In yesterday’s interview with Moscow-based Fergana.RU news agency, one of the (many, many) political figures has kicked in with several pre-electoral comments reading which one concludes he’s going to kick out (many, many) figures and personalities he is unhappy with. The “kicker” politician is Kamchibek Tashiev who was once himself actually booted out of the emergencies minister’s office. Long story short, let us see and comment on what the “savior of South” has to say.

The ex-minister calls the OSCE police advisory group the “so-called policemen” and say he’s against them, as we have written before. According to Mr Tashiev, “maybe they will destabilize the situation!” Based on that suspicion, Mr Tashiev is not happy with Ms Otunbaeva and her team who initiated the PAG deployment.Before running into an ongoing “we are the greatest because we are the greatest” rhetoric, Mr Tashiev “surprises” us with his revelations as to who is the real instigator of the June clash – the Uzbek leaders, of course.

“[Osh Mayor Melis] Myrzakmatov is a straightforward man who tells the truth and he should not be blamed for this [italics are mine – M.S.],” says Mr Tashiev backing one those whom local population sees as an inspirer and architects of the June clash.

Now, following his logic, any person saying the truth “should not be blamed for that,” right? Wrong! Only Kyrgyz people are entitled to this privilege, whereas any other ethnic group is to only “respect the ancients-old traditions and language of the Kyrgyz people” but not speak out. Listen to this.

“The titular nation in Kyrgyzstan cannot be [presumably – socially] at a lower level than other ethnicities in the country. […] And if any other ethnicity — Russians, Uzbeks, Turks or Chinese [???] — say they are equal with the Kyrgyz or above them, the state will collapse.” Did you think Kyrgyzstan was taking the path of democracy where “all men are born equal”? Eat this! If you are not an ethnic Kyrgyz and a talented piano player, by God, don’t mention it anywhere or you’ll contribute to the collapse of the country which is not cracked by “central directives are invalid in South” claims but by decibels your instrument and claim release.

The aforementioned mayor, the author of the famous quote above by the way, has uttered the “we are the champions” slogan numerous times. Myrzakmatov was appointed as a mayor by ex-President Bakiyev back in early 2009 and maintained his post to date. But this fact has mysteriously evaded Mr Tashiev’s attention when he was asking “why won’t any official take responsibility for the tragedy and leave his/her post? Why won’t they bear moral [!] responsibility by leaving their offices?” An absolutely legitimate question, sir, bravo! That is precisely the question hundreds of thousands wish to pose – Mr Myrzakmatov, why won’t you leave your office for letting the bloodshed happen in Osh?! Mr Tashiev, you leave so many questions unanswered.

Continuing the anti-everyone-else-in-Kyrgyzstan line of vision, the self-proclaimed “pro-Russian” Tashiev claims that he “would be sent to Uzbekistan if he spoke Uzbek in Russia”; therefore, Uzbeks in Kyrgyzstan must learn the Kyrgyz language and culture “in order to avoid inter-ethnic clashes,” which are happening “every 20 years”… That is not all — “only ethnic Russians can fight for the preservation of the Russian statehood”… I wonder if Kremlin would seriously reject, let’s say, a Kalmyk resident of the Far East if he’d come and say “Mr Medvedev, I want to serve in the Russian army and protect the country whose passport I bear”… According to Tashiev, Russia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have made it clear to their residents who is the axis of Earth in their respective countries. “The same should be done in Kyrgyzstan,” Mr Tashiev is certain. But wait a minute, sir, doesn’t the Russian government have many last names ending “–ko”? Does it not have ethnic Tuvinian, Tatar and Ukrainian ministers? You leave so many questions unanswered.

Further, Mr Tashiev throws out another “surprise”: “We are not nationalists. […] We tell our citizens of Uzbek ethnicity: esteemed ones, live in our [!] country, raise your children, but bear in mind – you are living in Kyrgyzstan.”

A man saying this statement claims other ethnicities cannot fight for the preservation of the Kyrgyz statehood in a war, let’s play big, “against China” for example. But why not? If other ethnicities cannot exercise their citizens’ (!) rights, then why do they pay equal amounts of taxes? Why do they pay equal utility bills? Why can they not also hijack armored personnel carriers and caches of weapons and ammo during an “interethnic” conflict? You leave so many questions unanswered.

One would be surprised, but such a great patriot and supporter of the Kyrgyz language and culture has sent his “entire family” to live and study in Russia. The “good and peaceful” Russian Federation is xenophobic, as he claimed earlier, and does not tolerate Uzbek-speakers and other non-Russian speakers. Hence his entire family cannot speak Kyrgyz there and has to speak Russian. Is this the kind of generation he wants to leave us with? Or will they remain in Russia for good, since “it is not quiet in my country and I am afraid for my children”? You leave so many questions unanswered.

As the conversation moves onto the pre-election issues, it becomes apparent that Mr Tashiev is articulating the nationalist rhetoric to secure a popular support “over 70% of which our party already enjoys.”

“If we suddenly leave Jalalabad, no politician – be it [Almazbek] Atambaev or [Temirbek] Sariev or [Roza] Otunbaeva – will be able to stop even ten Kyrgyz, because they are not listened to and they bear no prestige.” Suddenly leave? As an MP candidate, you are planning to be stationed in Bishkek full time as of 11 October 2010. Is that a sudden news for your followers? And to stop those ten Kyrgyz from what?! If your departure is such a devastating piece of news for your followers and supporters with even more devastating consequences for those around, as your statement above suggests, would it then not be more patriotic of you to remain there like you did when “you stopped the war in June”? And by the way, during “the war”, you say you saved 22 ethnic Kyrgyz children from Uzbeks who wanted to slaughter them in Jalalabad Oblast. And then you saved “two ethnic Uzbek women and their children” in Osh. Alright, you saved those Uzbeks from … who wanted to …? You leave so many questions unanswered.

Mr Tashiev wraps up the conversation with radiating love of the Russian Federation and cold and sober glance at the US foreign politics and its airbase. He also vaguely hints about events soon to come by saying “we have both plan A and plan B in case the October election are rigged” and we lose.

A party with half of its candidates unemployed is looking for job! Buckle up and sit tight, Kyrgyzstan!