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Elders Council of Turkmenistan: What is Its Function, How does It Work |
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Wednesday, 11 March 2009Yashularynyn Maslahaty (Elders Council) is one of the oldest institutions of Turkmen society. As opposed to Khalk Maslahaty (Peoples Council), it is less formal.
ElCo (Elders Council) is certainly less formal but that doesn't make it less effective than Khalk Maslahaty. In fact, some of the decisions of historic consequences were taken during an impromptu ElCo. Here are some examples. These examples are especially taken from the Seljuk era because Seljuk Empire is almost certainly the role model for statecraft in present day Turkmenistan:
It was probably in 985 that Seljuk, still in his twenties, detached himself from Emir Beghu, the ruler of upper Turkestan and his guardian, and moved his family and extended clan to the areas around Bukhara. The decision was taken after consultations during an ElCo. It was after this voluntary migration that Seljuk and his people embraced Islam and started building an empire that was ultimately to span from the borders of China to the borders of Europe.
In 1071, the Byzantine Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes brought an army of more than 200000 against Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan. Alp Arslan was not ready for the battle as he was on a hunting expedition accompanied by a party of 15000. However, in a hastily called ElCo the Turkmens decided to do battle. The result, after little more than five hours of fighting, was that the Roman army was scattered in defeat and Emperor Diogenes was taken prisoner. The battle of Manzikert was a decisive event; after this the Byzantine empire started paying annual tribute to the Seljuks.
Malik Shah, during whose reign the Seljuk empire reached its final borders, was faced with an administrative problem. The people were following the Persian Yezjerdi calendar, revenues were collected according to the solar calendar and the expenditure accounts were maintained as per lunar calendar. In 1075 the government was left with empty treasury while the revenue collection had still not fallen due. To overcome this problem, Malik Shah called an ElCo. It was decided that a new calendar should be compiled. Omar Khayyam, leading a team of seven experts started working in 1074 and came up with Jalali (also known as Malik Shahi) calendar in 1079. According to Omar Khayyam's calculations, the duration of the year was 365 days, 5 hours and 49 minutes. He introduced a leap year every four years. The team of Omar Khayyam included prominent scientists such as Abul Abbas Lokri, Abu Hatim Al Muzaffar, Maimun bin Najeeb Wasti, Abul Fath Abdul Rehman Khazeni, Mohammad bin Ahmed Mamoori Baihaqi, Mohammad Khazen and Abul Fath bin Kaushik.
Here are some basic differences between ElCo and Khalk Maslahaty:
Khalk Maslahaty is a defined body, with each extended family and clan nominating its rep to the council. ElCo doesn't have a rigid composition, it can consist of a few participants and it can be a huge gathering of thousands.
Khalk Maslahaty meets at predefined intervals although special sessions can be called when required. ElCo meets as and when required.
Khalk Maslahaty is a decision making body. Decisions taken during the session are binding on the tribes and clans represented in the session. ElCo acts as an anchor; when circumstances demand, ElCo session is called and the participating elders carry the message back to their villages. The feedback travels through several channels and at the speed determined by the urgency of the issue.
In Khalk Maslahaty the delegates speak on behalf of the people they represent. In ElCo the delegates may or may not speak but they basically act as conduits between the people and the power.
The ElCo session held 6 Mar in Turkmenabat was the first event of its kind in Turkmenistan. It was certainly not an impromptu gathering. The plan to revive this institution was announced during the 20th session of Khalk Maslahaty when the Khalk Maslahaty dissolved itself after approving the new constitution.
Preparations were in hand since October 2008.
The participants of the Turkmenabat ElCo can be divided into three groups: 1. The government; 2. The elected representatives of the people; 3. The elders and other informal representatives of the people.
The entire government, from president down to district governors, was present there. These are the people who make and implement decisions.
All the members of the parliament were present. These are elected representatives of the people and they are the ones who draft and approve laws of Turkmenistan.
Elders of Turkmenistan were present in fair proportion to make sure that all areas are represented. In addition, delegates from the Democratic Party, youth council, public organizations, business associations and student bodies were in attendance. These are the opinion makers.
In short, the eyes and ears of the whole country were gathered in the hall.
The message they got from the president was:
Turkmenistan has managed to avert the financial and economic crisis for now but there is certain vulnerability in the agriculture. We make to ensure food security.
Agricultural reforms must be broad based, quick and real.
There are some obstacles in the way of reforms such as lack of appropriate laws, half-hearted implementation of present laws, imperfect accounting systems, shortage of storage and processing facilities and unreliable data to judge the performance of the agriculture sector.
Agriculture sector must become profitable.
There is need to promote small and medium enterprises in harvesting, production and processing, transportation and storage of agricultural products.
Not enough attention is being paid to land fertility, seed efficiency, crop rotation, water management, biotechnology and climatic conditions.
More should be done to train agriculture workers.
The state is doing a lot, and will do a lot more, to improve the quality of life in rural areas.
The spiritual and moral values of the Turkmen society and the institution of family must be strengthened.
Everyone should join hands to fight drug addiction.
As is clear from the composition of the participants, two separate groups of people (the parliamentarians and the elders together with others) form two parallel lines connecting the government with the people.
The ideas obtained during the session would be discussed in teahouses, marketplaces, homes and offices. There would be debates, sometimes heated, sometimes in a lighter tone. As they say, every barber and taxi driver knows how to run the world. There would be preposterous ideas but there would also be insightful proposals.
One can confidently say that in less than a week the government will start receiving feedback from the people.
There are many channels for this feedback to travel back to the government; none of the channels is rigidly defined.
People will write letters to the president and the cabinet of ministers. These letters are, as rule, always read by designated staff.
Some people will harass their MPs, some will pester the village head, and some will write articles in the newspapers.
There will be formal and informal meetings all over the country.
The ideas will come in bits and pieces and the government will adjust its plans progressively. This is a well knit society and ideas travel fast.
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Wednesday, 11 March 2009
nca
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