Miracle of Uzbek Economic Model

[General]

Do government authorities know this truth?

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Uzbekistan: Migrants Suffer Russian Humiliation

Uzbek migrant workers are prepared to put up with rough treatment in Russia to escape the economic misery of their homeland.

By Malik Mansur in Yekaterinburg (RCA No. 121, 24-May-02)

A powerless and humiliating position, dirty work and harassment from the local population; this is what working migrants from Uzbekistan endure in Russian towns. "We Uzbeks can't live here," said young man from Tashkent now working in Yekaterinburg. But the Uzbeks are still coming. "It's worse at home and here we can earn some money," they say.

At the private bus station in the Kazak town of Saryagash, close to the border with Uzbekistan, two buses pull up to transport men from Uzbekistan to work in Russian towns.

A quick glance reveals there is not enough room in the bus for everyone but the Kazak drivers don't let that bother them. With the arrival of spring, the number of people from Uzbekistan wanting to work in Russia has mushroomed, and none expects a comfortable ride or an easy life when they get there. They are prepared to travel for more than five days in overcrowded buses to earn a crust by doing any kind of work.

The bus station in Saryagash is one of many assembly points for Uzbek citizens crossing into Russia. The fact that migrants have to resort to this mode of transport is another sign of the catastrophic decline in living standard in Uzbekistan. "Seasonal workers from Uzbekistan used to be able to afford plane tickets but now even the train is a luxury," said a man from Andijan who plans to work in Novosibirsk.

Uzbek workers, like workers from other Central Asian countries of the CIS, are in demand in Russia to do the hardest and most unpopular jobs. The workforce is extremely profitable for Russian employers who can pay them rock-bottom wages and not take any responsibility for work conditions and safety.

Natalya Tagiltsevaya, head of the Ural Foundation for Migrants, says the stream of migrants to Russia increased since spring, when the Russian government said the country needed more workers, partly because of the worsening demographic situation among ethnic Russians.

Tagiltsevaya says there is no precise data on the number of migrants from Central Asia. Unofficial records suggest about 2 million temporary workers came to Russia in 2001.

Most Uzbek migrants come from the Fergana valley and the provinces of Surkhandarya and Kashkadarya. They say growing despair over the Uzbek economy drove them to Russia, along with the hope of getting decently paid.

"I could find work in Andijan planting cotton but I know I would be paid very little," said Zakirjon, a man in his mid-30s from Andijan. "I don't want to be a slave. You can't feed your family that way."

Once they have agreed to take on the heaviest and dirtiest work in Russia, Central Asian migrants face other problems, police intimidation, employer exploitation and racist who call Uzbeks and Tajiks "blacks".

Sobirjon, an Uzbek from Namangan selling fruit at a market in Yekaterinburg, said, "In the past Russians respected us but now we're all 'blacks' to them."

[General]

Mukhammad, from Fergana, said most insults come from young men and pensioners. "Young guys like to harass us, while pensioners tell us straight out that we 'blacks' should go home and we have no business in Russia."

He said that when he needed an injection at a hospital, even the medical staff were hostile, "They told me people should be healthy when they come to Russia, and that there were enough sick people here already."

Fear of competition in the labour market is one factor behind the hostility of many local residents. Many Russians believe the increase in migrant workers has boosted the unemployment rate. When they come to Russia, migrants must first purchase a temporary permit for 20 US dollars, giving them the right to stay for three months. But Mukhtar, a Tajik migrant, said that if a policeman wanted to bother them and take their money, no document or registration paper would be of any help.

The migrants have special cause for concern when the police launch one of their periodic campaigns to expel foreign nationals without registration papers, as brute force is often used against them.

But those who have worked in Russia before say it is not worth worrying about harassment and that police intimidation is something they must live with. Zakirjon, from Andijan, told IWPR he wanted to go home to his family but needed to earn money first. He said the treatment he could expect in Uzbekistan was no better.

"I am a 'black' here but who am I in Uzbekistan?" he asked. "I can't even travel from Andijan to the capital because the police will want to check my documents and take all my money. In Russia at least they leave you some of it."

For many migrants, the fact that it is impossible to earn decent wages in Uzbekistan is far scarier than Russian racism. The number of people wanting to leave for Russia seems certain to grow rather than decrease.

[Bek25]

Да такие события происходят. Но это совсем незначит что экономика Узбекистана не улудшаеться. Экономическая ситуация в Узб намного лудше чем в Таджикистане, Киргистане, Туркменистане. Экономика Казакхстана лудже чем в Узб. но это только благодаря нефти которую там бобывают и спаду населения. И вся их экономика основана только на этом. Да в Узб. уревен жизьни народа не повищается значительно. Но это из-за того что население Узб растет быстрей чем экономика. Темпы роста населения превышают темпы роста экономики. По сравнению с большинством стран СНГ где происходить спад населения, Узб население растет на 400-500 тысяч ежегодно. Когда СССР распался в Узб населениы было чуть выше 21 миллиона, а сейчас население превышает 25 миллионов.
Потом Узб вынужден был последние 2 года укреплять оборону и границы страны на что уходило очень много денегь.
Засуха последних 3 лет нанисла силный ужерб сел.хоз Узб. Из-за того что большое количество населения Узб занито в сел.хоз это сильно отразилось на жизненом уревне населения.

Политика Узб государства и Президента в отношений экономики очень правильная. Но они не работают так как бы хотелось и многие чиновники в правительстве ведут всою политуку котороя не совпадает с политикой Президента длятого чтоб обагатиться.

Последние события в нашей стране, регионе и в мире целом должны повлият хорошо на экономику Узб.

Но ничего нельзя добиться если все люди в Узб начиная от Президента заканчивая простыми людми должны преложить все усилия чтоб осуществить эти изменения. Особено люди которые работают в управляюших местах должны понять что если сейчас они преложать все усилия чтоб улудчшить экономику Узб то в будушем они сами выиграют от этого и приэтом имея чистую совесть.

И люди не должны требовать от правительства сразу золотых гор. Это займёт время и много работы. Мы должны это понять сейчас.

С уважением Бек

[sheff']

impressive spelling matches the zombie's bs, nastoyashiy ornak primernoy molodyoji strani s velikim budushim, postradavshim ot toy je Sovetskoy propagandi pod drugim lozungom - Milliy Mafkura. mne eto napomnilo lektsii Maxsus kurs - 20 asr bosagasida i Buyuk kelajak sari

[stud]

General: the title of the topic does not fit the contend of the article. It's better to name it "Fascism in Russia" or like this.

Cases of discrimination against foreigners and rise of neo-fascists in Russia show spiritual crises and intolerance making deep roots in russian society.

some links on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1941000/1941045.stm
http://uzreport.com/eng/disp_news.cfm?vrec=4301&ch=301

[more_links]

stud (May 27, 2002 16:50):
General: the title of the topic does not fit the contend of the article. It's better to name it "Fascism in Russia" or like this.

Cases of discrimination against foreigners and rise of neo-fascists in Russia show spiritual crises and intolerance making deep roots in russian society.

some links on this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1941000/1941045.stm
http://uzreport.com/eng/disp_news.cfm?vrec=4301&ch=301


more links:

http://kolokol.ru/R/P/1051/

http://kolokol.ru/R/P/717/

[Bookmark]

Indeed, it is always easy to criticise, but not easy to give good solution to the problem. So if one cannot give a solution, then at least make a useful critique which points to a clear problem and motivates reason-based (not ambition-based) discussion! Nothing to do with what you say "Milliy Mafkura", but rather economic implications. Try to leave aside for a while ideological and political clouds, so that it will be easier to focus on economic side. And there are many problems there, and there are many ways the government tries to address them - some more or less ok, some pretty unrational. But that is because of lack of right point and transparancy in economic policy discussions. Let`s learn how to state clearly one`s position and then argue for or against!

And one word about Uzb model. Yes, there has been no constant model, except for pesistent heavy government intervention into economic life. Try to think, can it be justified? But before, don`t forget to take into account unregulated environment, immature market infrastructure and institutions, sharp initial downfalls, lack of information and high transaction costs. Would simultanious privatisation in this unregulated environment play for long-run economic growth or rather result in asset stripping and crony capitalism?

[General]

STUD

When posting this topic, my point was not to judge Russian naionalizm or racism, but to show one of the many effects of Great Uzbek Economic Model which has been acclaimed for decades starting from kindergardens to university students.
We cannot affect russians, they behave what they like to. But what we can do is to make the life better in Uzbekistan.
Some say it is easy to criticise but not to resolve. That's true.
But don't you think that right criticism shows the real problems in Uzbekistan? Instead of funding "Matiz" production, or hotel construction or many other useless tennis courts in every mahalla, why don't they work to create jobs?
Nom I am a student, we are students, we cannot apply what we have just been discussing. But does this mean that we should not learn and show what the real problems are?
And it's not fair to compare Uzbekistan with Tajikistan, where economy suffered from civil war, or Kyrgyzstan, which has no resources and etc... We have to compare ourselves with Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Baltic states, and even with Russia. We have huge unexploited or not properly exploited resources(human, natural and etc). Even we can find capital.

So, people, why must uzbeks go to Russia to do dirty jobs? I understand those going to Western Europe and America, but Russia and Kazakhstan should be among ourselves, should not they?

I think, this means that they have found some good model to develop after communistic regime, and therefore, people there are leaving much better than us.
I have posted some of my opinions regarding the economic policy under <<O'zbekiston kelajagi qanday?>> thread, and maybe you find it useful to read and disscuss.

Regards

[Bek25]

Дорогой "sheff" когда я пичатал свой ответ на топик то я думал так, не основоваясь на пропаганды государства нет. Я по экономике не имею докторскую степень но я её учу вот уже как 6 лет сначала 3 года в Ташкенте, а вот последние 3 года в Англии. Я наследуюший год я получу степень Бакалавра по Экономики. Так что у меня была возможность сравнивать нашу экономику с экономикой развитых стран.

Да можеть быть "General" прав что не правильно сравнивать Узб с Тад, Кирг.

Но если сравнивать Узб с Казак. то получится тоже неправильно потомучто Казак. имейт выход к морю, население не увеличивается а на оборот уменшаеться , в Казак. были найдены самые большие залежи нефть за последние 30 лет. Нефть вот что продвигает экономику Казак.

У Узб. одна из самых больших проблем это не хватка кадров. В стране мало кадров с образованием в новейшей экономике, со знаниями свободного рынка. Они можеть быть и есть но не все чиновники хотять одавать свои места молодым кадрам. Эта культура осталось от СССР. Но и молодые не должны сдаваться сразу. Нужно добиться своего.

Государство Узб пытается исправить обстановку с нехваткой кадров. Отправляя на учебу за границу через фонд УМИД. Но многи кто едит на учебу по линии УМИД потом не хотять возрашаться или хотять чтоб сразу после возрашения им дали большие должносьти. Да я понимаю что за границой жизинь лудше чем у нас. Но если мы хотим чтоб унас было лудше мы сами должны позаботиться об этом. Никто кроме нас, не позаботиться о наше благополучия.
Все зарубежные государство и организация которые предлогая свою помощь для развития экономику Узбю они не заботятся о экономике Узб они подерживают экономику своих стран.

Так например Американский банк предоставляя кредит Узб. требуют чтоб деньги были потрачены на покупку оборудования и товаров только от Американских компанийю Тем самым все деньги которые они нам дают уходятьна подержку Американских компаний.

Так что только мы сами можем изменить что происходить в нашей стране!!! И это займёт долгие годы упорного трудаю ПОт омучто все не происходит за ночь. Все страны которые считаются развитыми сейчас, добились всего не за 1 год и не за 20 лет. Это уних занило 50 и больше лет.

И ещё многие Европейские страны развились за счет своих колоний. Тем что они выкачивали природные и человеческие ресурсы из этих стран. Например таже самая Англия, она выкачила очень много ресурсов из Индии, Пакистана и Африканских стран.
А Узб развивается за счет только своих ресурсов и возможностей.


С Уважением

[Tank]

It’s a really sad facts but I’ve never heard before these kinds of accidents with Uzbek citizens. I heard that some people going there to do business you know selling some products (fruits, vegetables) or cooking food and selling it, also some of them are doing repair jobs (repairing houses and apartments) because these kind of things are really expensive in Russia. For example my friend told me that to repair one room in Russia costs around $2000 but in Tashkent just $ 250-300, and I am not talking about fruits and vegetables every body knows differences in prices. These factors don’t have any relations with eco. situation in Uzbekistan.
And you can’t compare it with Tajik eco. situation. I heard and saw by my self a lot of buses full of Tajik people on Uzbek-Kazakh border. These people are going there because they don’t have any chooses they are not going there to make a profit they’re going there to survive.
And this is my point.

Best regards.

[CrazyDT]

And has this changed over one year ? I don't think so; in fact it worsened much more, and there is only us to blame; it's sad

[noodles]

I don't think it'll change in the near future. Kazakhstan and other countries mentioned above got different way of economic development. When we'll have real open economy then we'll get something better...

[Sunny-Eternity]

Bek25: 029b52e7,

Well , I have my MA in Economics. :-)
I dostatochnop vremeni provodila chto bi sravnivat', podtygivat' i naiti hot' kakyu to zacepku Pochemu u nas tak?

Model' economicheskogo razvitiya v Uzbekistane, eti 5 principov kot v bukval'nom smisle vdalblivautsya v golovu studentov i shkol'nikov ne chto innoe kak ocherednaya pokazuha c privkussom bivshey sovetskoy ideologii.
Razmishlyt' o tom kak dolzhno bit', da nado stroit' proisvodstvo no ne umet' primenit' etu teoriu na praktike. Kormyt narod obeshaniyami.

Kogda vidautsya krediti, ih nado tratit' ne na straitel'stvo oteley v kot nekomu jit' (bezuslovno nado razvivat' infrastrukturu i turizm), a na konkretnie seli.
To chto u nas vo vse gorlo krichat o razvitii malogo i srednego biznesa, a na praktike starautsya zadushit' i zatoptat' predprinimatelya luchshiy primer pokaznoy politike.
Tol'ko oni ne ponimaut, chto deistvya takim obrazom oni zagonyut narod i gosudarstvo v der'mo i svoi nahapannie den'gi im predetsya tratit' uje za granicey :-)

Mi mozhem posporit' s tochki zreniya econ teorii, esli hochesh' , no delo v tom vse economicheskie lozungi v Uzb toko lish' lozungi :-(
Udachi

[Delta]

General:
I'm pretty sure that it's not just russians who is discriminating and abusing our uzbeks, but also uzbeks themselves responsible for it, because most of them don't know how to behave.
I saw couple uzbeks on airplane heading to moscow...you should've see their clothing(old old dirty), looks(unshaved, stink) and manners(acting like an idiot). Obviously, euro nature russians will discriminate them even before they get to Russia. And these people sort of represent us in Russia.
Bad/Good reputation does not come just like that...but one deserves it.

M.A. in Economics, Sunny-Eternity...good points about infrastructure and turism, however i don't see any concrete solution from your side. Even my dog can critisize current situation, however we need to come up with a fresh and doable solutions.....

~cheers.

[NOAVATAR]

Delta, kakoy porodi tvoya sobaka to? Ya toje hochu takuyu

[Extractor]

uzbek model is like s h i t. Many foriegn experts ran away from uzbekistan in order not to be under dynamic developmetns tha uzb model is achieving.