News & Comment
Rahmon’s "Progress" for his 23 years in Power

News

Along with the fact that not so long ago Rahmon was awarded the status of a “national leader”, the government officials from various branches of the Tajikistan government continue to write laudatory books about the lifetime president of the country. According to the authors, the motive to write such kind of books is that “the president is the founder of peace and unity”.

The other day two such books have been presented in Dushanbe: “The flowering of national Tajik statehood at the level of world politics”, authored by Zafar Sayidzoda, a senior advisor of Assistant of the President of Tajikistan in the international sphere and a former presidential spokesman and “The leader of the nation Emomali Rahmon and the development of the energy sector”, authored by Asliddin Nazarzoda, the candidate of economic sciences, an honored worker of Tajikistan. The news agency Khovar reports that both books are devoted to the 25th anniversary of Tajikistan’s independence.

Comment

So, the question arises whether such loud headings and the contents of the books match the reality and what is the situation in the country? What has really motivated the authors to write these books?

In order to answer these questions, we only need to cite a number of facts:

1) On 01 November 2013, Tajikistan solemnly handed over 1,158 kм² of the land of GBAO to China. This land is characterized by its mineral resources, rich deposits of gemstones, uranium, gold and minerals. Also Rahmon’s regime rented out 15,000 acres of agricultural land for 49 years to Chinese CJSC “Chuntay Dangary - Sin Sil - Textil” the Ministry of Agriculture of Tajikistan’s website reported on 14 February 2015.

2) 75% of Sangtuda-1 Hydroelectric Power Plant belongs to Russia, and 100% of the proceeds from Sangtuda-2 belongs to Iran up to 2026, and only after 2026 will go to Tajikistan.

3) The controlling stake (75%) of the largest gold mining company in the country - a joint venture Zarafshon - belongs to the Chinese company Zijin Mining Group, and the share of Tajikistan is only 25%. In 2011 the British company China Nonferrous Gold Limited (CNG) was granted a gold-mining license for a period up to November 2, 2030. Also, in addition to these companies, there are other gold mining companies and mines – LLC Anzob, Joint Venture Takom Gold, Joint Venture Aprelevka and so on – where foreigners own 50% of the total gold production.

The document, published by WikiLeaks in 2010, describes quite vividly the reality of Rahmon’s regime. It reports that the secret telegram to the US Embassy in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, dated February 16, 2010, discloses that Rahmon manages the national economy, guided only by self-interest. “All power in the country, from the president down to the policeman on the corner, is covered by nepotism and corruption”, - says the document - "Rahmon and his family control the largest enterprises of the country, including the largest bank and firmly protect their business interests, without paying attention to the extent of the damage to the country’s economy. As one of the foreign ambassadors phrases: “President Rahmon prefers to control 90% of the ten- dollar pie, rather than 30% of the hundred-dollar one”.

All industrial export of Tajikistan is aluminum and electricity from the hydropower plants. The aluminum company TALCO is the largest in Tajikistan, “most of its revenues is hidden in offshore companies controlled by the president,” - the dispatch’s authors argue, adding: “The state budget gets a small part of these revenues”.

Also the Wikileaks publication contains information about Rahmon’s relatives and close friends:

“From the reports of American diplomats, it turns out that several members of Tajikistan Security services, among whom was a Rahmon’s relative, were involved in drug trafficking using a government vehicle.” “President Rahmon fired a senior official of the Drug Enforcement Agency, who pursued a distant relative of the president," – according to the document. During vehicle inspection 60 kilograms of heroin were found. “This is the only case when Tajik President personally intervened and defended his relative," - says an American diplomat".

From the above it becomes clear what tyrant Rahmon has made for the country over the years of the reign, and it is only about his crimes in selling the country to foreigners and plundering country's wealth for the benefit of his family. And besides today the whole world is witnessing the brutal suppression of any dissent and the open struggle against Islam in Tajikistan.

The entire top tier of power ties to Rahmon, and if anyone of the officials wants to maintain or strengthen its seat, it is possible only by praise and support of the tyrant Rahmon’s policy. This is the true reason for writing laudatory books about tyrant Rahmon.

The Muslims of Central Asia, and particularly of Tajikistan have to understand: as long as they are ruled by tyrants like Rahmon with the invented non-Islamic laws, until the ruling based on the divine laws of Islam is not set – the situation in the country will not change. If we do not take the situation into our own hands – we will be doomed to constant humiliation by Taghut and tyrants serving only their own interests and their foreign masters’ interests!

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Umar Farsiy