Adakhan Madumarov gave an interview to Radio Azattyk after his release. In it, he spoke about his, now former colleagues, in the party faction in the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan.
Answering the question why some deputies who came to Parliament from Butun Kyrgyzstan party, which calls itself opposition, often speak out and act as the authorities need, Adakhan Madumarov said the following: «Let it all be on the conscience of these people. This is called hypocrisy. There are such people not only in our party, they are also found in other political organizations. There are people, who come to Parliament on the list of a pro-government party, but they do not approve all the actions of the authorities and openly express their opinions.
But it happens the other way around: they come to the Parliament from our party, and then fawn on the authorities twice as much as pro-government deputies.
This is on the conscience of the person. No charter of a political organization or the law on deputies of Parliament can regulate this. This is the case in all six parties that have passed into Parliament».
The politician correctly described what is happening in the Parliament. But the root of the problem is not human vices, hypocrisy or lack of conscience.
Why parliamentary democracy failed in Kyrgyzstan
A parliamentary republic in Kyrgyzstan is a dream from the 2000s. It seemed that the transition to parliamentarism would solve all problems with the promotion of democracy on the «island» of the same name in Central Asia. The 2010 Constitution brought this dream closer to reality. But in the end it did not work out. This is largely because over 30 years of independence, the country has failed to create a political institution such as parties.
A real, functioning political organization is based primarily on ideology. It is this ideology that is a kind of value guideline and a binding foundation for a party. However, in the Kyrgyz Republic, as in many states of the former USSR, parties are created as projects for elections. They are often assembled «hastily» around a politician, a businessman, a group of politicians or businessmen or on assignment from the presidential administration. That is why most of the names of Kyrgyz political organizations do not carry any semantic ideological meaning. And those that do, are forced to try to attract into their ranks on the eve of elections not those who share their values, but moneybags who have the opportunity to sponsor the election campaign.
Therefore, there is a «great nomadism» in the Parliament, when deputies easily leave party factions and create their own groups or simply begin to vote as «requested» or based on their own opportunistic considerations.
In such a situation, the transition to a mixed electoral system is more fair to the voter and, in theory, should accompany the creation of parties, because now the voter has two votes. He or she can safely give one for a fellow countryman, relative, and so on, and the second — for ideological preferences.
Strategy of Adakhan Madumarov
Adakhan Madumarov always used one strategy for getting into Parliament. As a representative of Ichkilik clan, he relied on Ichkiliks throughout Kyrgyzstan. They were his base electorate. It’s worth noting that this strategy worked. Adakhan Madumarov was a deputy of all convocations of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan, with the exception of the fifth and sixth, when Butun Kyrgyzstan party lacked literally half a percent to overcome the vote threshold.
After the accusation of treason, Adakhan Madumarov’s political career is at an end. It is easy to predict the twilight of the political star of Butun Kyrgyzstan as a traditional party created according to «one-man party» principle. However, this does not exclude the fact that voters will see many members of the party faction of Madumarov’s party on the lists of other political organizations, including the parties of power, in the next elections. As they say, C’est la vie (That is life).
