TAJIKISTAN: PROVINCIAL LIFE CHANGES SLOWLY

UNCLAS DUSHANBE 001751

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM ECON SOCI KISL KDEM TI
SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN: PROVINCIAL LIFE CHANGES SLOWLY



1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please handle accordingly.
Not for public Internet.


2. (U) SUMMARY: On October 27 in the southern city of Kurgan
Tyube, EmbOffs met with a sampling of community leaders. Change
comes slowly in the provinces, old habits die hard, and the
bureaucracy retains its power to interfere in business. END
SUMMARY.

THE BUSINESSMAN


3. (SBU) Azim Aliyev, director of Open Stock Company ALI, a
cannery privatized since 1996, intimated the local government
still controls the management of the plant. He suggested it is
universally understood if a company fails to comply with the
local government, it would be threatened with higher taxes, a
cut in the electricity supply, or other measures of coercion.
Somewhat reticent in offering specific examples, Aliyev admitted
such actions have been taken against him in the past. He echoed
the familiar Tajik view that "Only stability leads to freedom."
Aliyev declined PolOffs' request to tour the factory, saying
that it was not fit to present. He expressed interest in
learning more about the United States' private sector, and
accepted an application for the Special American Business
Internship Training program.

THE ISLAMIC POLITICIAN


4. (SBU) The local head of the Islamic Revival Party of
Tajikistan (IRPT),Hoji Qalandar Sadriddinov, conforms to the
conciliatory message from IRPT leaders at the national level.
He stressed, unlike other political parties that draw negative
attention, the IRPT has a good relationship with the government.
Even so, he cautiously cited some examples of the government
cracking down on IRPT members and unfair representation at the
polls in February's elections as areas needing improvement. The
growth of political pluralism, according to him, would depend on
each party's leadership and popularity. He listed the top three
issues of concern to Kurgan Tyube as jobs and salaries,
corruption, and freedom of speech. There are no madrassas in
Kurgan Tyube, and new construction of Friday Mosques, which
typically attract a large number of worshipers, has not been
permitted. In addition, he admitted that drug trafficking has
posed a problem in the region since 1995. He argued the
government uses the pretext of drug interdiction to stop certain
shipments of goods throughout the region, detering trade and
economic activity.

THE FAMILY DOCTORS


5. (SBU) Embassy PolOffs visited the new family medicine clinic
in Kurgan Tyube and met with USAID-funded Family Medicine
Manager, Dr. Farida Asadova, and several other doctors. The
Ministry of Health initiated a program to retrain specialist
doctors in family medicine in response to a shortage of family
practitioners in Tajikistan. Tajik State Medical University
graduates only about 36 family physicians each year. Having
more family doctors available to treat patients would save time
and money for patients used to a system where they shuttle
between specialists, paying each an under-the-table "gift" in
exchange for services. In an effort to avoid these unofficial
payments, fees are stated up front at the clinic. However,
according to the doctors, patients are reluctant to pay such
clearly stated fees, fully engrained with the Soviet-style
mentality of medical care. We have also heard that some of the
doctors themselves are resisting the change. The $16 they
receive each month as a salary forces them to work for
under-the-table donations. The family doctors in Kurgan Tyube
were optimistic the system will even itself out eventually and
transparent payments will become the norm.


6. (SBU) COMMENT: Change comes slowly in post-Soviet countries
like Tajikistan, and even more slowly when the government itself
is selective and ambivalent about reforms. We suspect our

interlocutors were reserved, at least in part, because they were
meeting with U.S. Embassy officers without prior authorization
from local authorities. We had attempted to schedule a meeting
with the Mayor of Kurgan Tyube, but did not go through the
standard diplomatic-note routine. Since Dushanbe had not
authorized Kulyob to authorize Kurgan Tyube, the mayor was "not
available." END COMMENT.


HOAGLAND


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