Protest Groundswell Falls Away
Thursday, 12 October, 2006
Protest Groundswell Falls Away
Thursday, 12 October, 2006
Recently-announced figures from the police indicate that there have been about 500 rallies and demonstrations between January and the end of October, which works out at an average of two a day.
The boom in protests, which began in the run-up to the March revolution of 2005, is now well into its second year. Immediately after the revolution, there were numerous demonstrations prompted by social and economic concerns affecting vulnerable groups, often people who had grabbed land or seized control of state enterprises.
Commenting on the statistics, NBCentralAsia observers say the situation has now changed, as protests about social issues have given way to anti-government demonstrations.
In spring 2006, there were rallies at which participants demanded law and order; at least 25 political groups and public associations took part. The focus then shifted to protests that were more pro-opposition in nature, and more critical of the authorities. The next such rally is planned for the beginning of November.
Political scientist Tamerlan Ibraimov says the kind of demonstration seen recently is a result of the lack of compromise between the authorities and the opposition. They are “a reflection of the actual political situation in our country… the authorities make no concessions to address problems that have mounted up,” he said.
According to another political analyst, Nur Omarov, such protests are a reflection of public discontent with government policies. But he also suspects they are fuelled by opposition politicians who are driven by personal ambition rather than concern for the common good.
(News Briefing Central Asia draws comment and analysis from a broad range of political observers across the region.)
(NBCA предоставляет комментарии и анализ широкого круга политических обозревателей со всего региона.)
