Lines, price rises and expensive booze – the cost of happiness in Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT (TCA) — Gas-rich Turkmenistan is experiencing an economic downturn largely caused by decreasing hard-currency revenues from natural-gas exports, and ordinary Turkmen citizens are the first ones who feel the pinch of the crisis. We are republishing this article on the issue, originally published by Eurasianet: Only on the 10th day of the new year did municipal workers in Turkmenistan’s capital take down the rich array of festive trees laden with blazing fairy lights. The holiday euphoria, meanwhile, faded faster as people began to come to terms with the new reality of utility bills and continue to cope with the ever-present strain of price rises and shortages. In 1993, soon after the Soviet experiment collapsed, the government in newly independent Turkmenistan reverted to state largesse as the heart of an unspoken compact. In return for submission to a suffocating police state, the population was granted free electricity, household gas, water and even salt. Talk of scrapping those handouts has been in the air for some years, but finally came into effect this January 1. The decision was nominally adopted in September by the People’s Council, which consists of a vast and photogenic assembly of robed and bearded town elders and numerous members of the national and regional ruling elite. In reality, it was President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov who willed the change, citing his desire to see Turkmenistan evolve into a market economy. Although they had ample time to prepare, authorities were caught short and forced to scramble to put the necessary infrastructure into place. In Ashgabat, the water company failed to evaluate how many customers they actually serve and, as a result, had nowhere near enough meters to hand out. Every day, long lines would form at the company’s headquarters as homeowners tried to get their hands on the legally mandated piece of equipment. Such is the backlog that the water company has agreed to push back the deadline for fitting meters to January 15. When that happens, households will have to pay 0.50 manat for each cubic meter of water that they use. While the official and immovable rate is 3.5 to the dollar, the manat’s value on the black market is a moving feast and was reportedly, as of late December, closer to 18 to the dollar. The installation of gas meters appears to have gone a little more smoothly. It helped when Berdymukhamedov spoke on the issue at one Cabinet meeting and ordered the Interior Minister to take personal charge over the process. The injunction had the desired effect, only with one hitch. Households were required to pay 260 manat (almost $75 at the official rate) for the actual meter. The government touted its willingness to install the counter free-of-charge as a gesture of generosity, although even this was not quite so. The cost of any additional equipment or pipes needed during fitting also had to be borne by the bill-payer. All seemed to be going well until the dying days of the year, when the gas meters...
