President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov supported the initiative of the Speaker of Parliament Nurlan Shakiev to change the anthem. He stated this in an interview with Kabar news agency.
According to him, the anthem needs to be changed, as it has lost its relevance.
«What’s wrong with updating it? The current anthem was written 33 years ago, when we gained independence and freedom. Then, proclaiming independence, it was written with joy and excitement, addressing the Kyrgyz people with the call: «Now your destiny is in your hands, go forward.» 33 years have passed since then. We have become a full-fledged state. We are known all over the world. So what, in a hundred years we will continue to sing «we gained freedom and became an independent country?» the president asked.
He proposed writing an anthem that would reflect the status of Kyrgyzstan as an independent state.
«Of course, the current anthem will not be forgotten. It will remain in the archives as part of history. When it came to changing the flag, there were demagogues and populists, who spoke out against it. Is our current flag bad? Compared to the previous one, it has become a step higher. It is shining,» Japarov said.
The head of state commented on the statement by the former deputy Adakhan Madumarov, who called the idea of the speaker to change the anthem a betrayal of history, noting that the speaker was not expressing his own opinion. The president advised not to pay attention to Madumarov.
«Poor Adakhan is completely insane. Today he says one thing, tomorrow he will contradict himself. People, who change their views and positions depending on the current situation, are selfish,» the president said.
Sadyr Japarov recalled that Adakhan Madumarov himself once proposed changing the flag.
«I will give you an example. In 2009, the head of the international organization Transparency International and I met with Adakhan Madumarov, who was then the Secretary of State, the main ideologist of the country. After the meeting, Adakhan asked me to stay and showed me papers with images of the new flag, anthem and the national emblem. The color of the flag was blue. He spoke about the need for a change, mentioning that the flag of his ancestors was blue. He even said that the eagle’s feet on the current emblem looked like chicken’s. I then said: «Yes, you are right, it is worth making changes. The flag looks great. You are a wise man, since you noticed all these details.» He probably already forgot about it,» the president told.
The head of state believes that the issue of changing the anthem is not so urgent that it should be resolved immediately.
«The anthem should be created by creative people, composers, poets, and it should be discussed with the people. If the majority supports the new anthem, it will be a good decision. How wonderful it would be if both schoolchildren and aksakals sang the anthem. Why not sing it at celebrations and concerts? The anthem should praise our state, call citizens to patriotism and unity,» Sadyr Japarov emphasized.
Recall, the Speaker of the Parliament Nurlanbek Shakiev announced the need to change the anthem. The speaker believes that the current state symbol is difficult to perform.
