Yesterday we celebrated our 17th independence day. Probably this is one of the main holidays in Tajikistan which is widely celebrated in our country. But many people ask themselves – do we really need this independence? When we were part of Soviet Union we had a better life: no problems with food, education, medicine, electricity, warmth, security, and finally we were confident about our future. What we have now? Almost nothing of the above mentioned.

I agree that there was a Civil War and we had a worse time, but the war ended 11 years ago. The situation doesn’t get better. We are stuck in our problems. We can not move forward. We do not have resources to be independent. Today we are dependent on everything and everyone. One example is energy. Gas comes from Uzbekistan, oil from Kazakhstan and Russia. Electricity during the winter times comes from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

We have only water to generate electricity. Scientists assure us that we have an abundance of water to generate electricity, but this summer showed that we do not have it. We can not even fill with water one reservoir – Nurek water reservoir. And, how we are going to fill some more which are going to be built: Sangtuda 1 and 2, Rogun? If we do not have enough water, what else do we have? The answer is again – almost nothing.

Then, how come that we are independent, if we depend on everything? I think, no one cares about the political independence, if there is no economic independence.