| A cult of personality, more outrageous
than anywhere else, can be found in Turkmenistan. President Saparmurat Niyazov
is the self proclaimed hero of all Turkmen and his motto, the official country
slogan, is catchy: People, Nation, Me. In Ashgabat, over every building hang larger-than-life
photos of the president - the serious leader, the fearless visionary, the friendly
cotton farmer, the lovable father figure. He dyed his hair black and spent millions
replacing all of the city's portraits to reflect this change. Presidential statues
seem to stand on every block. Every note of currency shows his portrait. We walked
around Ashgabat and gaped at this mind-numbing propaganda. We asked some Turkmen
citizens how they felt about it and most of them said they don't notice it. It
isn't wise to criticize the president, especially to foreigners, unless a person
wants to be labeled as a 'burglar.' That's how the government imprisons dissidents:
on trumped up charges of burglary or theft. This means Turkmenistan has an inordinately
high amount of burglars per capita yet it has an unblemished democratic record
- no political prisoners. |
