Local Community Voices Raised

The increasingly strident demands made at community level in Kyrgyzstan are being seen as a sign of the public’s determination to secure a piece of the financial pie when major enterprises are auctioned off.



There have been several cases in the 18 months since the change in government in March 2005 where local communities have successfully extracted concessions from the government or from large companies. This demonstrates an increasing awareness of the tactics and possibilities of civic activism.



Just last week residents of Toktogul, a district that is home to some of Kyrgyzstan’s largest hydroelectric power stations, demanded that the government transfer to them 10 per cent of the shares in Kambaratа Power Stations 1 and 2, which are now under construction. Residents are also insisting on compensation for damage done to the local economy and ecology by the construction work.



Energy experts say it is possible the government might agree to some form of compensation if the people of Toktogul can provide an economic and legal justification for their claims. But it is unlikely that they will be able to secure their main goal of acquiring shares in the power stations themselves, which are national property.



According to the law defining the status of the Toktogul power station, the largest in the country, any attempt to dispose of its assets is prohibited. Hydroelectric power stations, like all major energy sources, are regarded as strategic and are controlled by the state.



The Toktogul residents may be following the example of Jetyoguz district, where locals were able to force the Kumtor gold-mining company to pay compensation for damage to the environment; and Jumgal district, where residents seized the country’s major coal deposit and were able for some time to get their coal for free.



Analysts suggest that the Toktogul residents are being backed by local politicians and activists seeking to protect the rights of the local population ahead of future privatisation of the energy sector. It is possible that they fear the advent of foreign investors who do not have the local people’s interests at heart.



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