumarov.
He recalled that the country no longer has executive power. “The Cabinet of Ministers is headed by the head of the presidential administration. Although the executive branch, according to the new Constitution, initiated by Sadyr Zhaparov, should be headed by the president. On the square (the third coup of October 2020 -“ NG ”), Zhaparov promised that he would be personally responsible for everything, if only the people would support him and elect him as a head of state. So what? Now he realized that it is dangerous,” the deputy believes. According to him, the concept of “people’s representation” is leveled by the kurultai. “The people must exercise their right, the source of power is the people, and the people delegate their powers to the deputies of parliament, as in all civilized states. But when the state lives according to the rules, it is dangerous,” Madumarov said.
Doctor of political sciences Azamat Temirkulov expressed the opinion to the 24.kg news agency that kurultai would be possible in Kyrgyzstan, but not in the form in which it is presented in the Constitution. Its given the role of an institution that will agree with the president in everything.
Experts believe that kurultai cannot relieve some social tension, but there is a possibility that it is needed in order to concentrate power around the person of the head of state to an even greater extent. There is already a pocket parliament; in addition, it will also have an on-duty kurultai. Critics of kurultai also do not understand why this archaism should be resurrected. There is no need to scroll the history wheel backwards. To solve the emerging issues, it is necessary to look for new, modern approaches.
Deputy Zhanar Akaev, speaking in parliament, noted that “high-tech parks are being opened all over the world, and we are writing laws on how to gather people to applaud the president.”
Adakhan Madumarov drew attention to the fact that the kurultai will be held at the expense of the reserve fund of the Cabinet of Ministers and the President’s fund. “The President’s Fund is about 3 billion soms (2.6 billion rubles). Exactly this amount is allocated for the irrigation system and the purchase of fertilizers for the needs of agriculture. But these are “pocket expenses” of the president, which are unreported. It’s monstrous! Especially at a time when there is a crisis in the country, and the public debt over the past two years has exceeded 5.2 billion dollars,” Adakhan Madumarov, leader of the Butun Kyrgyzstan party, told NG.
Victoria Panfilova,
Nezavisimaya gazeta”,
August 18, 2022