Things in Tashkent have remained quiet since the last reported bombing/clash last Thursday. It is difficult for me to give an accurate account of what happened as there were so many rumors and even "confirmed reports" seemed dodgy at best. Whether they were carried out by actual "terrorists", or very well organized disgruntled citizens, is anyone's guess at this stage. However, there are prescient social and economic conditions that exist here in Uzbekistan to warrant the recent events.
My personal observation over the past few months talking with Uzbeks with whom I have been living and working, is that there is universal sentiment among the people that things were much better off during the Soviet regime than they are now. At the very least, the Soviet Republic provided them with jobs, free education, healthcare, security, and a fare degree of predictability in their daily lives. Not perfect by any means, but when compared to the rampant corruption to pay school bribes, high cost of healthcare, fewer and fewer to no jobs, inflation coupled with a tight monetary policy on currency circulation, and constant harassment by the militsia, we are now sitting on a social pressure cooker that is typical of any poorly managed and struggling developing country.
When I first arrived in Tashkent, I was overwhelmed by the mini-bazaar at Maxim Gorki full of crowded stalls of paraphernalia for sale and blanket merchants along the streets and sidewalk. People bustled against each other to buy the cheap goods, while I vigilantly protected my gear from any possible theft. Still, I was wide-eyed and excited by the energy, sounds and colors. Over the past two months, however, the militsia have come to tear down these stalls and chase away the blanket merchants as part of the government's efforts to formalize all commercial activity. This forces the poorest of the poor merchants into renting formal kiosk-type stores, and subjects them to paying "taxes". Current "Dukon" owners of such kiosks tell me that they are harassed for bribes at least once a month, and more during major holidays. Where the mini-bazaar merchants will go and how they will live, I really don't know. There are no real loan programs here for small businesses and there are no job alternatives. So no wonder the militsia in the bazaars were targets of some of the recent violence.
Even professional workers here are disgruntled. Some workers have not been paid for the past few months or more. The government's tight reign on Sum circulation puts a squeeze on the availability of cash in all banks throughout the country. This keeps the currency at an artificially high exchange rate and not at it's real value, which true convertibility would dictate. Even Peace Corps volunteers have problems getting their monthly allowances out of the bank. Luckily, we are supported if worse comes to worse in terms of getting money. The people of Uzbekistan aren't. What can they do if they are out of money and need to provide for their families?
These are just a couple of vignettes of life of the people of Uzbekistan and their current predicament. Things are more intricate than they appear and there are many layers operating at once for the way things are. I can only observe, try to understand, sympathize, and hopefully, shed some light on the situation. While no one here is openly wishing for more violence, I think they are silently hoping for a radical change.
