The past couple of days have been a disaster for anyone driving his own car in some parts of Uzbekistan including Tashkent and the provinces up north. The gas stations there all seem to have run out of gasoline. The demand for the little that is left is such that the drivers are willing to line up their cars in rows waiting for their turn to get their tanks refilled for hours. Prices have all naturally gone up, in some places by as much as 50%. What was only 500 sums a week ago is now 1 000 sums (please check me if I am wrong).

I have observed the waiting line principle being applied in various ways and at various times/places before but seeing half a kilometer long queue in front of a gas station is something I would have hardly ventured to imagine happening in our country at this time. Well, of course, occasional shortages would occur in the past but certainly not at a national level as seems to be the case now. I can recall that Turkmen gas used to be “smuggled” across the Turkmen-Uzbek border for half our internal price. That was certainly a relief to have an alternative fuel source but after the “historical” meeting of our presidents last year things changed dramatically and the border has remained sealed off ever since.

One can only speculate as to the reasons why this mess is happening now. People being as they usually are extremely distrustful of government policies see someone’s evil design to this oil crisis plotted with the purpose of generating some extra profit at the expense of the poor people. And guess what? This will necessarily have something to do with cotton!

This in fact reminds me of the Soviet time when the only way you could get something few people had you had to either pay double+ or get it shipped yourself. I wonder if the rationing system should soon be introduced again. That seems like an entirely different lifestyle from the one we’re living now but taking into account the unexpectedly renewed friendship with Russia I should not be terribly surprised to see “food coupons” being distributed to us anytime soon.