edition-dw-akademie-in-the-service-of-the-public-functions-and-transformation-of-media-in-developing-countries-pdf

Increasing levels of corruption under this president finallybrought tension in the Republic to the breaking point. InApril 2010, there were confrontations with security forces onthe streets of Bishkek and a total of 86 people were reportedkilled, with dozens more injured. Bakiyev fled Bishkek and theformation of an interim government was announced, headedby another prominent opposition leader, Roza Otunbayeva.The interim government struggled to maintain order. Later inthe same year, ethnic rioting broke out in the southern half ofthe Republic, during which at least 470 people died.In 2010, the people of Kyrgyzstan were called to the ballotboxes twice: In June 2010, a constitutional referendum confirmedOtunbayeva as President of an Interim Governmentand also approved a new constitution, shifting power frompresidency to parliament. Then in October a parliamentarypoll took place. Both polls were judged reasonably fair andabove-board by the OSCE. The organization concluded that“the competing parties had equal access to mass media andregistration process.” 7 Some irregularities involving voter listsand campaign financing were noted.It is widely recognized that it was this latter, more decisiveshift towards parliamentary democracy in the wake of theSecond Revolution that allowed the Kyrgyz Republic (as it isofficially called) to become a model of transformation for theregion. Of 50 registered political parties – most of which wereonly registered shortly before the polls – 29 were able to competein the 2010 parliamentary election. Five won seats inparliament and formed a coalition government – which hasbeen the prevailing form of government since then, thoughwith changes in the alliances. There have been three differentcoalitions since the adoption of the new constitution, thelatest collapsed on March 18th, 2014, only to come togetheragain in the same constellation. It is now presided over by(former Deputy) Prime Minister Joomart Otorbaev, who wasofficially named the Kyrgyz Republic’s 26th prime minister,and the fourth since the parliamentary election of 2010, onApril 3rd, 2014. 8Parties in Kyrgyzstan stand and fall with their ability tofinance campaigns and promote their key leaders. They arepersonality-oriented and rely on clan-like loyalties, ratherthan on their policies. Corruption is endemic in the Kyrgyzpolitical landscape – indeed at all levels of society. The countryranks 150th out of 177 on Transparency International’sCorruption Perceptions Index 2013. 9 However, TransparencyInternational notes in its report for 2013 that measures are beingtaken to strengthen the independence of the judiciary andother institutions, and that the present climate as a whole isreform-friendly.Kyrgyzstan politics are verbose and competitive, and cannotbe separated from the ethnic situation in the countrywhich remains largely unresolved, especially in the south, inOsh and Jalal-Abad. Regional politicians tend to find themselvesfrequently at odds with central government: “President[Almazbek] Atambayev... has shown inclination to assertmore power ... and to promote officials to key posts based onloyalty rather than merit.” 10 Ethnic strife and unease are moreprevalent in the south because of border tensions and the differentdemography: Whilst about 14% of the population inthe country as a whole is Uzbek, that concentration increasesconsiderably in most southern regions.Media Landscape“The considerable social polarization is reflected in the mediaand the climate for journalists, who are often harassed by pressuregroups,” notes Reporters Without Borders. 11 However, theBertelsmann Foundation believes that “Kyrgyzstan’s mass mediaoutlets are more diverse and free of government control inBishkek compared to provinces, especially in the south.” 12 Conditionsfor Kyrgyz-language media are seen as vastly improvedsince 2010, but other ethnicities are if anything worse off withregards to representation in the media.Uzbek-language outlets have disappeared almost entirely,and of the three or four main broadcasters, only one, Yntymak(a word which means ‘harmony’ in both Uzbek and Kyrgyz)Public Regional TV and Radio Company, broadcasts in Kyrgyz,Russian and Uzbek. The station was co-founded by Internewsand the Kyrgyz government as a public broadcaster in September2012, in Osh, to promote and help improve inter-ethnicrelations. It is now the only station broadcasting in Uzbekas well as Russian and Kyrgyz, and has become very popular. 13However, despite the importance of its mission, the stationreceives no funding from the state, relying primarily on foreignaid and grants. 14Altogether there are 26 radio stations, 15 many of which areprivately owned – and have little real editorial independence.Of the 31 TV networks, three of which are local cable networks,ratings show the top three to be OTRK, ElTR (both state-owned)and the privately-owned 7th Channel. 16 Obschestvennaya Tele-Radio Kompaniya – OTRK – is the main public service media(PSM). The second biggest national broadcaster is Public TelevisionElTR (this is its title and not an acronym, with a lowercasel, not a capital I), an Osh-based Kyrgyz-language public TVstation. It was established in 2005 by presidential decree. Anotherimportant player is Radio Azattyk, the Kyrgyz service ofRadio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Established in 1953,the radio station calls itself “the leading source of independentnews and information for elites and ordinary citizens alike.” 17 Itis widely regarded as one of the more professional and objectiveoutlets.There are four main news agencies, one (Kabar) is stateownedand the other three are in private ownership. Theyhave well-developed, professional websites, with at least Englishand Russian versions available, and at least one of them –AKIpress, the largest and most well-established online-basednews agency – has a Twitter and Facebook presence. Thereare several blogging websites available for those with internetaccess (which, in Kyrgyzstan, is now around 80% of the54