Khorsheed Bakhshayesh
tajikistanweb.com
Dushanbe

290408 – Mayor of the Tajik capital has appealed to heads and workers of all ‘managing subjects of the capital’ – irrespective of the patterns of ownership and departmental subordination – to transfer 50% of their monthly salaries in coming May and June to the Raghun Dam construction account. The appeal follows President Rahmon’s recent address to the nation where he explained the current state of affairs in the dam by giving contradictive figures about the annual amount deducted from the state budget to resume construction operations. The first phase of the construction needs approximately $600m, he stated. It sounds like a mission impossible for a country with an estimated $700m annual budget.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Dushanbe municipal government points out that, if the appeal is heeded, ‘economically active part of the city-dwellers can donate $10m by July 15 to facilitate completion of the Raghun hydroelectric power station’. The statement emphasizes Raghun’s crucial importance in Tajikistan’s energy independence, and Dushanbe inhabitants are encouraged to take part in achieving the goal.

Members of both upper and lower chambers of the Tajik parliament have already set an example by deciding to donate their one month’s wages to the Raghun account, said Mahmadsaid Ubaidullaev, Mayor of Dushanbe and the head of the upper chamber. It is not clear yet whether other Dushanbe citizens will follow suit voluntarily or their share will be deducted automatically.

Tajikistan is still known as the poorest country of the post-Soviet Central Asia with $1,600 of GDP-per capita as of 2007. The average monthly income of its inhabitants does not exceed $35. These facts put in doubt people's willingness to contribute to the dam construction.

However, it is not the government’s first charitable appeal to the nation. During 1990s many ordinary citizens of Tajikistan contributed to the Sangtuda-1 dam construction, but the figures of their contribution have not been revealed. 75 % of the construction is funded by the Russian RAO-UES.

It is quite presumable that other municipalities would follow the pattern and issue similar appeals in their own domains. According to some observers, Dushanbe has made such an appeal with a perfect understanding that the past winter crisis is still fresh in minds and it could trigger people’s active participation in constructing the dam. Nevertheless, with 60 percent of the nation below the poverty line government’s optimism could face the lack of enthusiasm among masses, unless artificial enthusiasm is created by government at all levels like in Soviet times.