Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will address a joint meeting of both chambers of parliament on December 21. Unlike in previous years, the authorities did not announce the themes of the address in advance. Therefore, we asked the experts about themes they would like to be discussed at the meeting.
Theme No 1 – GBAO
Tajik political scientist Parviz Mullojonov considers that the closest attention should be paid to the question: how to stabilize the situation in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) peacefully as soon as possible.
“This issue worries not only the population of Gorno Badakhshan, but also all residents of the country. People hope that if the president focuses in his address on peaceful solutions to the problem, the degree of tension in the region will surely subside,” Mullojonov said.
He further added that people are also waiting that social and economic issues related to raising living standards and creating new jobs. They are also waiting to hear how the issues of rise in prices, helping the poor and providing assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Reduction of number of government agencies
The leader of the Democratic Party of Tajikistan (DPT) Saidjaffar Usmonzoda, who is also member of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament), considers that the president must touched upon the issue of downsizing of civil servants in his address.
“And there is no need in some regional agencies,” he noted.
“When the president's instructions reach the regional authorities, they are filtered there and a whole system of corruption emerges there, especially in the issue of handling money and material and technical base,” Usmonzoda added.
According to him, the president is also going to reconsider the issue of revoking the privileges of law enforcement authorities in this address, that is, to restore the,.
“The president also must abolish tax and customs benefits granted to some companies and organizations, MP said.
Stop police arbitrariness
Bahodur Razzoqov, ex-member of the Dushanbe legislature and a law professor at the Tajik State University of Commerce, considers that the resident must touch upon the issue of toughening fight against corruption in the country.
According to him, it is also necessary to analyze activities of the law enforcement agencies in order to prevent arbitrariness among them,. .
Besides, many experts in the country consider that the president’s address must not be used as ideological and propaganda tool and the issues raised in the address should contribute to social and economic development of the country and improvement of the public system.
Since 2015, the joint meeting of the Majlisi Namoyandagon (Tajikistan’s lower chamber of parliament) and the Majlisi Milli (Tajikistan’s upper chamber of parliament) has taken place it the Kokhi Somon State Complex in Dushanbe.
Heads of all provinces, cities and districts as well as ministries and agencies have been invited to attend the meeting.
In his address to the parliament, the president usually discusses the country’s priorities in domestic politics and foreign policy as well as the main economic challenges
All Tajik national television and radio channels broadcast the president’s annual address. Students of higher educational institutions as well as senior students of high schools are gathered in their institutions’ auditoriums to watch Rahmon’s annual address.
