Kyrgyz More Politically Aware Since April Demo

The opposition rally in Bishkek has made both the authorities and the opposition understand that they need to negotiate, and contributed to greater political awareness across society, NBCentralAsia observers say.



During a forum entitled “April 2007 - Lessons Learned”, held in Bishkek on April 28, representatives of the authorities, opposition and non-government organisations discussed the results of the nine-day demonstration staged by the opposition earlier in the month.



The rally, organised by the opposition United Front for a Worthy Future for Kyrgyzstan and the Movement for Reforms, was dispersed by police on April 19 after disturbances outside the government building.



Opposition members attending the forum called on the authorities to start talks and launch reforms, first and foremost of the constitution.



“We have to sit down and examine what’s going on in the country - what issues there are disagreements on and why they exist. We must try to reach a consensus and work together,” said member of parliament Kubatbek Baibolov, leader of the Movement for Reforms.



According to State Secretary Adakhan Madumarov, both the authorities and the opposition should learn lessons from the April demonstrations for the sake of the country as a whole.



“If the opposition has specific demands, the authorities should listen to them, not ignore them,” said Madumarov.



He suggested that the opposition and the authorities gather for a broader meeting soon.



Political observers believe the April demonstrations have contributed to the growth of political culture in Kyrgyz society, even though they were dispersed by police using riot equipment.



Immediately after the protests ended, the Movement for Reforms announced it would change the way it presented its demands, a move that political scientist Marat Kazakbaev says shows “the rally had a positive effect on improving the quality and methods of [opposition] activity.”



One opposition leader, Temir Sariev has pointed out that Movement for Reforms has decided to put its demands through the media and roundtable meetings, by publishing its ideas and views on particular issues.



“But whether this kind of opposition approach will become the norm depends on the authorities,” he said.



The leader of the United Front, Felix Kulov, has said separately that his organisation will change tactics by staging “peaceful acts of resistance”.



The April demonstrations have also shown that Kyrgyz civil society is able to voice its political views, according to political scientist Zainidin Kurmanov.



“In contrast to the closed regimes in neighbouring countries, the opposition is at least able to appeal to the authorities through peaceful demonstrations,” he said.



(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)