DUSHANBE, June 25, 2008, Asia-Plus — Indeed, uneasy political and socioeconomic processes are currently taking place in the country; and negative tendencies, unfortunately, prevail over the positive ones, Abdughani Mamadazimov, chairman of the Association of Political Scientists of Tajikistan, said in an interview with Asia-Plus, commenting on a press conference given by Dodojon Atovulloyev, the editor-in-chief of a Moscow-based Tajik opposition newspaper
Charoghi Rouz
(Day of Light) also leader of the so-called Vatandor (Patriot) Movement, in the office of Russia’s news agency Rosbalt in Moscow on June 24.
According to him, the only large national event reported in the first half-year of 2008 is resumption of the project for completing construction of the Roghun hydroelectric power station.
“Inefficient operations by the law enforcement agencies in Gharm, Kulob and Khorog as well as amendments to the tax code, which force small and medium-sized enterprises to go underground, and inaccurate financial information provided by Tajik authorities to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and arrest of businessman Marouf Orifov are also causes for pessimism,” Mamadazimov said.
The situation that emerged in the country is the serious cause for pessimism that is used by persons such as Dodojon Atovulloyev, who like to speak on behalf of the people, living in comfortable conditions abroad, Mamadazimov said, noting that the so-called Vatandor Movement does not unite any serious political forces.
Meanwhile, according to CA-News, speaking at the press conference in Moscow on June 24, Atovulloyev called to establish “real democratic system with parliament, free elections and mass media” in Tajikistan. He offered to depose the governing post-Soviet President of Tajikistan by mass actions of civil disobedience, Rosbalt reported.
Dodojon Atovulloyev accused Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in “reducing his country to poverty of the level of the poorest African countries”.
He said that he headed the opposition in expulsion and had not had a possibility to visit his native Tajikistan since 2004. “Some two million Tajik nationals currently live and work in Russia. We get all information from them,” noted the
Charoghi Rouz
editor.
He expressed deep appreciation to Russia. At the same time Dodojon Atovulloyev hopes that all Tajik migrant will return to Tajikistan. “I had a possibility to buy a lot of apartments abroad but I did not do this. I will come back to Tajikistan with the last migrant and guest worker,” said he, according to CA-News.
