The nomination of President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize was proposed. This idea was introduced by the representative of the ruling Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party, Olimzhon Tukhtanazarov. Experts called the deputy's initiative an attempt to create a new personality cult. At the same time, experts believe thatMirziyoyev has already entered the modern history of Uzbekistan as an authoritarian reformer.
The author of the initiative, Olimzhon Tukhtanazarov, a deputy of the Namangan regional council and director of one of the National Television and Radio Company channels, said thatMirziyoyev deserves prizes in different nominations, not just the peace prize: "He deserves this award in the literature nomination, because he pays much attention to the development of literature. He can be awarded a prize in the nomination for peace-building activities, since peace reigns in Uzbekistan. He can easily receive this award in the field of science. I feel that the Swiss themselves the empresses will come soon and give our esteemed Yurtbashi (leader) the Nobel Prize," Tukhtanazarov said. His idea was supported in the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party party. And earlier, the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party members advocated awarding President Mirziyoyev the title of Hero of Uzbekistan. They even submitted 10,000 collected signatures for this purpose.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev was nominated for the post of Uzbek president by the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party and won the early elections after the death of President Islam Karimov, which took place on December 4, 2016. Under the new president, economic reforms were initiated in the country, the currency was converted, the situation with human rights was improved and the power structures were reorganized. Pressing transformations in the education system have been started.
By the way, there was no last call in Uzbek schools this year. The reason for the refusal of the traditional festive event, according to the Ministry of Education, was the transition to an 11-year education system, and this year there were no graduates in the country. Uzbekistan abandoned the system introduced in previous years, when children had the "nine years" system, and after completing their studies they continued their education in professional colleges (analogues of vocational schools) or lyceums. But today ninth-graders have a choice - two more years at school or a lyceum.
A member of the Buyuk Kelajak expert council ("Great Future"), which was created on the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to deal with the development of a long-term model for the development of Uzbekistan until 2035, Daniil Kislov called an Uzbek MP who proposed to nominate Mirziyoyev for the Nobel Prize "a fool." "He does not even know where and how the Nobel Prize is awarded. He said that "the Swiss will come and give". There are many such people, they are the ones who create the personality cult," Daniil Kislov told Vestnik Kavkaza. At the same time, assessing the changes in Uzbekistan's economy and politics over the past two years, the expert noted that under President Islam Karimov, the country was stagnant.
"Even the minor changes made by Mirziyoyev are perceived in Uzbekistan as a revolution. No on says that Mirziyoyev should introduce a western-inspired liberal democracy. No one expects it and this will not happen. Let Uzbekistan have its own way. But the changes that already took place, for example, in the sphere of education, in the currency conversion, in opening borders with Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan - these are revolutionary changes amidst the stagnation that prevailed under Islam Karimov, Mirziyoyev deserves to be included in the new history of Uzbekistan as a reform president, probably an authoritarian reformer. But we understand that in conditions when 25 years of stagnation have erased any idea of normal life, he can be only authoritarian. This may also be justified by the fact that there are many figures opposing reforms. But the authoritarian reformer has already gone down in history," Kislov stressed.
According to him, the Uzbek society is discussing how far Mirziyoyev will go in reforming the country. The knowledgeable people say that Mirziyoyev says that he has two choices - either go all the way, carry out reforms and achieve greatness of Uzbekistan, or "hang himself". "But it won't happen, me rolling back, allowing the cult of personality and letting the officials do their misdeeds," they quote the president, emphasizing Mirziyoyev's conviction and determination.
Meanwhile, some Uzbek experts or, for example, the chairman of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at Johns Hopkins University S. Frederick Starr believe that the country's reform plan was drawn up under Karimov, and the new president has just started to implement it. "Today everyone talks about Uzbek reforms. And they perceive them as if they appeared at one time, out of nowhere. If analyzed, the process of reform began many years ago, and the most important reforms were carried out 10-15 years ago. The fact is that people thought about the implementation and implementation of reforms much earlier than today. Today it is important to correctly and reasonably implement them in life. It is impossible to perceive the numerous reforms taking place today in your country, as unexpected enthusiasm. Over each of them, a large team of highly qualified specialists has been working carefully for a long time," Starr said.
Director of the Ma'no Center for Research Initiatives Bakhtiyir Ergashev, speaking with the article's author, noted that the reforms implemented by Tashkent are not a revolutionary stage of the country's development, but an evolutionary transition from one model of the state's development to another. According to him, the economic policy of the Uzbek government is not some kind of conjuncture on the part of the new president, but systemic work to transfer the country's economy to the export-oriented development policy. "This work is based on an understanding of the internal laws of the development of the national economy. And it seems to me that the export-oriented policy, which is replacing the policy of import substitution, is solid, deep and lasting," Ergashev emphasizes.
