Konstantin Parshin: “Surnames change is not the main problem of Tajikistan!”

The Minister of Transport of Tajikistan Hayrullo Asoyev and the Minister of Health and Social Protection Nusratullo Salimov changed the surnames to a national harmony. Earlier the Minister of Agriculture, the mayor of Kurgan Tyube, the director of agency of state financial control and fight against corruption made the same…

Experts say that the second wave of surnames change in Tajikistan began. And the first began with an initiative of the president Emomalii Rahmonov in 2007 when he cleaned the suffix «ov» from the surname.

What stands behind a new wave of surnames change? How the people treat it? — the independent expert, the employee of National Association of Independent mass media of Tajikistan Konstantin Parshin tells:

— In Tajikistan the high-ranking officials change the surnames again. Why did they do it suddenly? After all once similar already occurred …

- According to my supervision mainly officials and … strangely enough, journalists change the surnames for «the Persian harmony» generally. In principle, this is the private matter of each citizen; and I don’t see something «dangerous», «disturbing» in it. Each individual has level of self-identification — the person wishes to designate, wants that his name was harmonious in his environment.

The officials (in their environment) wish that their surnames were harmonious for the head of state (which set them a personal example in 2007). Here, of course, there is an element of servility.

For journalists it is more likely a craze — desire to emphasize the belonging to a segment of Persian speaking intellectuals. There are still crooners — their surnames sound on the Persian harmony too. But it is the element of a creative image.

In my environment there are no acquaintances who wished to change the surnames; nobody seriously reflected on it. To be fair, it is necessary to notice that surnames «on the Persian harmony» always existed in the Soviet Tajikistan on an equal basis with the «russified» Tajik surnames. Examples: Ayni, Dekhoti, Tursunzade, Lakhuti … (surnames of very known people — generally creative). And nobody never bothered in this respect; no party bodies hinted the owners of these surnames about the need of «russification».

- In general, idea of surnames change, for certain, is not simply the whim of the president. Isn’t it explained by more prosaic reasons? For example, to distract the people from a situation in economy …

- I don’t think so … It is impossible to distract the people from social and economic problems with such prosaic and primitive initiatives. Besides, nobody forces to change the surnames. The authorities aren’t engaged in propaganda, don’t conduct direct promotion — as «won't change a surname, won’t enter the university!"

I don’t think that the authorities have any «real ideological program» about «people derivation from problems». As well as there are no advisers at the president, capable to advise the head of state how to distract the people or how to entertain it. Everything became so primitive in the power because of primitiveness and illiteracy of officials at all levels … Very seldom it is possible to meet the outstanding, intellectual personality in the Ministry or the State Committee.

In general (this is my personal opinion), in the presence of any problem we should not forget about a factor of «human dullness» (forgive for roughness). Analysts study difficult relationships of cause and effect and the reason is here, on a surface: flattery, vanity, nonsense, greed, etc…

Once again I will repeat — personally I don’t see something dangerous or harmful that people change the surnames. Let everyone enjoy the identity. If you want to be the Persian, so you are welcome. But here one my acquaintance, the ethnic Tajik (by the way, holding quite high position in state department) in private conversation told that isn’t going to change the surname — he quite accepts that identity which he had since the birth.

Coming back to a question of problems — social, economic and cultural: «change of surnames» is not the problem that the authorities create, making all efforts to destroy the Soviet, socialist identity and multiculturalism of citizens of Tajikistan. Citizens of Tajikistan! They rub clean so good word as internationalism; «national identity» succeeds. Even more often the phrase «title nation» sounds.

The brightest manifestation of nationalism, lack of aesthetic views and simply narrow-mindedness is destruction of the historical centre of the capital. The strong, sound buildings built on unique projects of the Leningrad architects after the Great Patriotic War are demolished and ridiculous administrative blocks and ugly inhabited skyscrapers are built on their place (the space prices to living space is a separate subject) …

This opinion is shared by many colleagues journalists, and in general all sane inhabitants to whom the beautiful shape of the old city is expensive. And the authorities rub clean the achievements of the Soviet era and make something «modern-Persian» as it seems to them.

- Were any changes in Tajikistan after presidential election? Apart from the appeal to surnames change, of course …

- Nothing essential occurred … Shifts in the government; abolition of some ministries and governmental committees. The foreign policy didn’t exchange. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Tajikistan emphasizes «multi vector» of foreign policy of the country: Russia, America, Iran and China — here are the partners of Tajikistan. There are difficult relations with Uzbekistan; and recently, as a result of borderline cases, the relations with Kyrgyzstan reeled … But it is too wide subject.

Pressure upon independent mass media is notable. Striking example is the prolonged judicial proceedings which have received the name «intellectuals against Asia Plus and Olga Tutubalina». In the summer of 2013 the Academy of Sciences of Tajikistan and some creative unions (which controls the government completely) brought the suit against the Asia Plus weekly and its editor Olga Tutubalina, having demanded enormous monetary compensation for «moral damage». Tutubalina in the author’s column criticized the intellectuals for idleness, lack of a civic stand and an obsequious worship for the country leaders. «Intellectuals» want to teach a good lesson to journalists for impudence, «to punish with rouble» …