TURKMENISTAN: "NEW REVIVAL" COVERAGE REPLACES

UNCLAS ASHGABAT 000200 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL USAID/W FOR EE/AA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SCUL SOCI KIRF TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: "NEW REVIVAL" COVERAGE REPLACES NIGHTLY "RUHNAMA" READING ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet. ¶2. (U) Throughout former President Niyazov's tenure, Turkmenistan television's Altyn Asyr channel nighly broadcast a reading of Niyazov's "Ruhnama" before the 9:00 pm news. Two or three presenters would read from the "Ruhnama" (and, after finishing the first volume, "Ruhnama II") for about 10 minutes. Once the presenters completed the second volume of "Ruhnama," they would then start reading again the first volume. This practice continued during President Berdimuhamedov's first year in office. ¶3. (U) At the beginning of February, the TV presenters completed "Ruhnama II." Instead of beginning again with readings of "Ruhnama I," Turkmenistan television started showing video montages of President Berdimuhamedov's activities, including his trips to the provinces, his meetings with farmers in their modest yurts, his visits to military camps and Turkmenistan's gleaming oil refineries -- and all his other "government for the people" activities in support of his "Great New Revival." ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: This is yet another indication that the cult of "Ruhnama" is continuing to fade. The disappearance was always considered to be a matter of time. Berdimuhamedov had no personal stake in continuing to promote his successor's "sacred book." Some, however, have suggested that to do so suddenly, without introducing a new, alternate ideology, could be potentially destabilizing. Berdimuhamedov has used the "New Revival" term to refer to his administration's policies for some time now, and recently defined it as an "ideology." Naturally, he may feel that inculcating the ideals of the "Great New Revival" may be more important than keeping alive the now-dated thoughts of a predecessor whose policies he is trying to reverse. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND