By IPS Correspondents
BISHKEK, Mar 20 2008 (IPS)

A nation of five million, Kyrgyzstan has ended up with two parliaments: the official one, and the second that many consider the more legitimate one.

The alternative parliament has been set up by the ‘For Justice’ movement, bringing together 12 political parties and 19 non-governmental organisations after no opposition party won a single seat in the last election in November.

“Leaders of political parties who could not win because of the fraudulent election and who share our vision of Kyrgyzstan’s future can be elected to the public parliament,” says former foreign minister Alikbek Djekshenkulov who initiated moves for a public parliament.

“The aim of the public parliament is to revise all decisions and all steps of the official Kyrgyz Parliament (the Jogorku Kenesh), and demonstrate their anti-social policy and decisions to society.” The public parliament has 50 members at present.

The public parliament elected former Speaker Abdygany Erkebaev as its first chairman. Asiya Sasykbaeva, head of the NGO Interbilim and a leader of the strongest opposition party Ata-Meken, is deputy chair.

One of the first issues the public parliament has taken up for discussion is privatisation of the energy sector. “Privatisation of the energy sector will impact negatively on the national security of Kyrgyzstan,” former member of parliament Temir Sariev said in a report.

With potential to produce 150 billion kilowatts an hour through hydroenergy, Kyrgyzstan produces just 14 billion, he said in his report. At the same time, the country loses about 40 percent of energy produced every year. “The biggest problem is corruption,” Sariev said.

The public parliament passed a resolution saying that “privatisation of the energy sector without involvement of the public is treachery.”

Officials have been dismissive of the public parliament. “This political body has been created illegally,” minister for justice Marat Kayipov told IPS. “There is an official parliament called Jogorku Kenesh. The organisers of the public parliament have no right to speak in the name of Kyrgyz people.”

The public parliament, he said, violated the Kyrgyz Constitution. “We nave not seen any paper for registration or anybody who has come to the ministry,” Kayipov said.

Speaker of the Jogorku Kenesh Adaham Madumarov said the public parliament “is an anti-constitutional organisation, and cannot be accepted as a serious political body.”

Chairman of the public parliament Erkebaev says the constitution allows the creation of political bodies. The law says that “every citizen of Kyrgyzstan has the right to take part directly in social-political and state events,” he told IPS. “Therefore, the public parliament has the right to exist and function.”

He said the authorities have issued new decrees against public meetings, demonstrations and picketing, aimed against the opposition. As a consequence, political organisations and parties must find other ways to express their opinion and share it with society, he said.

Erkebaev says the public parliament is providing a platform for opposition leaders who were unfairly denied election. “Now people can hear the voice of those politicians they voted for,” he said.

The public parliament will hold its next meeting in April with more than 100 members expected to attend.

“We are in the process of choosing additional members for parliament,” said Tabyldy Akerov, leader of the opposition party Taza Koom. “There are a lot of people who are interested in joining us.”

The next meeting will discuss corruption and education, he said.

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