TAJIK PRESIDENT TRYING TO SPOIL THE PARTY-OR AT LEAST

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 000803 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM TI SUBJECT: TAJIK PRESIDENT TRYING TO SPOIL THE PARTY-OR AT LEAST CONTROL SPENDING DUSHANBE 00000803 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Summary: In an effort to help Tajiks better manage their personal finances, President Emomali Rahmon has proposed a draft "Law on Observing National Traditions and Rituals" to regulate wedding and funeral ceremonies and avoid citizens overspending on lavish events. The law limits the number of wedding guests, the number of cars in a wedding caravan, and reduces wedding celebrations to a single day. The proposed legislation would also restrict memorial services to the third and fortieth day after a death and prohibit the customary memorial events on the second, seventh, and twentieth days after a funeral. The Presidential Administration will establish a special directorate to enforce the new regulations. ¶2. (U) The new policy splits the Tajik population into two camps: those who understand the President's motives and agree that short of legislation and fines, nothing will stop people from succumbing to social pressure to entertain beyond their means; and those who find the draft law an unconstitutional violation of personal freedoms. Parliament has three months to debate the merits of the proposed legislation or come up with an alternative plan. Given Rahmon's commitment to this new initiative, which he claims will help reduce poverty, it is likely the law will pass, and Tajik citizens who want more than 200 wedding or funeral guests may be faced with bribing officials to look the other way. The law may very well result in new income sources for corrupt officials. End Summary. Four Cars in a Wedding and Two Funerals -------------- -------------- ¶3. (U) After two months of public comments hinting at heavier government regulation of personal celebrations, President Rahmon presented his draft legislation May 24 to a crowd of more than 2,000 local government officials and teachers, religious leaders, heads of mosques, academic and cultural representatives. Rahmon called lavish weddings and funeral practices "immoral and wretched" and said they were against the Koran's teachings. He criticized businessmen and government officials for "showing off their wealth" and setting an expensive standard for other families who may feel compelled to hold similar parties but do not have the means to pay for them. He claimed that expenditures for celebrations amounted to $1.5 billion last year - more than the $1 billion national budget. ¶4. (U) Among the changes proposed for weddings: -- Events should be held on one day, eliminating engagement parties, formal gift presentations between in-laws, stag nights, "hen nights," official registration, religious ceremony and according to Rahmon, "many other unnecessary and unaffordable gatherings." -- Attendance is capped at 150-200 guests. -- Only four cars will be allowed per wedding caravan. (Note: By Tajik tradition, the bride and groom drive around the city with friends, family and a cameraman, visiting notable sites and posing for pictures. End Note.) ¶5. (U) To commemorate a death, a Tajik family customarily hosts a funeral meal on the day of the burial, followed by multiple memorial events, depending on the region, on the first, second, third, sixth, seventh, twentieth and fortieth days, and after one year. The gatherings include the traditional rice dish "plov" and may involve slaughtering a sheep, goat, or even cow. Rahmon's proposed legislation includes: -- Reducing the permitted gatherings to the third and fortieth days. -- No food or beverages served on the third day. -- Only 80 guests may participate in the memorial on the fortieth day, and only one dish may be served. -- Only 100 guests may attend the year anniversary of a death. Keeping up with the Saidovs? -------------- ¶6. (U) Articles on the draft law appeared on the front pages of all the major newspapers, although the coverage refrained from directly criticizing Rahmon for his new initiative. A handful DUSHANBE 00000803 002.2 OF 002 of Tajik citizens and most of the government-run papers hail Rahmon's motives to help average families avoid using hard-earned savings for social occasions. Embassy staff and contacts agree that strong peer pressure forces many families to host an event -- wedding or memorial -- that meets societal expectations. Neighbors gossip about events that fall short of social standards; and in a culture than values conformity, many families of modest income prefer debt to not being able to keep up with the Joneses. ¶7. (U) However, many more voices have expressed concern over such flagrant violation of personal choice and freedom, and noted that the proposed policy is a misguided and ineffective way to reduce poverty or distract the population from more serious problems. The Public Council, a forum for minority groups and political parties to meet with the government, called the draft a "violation of human rights and democratic principles of the society." Members of Tajikistan's opposition parties also point to the unconstitutional aspects of the legislation. Hikmatullo Saifullozoda of the Islamic Renaissance Party posed the question: "If the deceased has more than 200 relatives, would it mean that not all of them could participate in memorial events?" Other articles stressed that more effective steps should be taken to address corruption and poverty, rather than depriving people of the life-events that bring families joy. ¶8. (U) Still others worried that a good initiative will simply become a new way for the employees of the newly formed directorate to gather bribes. A local domestic employee complained that, "If the authorities come to my house and count how many guests I have, and how many pillows I have, and decide it's too much, they'll just take away my food and things and bring it to their own homes." ¶9. (SBU) Comment: Rahmon may be legitimately concerned about excessive spending, but this ham-fisted attempt at regulating beloved traditions is likely to create resentment and fuel corruption, rather than reduce social expectations. Jokes about his pronouncements are already making their way around town, and international guests at a lavish state dinner June 2 for donor organizations attending the Development Forum quipped that Rahmon likely wasn't following his own rules for his events. In all seriousness, most of the donors at the Development Forum agreed that Rahmon's efforts to reduce poverty need to focus first and foremost on addressing issues such as the cotton debt saddling Tajikistan's farmers, rather than trying to codify social norms. The new rules about weddings and funerals have diverted some energy and attention from the real problems Tajikistan faces. End Comment. JACOBSON