Why has the “Birdamlik (Solidarity)” the People’s Democratic Movement gone on a pause?
- We did not actually want to take a break. We had to. You may be aware that we also participated at the alternative elections within the last Presidential elections. The elections showed that we had a lot of shortfalls in our political activity.
Primarily, these include organisational shortfall in our work, lack of political culture among of activists and other opposition members, and lastly, the fact that the financial aspects are not yet fully resolved. Until now, we have been using our own resources in funding our activities. The situation developed to the state that it proved impossible to pull the wheels on any longer.
In other words, first, we should fill in and resolver the financial gaps and issues. In addition, we have to address the organisational issues and internal discipline within the Movement. We must to go deeper into our people. We had to suspend our activities for the purposes of expanding our opportunities, improving the political conscious and culture among our people. Once we are ready to do these and similar things, we shall call another congress and resume our activities. You could call our current state as a political break.
- How long is this break going to last?
- Two years. It can be extended if we cannot resolve the above issues within the next two years.
- Before you went on this break, how long had the “Birdamlik” movement been in the political scene?
- The Movement was established in April 10th 2004 and this means we have been acting for 11 years. And, mainly after the Andijan massacre, “Birdamlik” managed to arrange a lot of political measures in Uzbekistan and abroad. We undertook many protest meetings, pickets and different other actions.
- If “Birdamlik” is on a break, what are you busy with currently?
- You may be aware, that I established a transport company “KESH” in the USA. This business also faced many obstacles. I think, all the obstacles were due to my political activity and came from those American politicians who are related with Uzbekistan government.
I think, some American politicians are among those who caused liquidation of my company and me officially going into a 700 000 US dollars debt. In short, my company went bankrupt due to the huge debt. However, once “TM Accounting Inc.” auditing firm reviewed all our accounting documents and issued an opinion that stated that I did not have a debts to the tax authorities. We have submitted the opinion report to the tax authorities. The tax authorities are reviewing it.
- A question arises here: You are saying that some American politicians arranged obstacles against your business due to your activities in Uzbekistan. We know that USA is the first democratic state in the world. While this democratic state puts the democratic values as the utmost priority, why do they try to liquidate an Uzbek democratic organisation who tries to undertake reforms in Uzbekistan through democratic methods?
- You know, I am an active oppositoner and we undertook a lot of political actions. I am too far from blaming the American people, their Constitution, state and laws and American democracy. However, there are special strategic institutions here. For instance, US State Department, etc.
Of course, they also want Uzbekistan to carry out democratic reforms. But they are not happy with our activity. In other words, we are running ahead of time a lot or maybe we may have elected a different way, and whatever it is, they do not like it. Therefore, they have been trying to hinder my work and stop me, which resulted in liquidation of my company.
I was imposed many fines and faced different problems. I would have thought, I am running ahead, but they do not want this. In reality, all this is caused because they do not quite understand Uzbekistan and the real state of affairs in the country. I do not support US policy in Central Asia and Uzbekistan. Those who deal with the region, especially US State Department have not studied the region properly.
For instance, the Tulip revolution in Kyrgyzstan in 2004 was the first wrong step. There was no need for this in Kyrgyzstan. But should the first colour revolution have happened in Uzbekistan, it would have given other positive results. We can name dozens of shortfalls by the US State Department in our region. The bad thing is the US State Department still continue making mistakes in the region. As a result, the region’s nations are distancing from democracy and do not quite believe in it. There are increasing doubts about the US government and its continued relationship.
- Who do you mean by saying “they”? US State Department?
- Yes, The US State Department Uzbekistan division and all state institutions who deal with Uzbekistan. For they do not want any revolution to happen in Uzbekistan, do not want any radical change in the political system and fast development of changes in the country. We can understand them form one hand. The reason is that being in opposition, we do not have any possibility of running the country.
Nevertheless, during these processes, we will be setting up our own team and get necessary preparations. There is nothing worse than waiting in aimlessly. If we take on their recommendations, not only we will not have an opportunity to run the country, but also we will not be able to do so. Uzbekistan may become a second Afghanistan. Despite all this, we must always be in active movement.
It is a serious political mistake for the American State Department to distance from Uzbek opposition and get close to the Uzbek regime, dictatorship. The recent event of driving out of the American journalist from the press-conference of the US State Secretary and President of Uzbekistan can be classified as overall defeat of American diplomacy in Uzbekistan.
The US government think they can always influence by rendering short material assistance and imposing political pressure. For instance, colour revolutions took place in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and the Ukraine at financial and political support of US Government. However, the results of these revolutions, with exception only for Georgia, did not please too many people. The new governments in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan who came after the revolutions immediately got themselves bogged in corruption and made the political and economic crisis’ aggravate.
This can be viewed as the cause of the wrong approach by the US Government. For, instead of leading their nations to economic reforms, the opposition groups who took over the governments after the colour revolutions, brought mutual argumenta and quarrels. New revolutions and new crisis’ followed.
I am of the opinion that the US Government does not quite understand the political state of people in Muslim states. For instance, the US government caused political crisis of in Arab countries, Iran and Iraq and failures in Central Asia -Turkistan can be shown as examples to this. We are pleased to see Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, the three former Soviet republics as full right European Union members and they have chosen the European way of development.
But the Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, whose development level was similar to that of the Baltic states, are now going deep into severe crisis every year. The wrong way taken by the US government in cooperation partly with Uzbekistan, their negligence of the opposition, their close relationship with dictator autocrat Islam Karimov is getting the region to political, economic, and social crisis.
If this continues on, there will be at least seven- eight millions of refugees from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan only. Such refugees will have the opportunity of going to Europe via Russian Federation. Unfortunately, this will not help solving the problems in the region. Things may get worse and the refugee flow may become constant. I think the US and European state must bear this in mind.
Once Uzbekistan starts democratic changes and moves onto economic development way, it not only can stop the emigration of its citizens, but also can welcome the citizens of neighbouring countries, including those hundreds of thousand refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. We all know form the recent history that during the Second World War Uzbekistan housed over 1 million refugees from the war-affected territories of the Soviet Union.
I think, the US Government should expand colour revolution possibilities and thereafter continue assistance to those countries effected. If the US Government could support our democratic organisation, we, in our turn, could better use our internal resources, and involve strong, talented specialists of various fields to run continuous activity, I think, we shall fully justify the trust and support from the US Government. Otherwise, we can also mingle with our internal discrepancies and fail to get the country to the reforms.
- Can you tell us a little about what you are busy with currently?
- After our bankruptcy in the tansport industry, I took on an entirely different field. Having taken an advice from my wife Feruza Khanum, we established “Happy Planet” nonprofit organization.
- This year?
- No, in 2014. Now I have one personal truck left. I am trying to either sell or rent it out. I want to continue my activities solely in the “Happy Planet.”
- What is this organisation and what are its objectives?
- As I said earlier, it is a nonprofit organization. We install special boxes at location and ask the population to put their used clothing, footwear, books, and some household staff in these boxes. We then collect the contents of the boxes and take them to our stores, classify them. We are planning to sell some of this staff in the shops in the US yet to be opened, while the rest will be sent to other countries.
If we see totally useless things, we will send such to secondary processing plants for recycling. We thus are planning to open new jobs. We are planning to use the proceeds for supporting the civil society and opposition activists in Central Asia and, namely Uzbekistan, financially disadvantages creative people of art, and sick children.
- Am I right to understand that this is going to be something like second hand shops that exist in other countries?
- They are known as second hand shops in Uzbekistan. But our approach is a little different here. We mainly collect clothing and send it to the needed countries for selling and send the proceeds to Central Asia….
- So, will these things be sold in African, South American and Asian countries? Or will you distribute them for free?
- No, of course, we will be selling them. This means creating new jobs in those locations and people will have access to quality and cheap clothing. In addition to sending some financial support, we will be sending such clothing to Central Asian countries.
- You are calling this a nonprofit organization. But as far as I can understand, it is going to look like a trade entity. Please, comment on this.
- Yes, it sounds trade and business. But the difference from business is that we shall not keep the profit in our pockets. We shall distribute the income.
- Is this a tax-free business or will it be taxed?
- It is tax free. For we will not keep the income from sales. Of course, we will be paying taxes from employee wages.
- In that case, what financial interest will you have?
- There is no financial interest for us here; the only thing we need is moral interest. An aspect of this interest is drawing the attention of the American people to Central Asia, Turkestan. In other words, the aim is attracting the attention of American people to the aspects of human rights, forced labour, children’s rights, opposition issues, and dictatorship issues in Central Asia, and rendering financial assistance to the region within of our capabilities and possibilities. This will give us moral strength.
- Of course, this is to be praised. Bit, if you have lost you main business, and are planning to fully be busy with the new entity, how can you afford your life if you do not have any financial income?
- Of course, once we have put through certain amounts of income, we will get some funds, sufficient to run our life. But our aim is not getting rich from this. We shall fix some monthly wages to afford our lives during work.
- I see. In short, you are taking on philanthropy, charity. So, at what stage is the state of affairs now?
- Yes, you are right. Though there are some difficulties, we are continuing the work. We all know that initiating a business is always difficult. Now we are installing special boxes at locations. But there are artificial obstacles. We are trying to overcome these and trying to open a shop. We are arranging export of collected clothing to other countries. Currently, our financial capabilities are not strong. Because, we need to buy some equipment. We are now looking for some funding for this purpose.
- Is the project going to cover the entire USA or certain states only?
- It is currently running in some cities in Missouri State. In time, we shall be planning to expand to other territories as well. And, we shall involve our compatriots in tis. We are intending to involve some of our compatriots, who are travelling across the world without jobs.
- Are yourself and your wife the only employees of this entity? Or are there any other people working for it?
- There are two other people within the company. At the moment, we are paying them from our private funds. The business is getting on its feet gradually. I hope, thing s will get better, once we have purchased the necessary equipment.
- What is the situation on control of cleanliness and hygiene of the collected clothing?
- Primarily, the American culture is that before dropping their second hand clothing, the people wash them. Some unwashed and useless things will be sent to the recycling plants.
- What do our compatriots, who live in the USA, think about this project?
- You know the mentality of our people. Our people have never done such things and they are a little far from such things. And, most American Uzbeks try to be at a distance from opposition activists. They are afraid of being in contact with us. On the other hand, this sort of business is a little strange to them. I think, once our people get to know better about this business in future, the will get on with it.
- Bakhodir Khan, I am on you website now. But I don’t see any information about clothing and generally about the things you have been telling me. On the contrary, the site has a collection of political article, including some information in English about the cotton policy in Uzbekistan. Can you comment, please
- As we said earlier, the objective is giving more information about the region to American people and drawing their attention to Central Asia. Americans must know the destination, where the clothing they drop in the boxes is going. We have set up this information source about the purpose of spending the funds from the activities, and where it is sent. As you say, the site gives more information about civil rights and political processes of the region. We are planning to employ serious journalists to work on our site in future.
- What is the method, you employed to let other people know of the business of your company? Are you advertising it or are you using internet for this?
- At the drop locations, we have our telephone numbers and some information about us on the printed boxes. In addition, we are popularising ourselves through our internet web site.
- Is there any completion around?
- The completion is comparatively low in the place where I live and work. And there is some competition in other states. But it is not horrendous. One cannot feel it seriously. In general, there is and there should be some competition everywhere and in every trade. It is natural and it is impossible to live without it. A sound competition is the cause of progress. I am not afraid of competition. By will of God, our objective will come to life in due course!
- Thanks for the interview, Bakhodir Khan! We wish strength and a lot of success in your great plans!
- Thank you, Ulugbek! Good health to you!
*****
Inerviewed by Ulugbek Bakirov, journalist
USA-Norway
November 20st, 2015.