The Constitutional Referendum in Kyrgyzstan (June 27, 2010): Meeting Kyrgyzstani in Bonn

June 27, 2010, I took part in the Referendum. I voted for the new changes in the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic, which reduce presidential powers and strengthen democracy. I was surprised to find a Wikipedia article about Kyrgyzstani Constitutional Referendum, 2010 in English. If the Referendum proves to be legitimate -because the opposition groups try to prove the contrary- The Kyrgyz Republic will be the first parliamentary democracy in the whole Central Asian region. In brief,

Under the new constitution, the president will serve a single six-year term in office rather than a maximum of two five-year terms.

The maximum age limit for a serving president will be increased by five years to 70. Roza Otunbayeva will remain interim president until 31 December 2011, but will not be entitled to run for president again.

The number of seats in parliament will increase from 90 to 120. No single political party will be allowed to win more than 65 seats. Nobody will face criminal action for criticising officials. Opposition will no longer need official permission to hold protests outside administrative buildings and central squares across the country.

The Constitutional Court will be abolished and its powers will be transferred to the Supreme Court.

Read the full BBC article here.

The Info Point of the City of Bonn gave a wrong address. So, it took time to find the Außenstelle der Botschaft Kirgisistan (Bonn).

WRONG ADDRESS!!!
Außenstelle der Botschaft Kirgisistan
UBIERSTRASSE 19,
53173 BONN DEUTSCHLAND

RIGHT ADDRESS:
Außenstelle der Botschaft Kirgisistan
Ännchenstraße 61
Bonn
53177
Tel: 0228-36 52 30
Fax: 0228-36 52 30

My friend and I received hearty reception in the Embassy. It took me seconds to cast my vote and hours to get to know the Kyrgyz citizens who travelled to Bonn to vote. The friendly stuff invited us to join the group of the Kyrgyzstaani, who had already cast their votes. Most of them were young males and females, self-identified as Kyrgyz citizens, taking advantage of the comfortable black leather sofas in the room, snacking on nuts, raisins, mini-sandwitches, drinking juices and water, chatting, enjoying each others company... The topics covered were diverse: studying in Germany, plans for future, German and Kyrgyz traditions, culture shock, how snails make sex, how to cook boorsok, etc. Afterwards, we watched football in a local pizzeria. Everyone wanted Germany to win. It was a great game: Germany England (4:1)!

Over the phone, mom told she was doing fine and the local news programs reported no outbreaks of violence, nothing of that kind. On Monday, Aljazeera published a neat report of the Constitutional Referendum in Kyrgyzstan.


When even Russia gave up on us -"Kyrgyzstan could be "second Afghanistan" - Medvedev"- we, the Kyrgyzstani, turned out to be very conscious voters this time:

Bishkek (Jetigen via Aki Press) - According to the "Shailoo" electronic system, as of 21:00 pm Bishkek time number of voted in Kyrgyzstan reached 1 922 295 people out of the total registered voters, 2 767 088.

The percentage of turnout on June 27 referendum peaked at 69.47%.

The referendum vote was closed at 20:00 pm, the system "Shailoo" processing data from the polling stations.
Batken province - voted 140 945 people which is 62.05%.
Bishkek city - voted 264 658 people which is 76.34%.
Jalal-Abad province - voted 291 277 people which is 59.93%.
Issyk-Kul province - voted 195 257 which is 84.96%.
Naryn province - 119 824 people which is 80.16%.
Osh city - 64 363 people which is 51.05%.
Osh province - 352 332 people which is 58.94%.
Talas province - 94 528 people which is 81,91%.
Chui province - 378 486 people representing 82.82%.
MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - 20 571 people, representing 65.09%.

Accessed at Jetigen Online.

Kyrgyzstan struggles to preserve its sovereignty. Becoming a parliamentary democracy is a considerable step forwards. But pessimism and distrust in authority has become a part of the everyday life. The Referendum is a story of a success, of course, yet the trust in the Kyrgyzstani government is still very weak: the previous political "elite" deliberately ruined the country by exterminating the middle class and nurturing the gap between the rich and poor. I will agree with Erica Marat, a Nonresident Research Fellow with the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program Joint Center, on the three primary areas, where Kyrgyzstan needs immediate help from the UN and OSCE to stop the violence:

First, the leaders of the Uzbek and Kyrgyz communities in the region, as well as local entrepreneurs and religious leaders, must be engaged in a dialogue to build trust. Second, the capacity of the Kyrgyz police and its military to quell inter-ethnic tensions must be enhanced. Third, public debates engaging experts with various backgrounds must be organized in various media channels. Fortunately, Kyrgyzstan has the necessary preconditions for this sort of intervention – despite the recent bloodshed; it is still the only state in Central Asia with a viable and active political opposition, professional NGOs, and independent journalists.

My Response to the 2010 Uprising in Kyrgyzstan: Drawing Our Trauma

(click on the picture to enlarge)
One declined, another accepted.

DECLINED. May 28th, 2010, I received the letter, which notified me:

dear sveta,

i just needed to let you know that we could not put up your pictures in the exhibit. i am really really sorry - it was a matter of framing them (our frames did not fit the measures and we certainly did not want to cut anything apart to make it fit). also, the other stuff we put up was from faculties or departments (not from indidivuals who work in faculties), so the concept was a little different than we originally expected. now there is a poster from the american studies department in the u, and the
ruhrgebiet poem by allen ginsberg.

(...)

again, i am really really sorry. and i hope you will come and see the exhibition sometime.

have a good weekend

ACCEPTED. June 14th, 2010, I received the letter, which notified me:

Hallo allerseits,

Anbei der Masterplan für die Konferenz, sowie eine pdf des Konferenztickets, falls ihr kein Studententicket habt.

In diesem Sinne, teu teu teu, und bis Mittwoch!

(...)

P.S.: Stefan, haben wir für Svetlana Makeyeva und Anne Kellermann ein Namenschildchen (Helfer)?
P.P.S.: Falls noch jemand morgen um 10 Zeit hat: wir packen die Konferenztaschen in
der Transferstelle...

Yes, I was invited to the Culture Entrepreneurship Forum to help with the stuff like distributing drinks and taking care of other small things. But then Angela Märtin, project coordinator of kultur.unternehmen.dortmund, asked me whether I wanted to take part in the Dortmund Creative Entrepreneurs Fair and exhibit my drawings in one of the five fascinating conference locations: DEPOT at Immermannstraße 29. DEPOT has always been one of my most favourite locations in Dortmund. Just take a look at this fascinating space, where contemporary local artists exhibit their intellectual and artistic works.

I exhibited eight graphic works from my family archive: these pictures were drawn for my pleasure, and two of the pictures were dedicated to my beloved. Hence, they were not for sale, but preserved for our home and occasional exhibitions like the one that took place in Katholische Hochschulgemeinde in the Ostenbergstr. 10 (Scroll down to see the poster of Russischer Abend am 27. April 2010 ab 19 Uhr in der KHG)

One of my favourite pictures - "Bad News from Kyrgyzstan" - might appear as the most disturbing and darkest in this collection. It is my personal response to what has become known as the 2010 Kyrgyzstani uprising (April 3 - 15, 2010).

During the uprising, I was in Dortmund. The call from parents. The bad news from Kyrgyzstan. I never felt that insecure. In the drawing, you can see me in a Kyrgyz dress, which is stylized... almost unrecognizable as Kyrgyz, but still appearing as oriental. With this, I wanted to signify that my stay in Europe changed me, but not completely. I hold a cell phone (in Germany, they call it 'handy'). The cell phone turns into a tool of torture. The solar disk -the Kyrgyz 'tunduk', an upper part of a Kyrgyz home called 'yurta'- functions as a kind of a razor throwing star. It destroys my ear. My vision gets blurred. On my shoulder, there is a naked human, swirled into a tumour. I got my worst dermatitis rash I ever had in my life the next day. I scrabbed the white matter coming out of the multiple abscesses with a spoon... It was that bad. This picture is pain. It is a drawing of trauma I try to overcome. In light of the recent pogroms and killings in Osh and Jalal Abad (please, watch the video below), I have very little hope things will get better for me and my family in Kyrgyzstan.



I am very grateful to those who support me and my country. Some people do it unintentionally, like Angela Märtin, who invited me to exhibit my graphic drawings. I had a chance to exhibit this particular one last week. People were coming to me and talking about it, and what they heard from the local news stations about the recent tragic events in Kyrgyzstan. Talking about trauma is the best way to cope with it.

------
P.S.: June 23rd, 2010. I received a letter, which notified me:

Sehr geehrte Frau Makeyeva,
Vielen Dank für Ihre Spende.
Ihre Hilfe kommt an!

Reprinted from UNHCR Emergency website: URGENT HELP NEEDED TO SAVE LIVES IN KYRGYZSTAN & UZBEKISTAN

People forced to leave their homes by the latest violence in Kyrgyzstan are in dire need of assistance. Please donate now and help UNHCR provide them with protection, shelter and aid.
You can make a difference.

My name is Svetlana Makeyeva. I am the author of this blog. I know that even 5 Euros can make a difference to my fellow Kyrgyzstani and Uzbekistani people. Please, visit the UN Refugee Agency website You can donate with the EC Karte, if you are located in Germany. The website is very easy to handle.