nCa Commentary
Ashgabat, 9 April 2012 (nCa) — Turkmenistan, a desert nation, has built an ice hockey stadium – hilarious. The president of Turkmenistan showed his horse riding skills in a public show – ridiculous. He took part in car races – outlandish.
The ignoramus Ha-Ha crowd, previously known as mainstream media, is laughing its silly head off and we offer our sincere condolence on the sad demise of their credibility. For the media, where credibility is everything, it takes tremendous courage to indulge in such nonsensical antics.
When we shave off the stock phrases and tired clichés from their reporting, what is left? —- Bigotry masquerading as sophistication, prejudice disguised as objectivity, outright hatred painted as critique; what else?
In the very faint hope that some slight dedication to objective reporting is still left out there somewhere, here is the Turkmenistan 101 for the Ha-Ha crowd.
First, let’s mention some of the away-from-ordinary things Berdymuhamedov has done so far.
- He has flown a helicopter (he has actually taken 40 hours of lessons).
- He has driven an amphibian military vehicle through a water hazard.
- He has scored 9 bull’s eyes out of 10 shots in the firing range.
- He rode a horse at the opening ceremony of the national circus.
- He rode a horse at full gallop in a public ceremony.
- He showed remarkable skill in handling a race car through a tight obstacle course.
- He made a round of the ice hockey stadium in skating gear.
- He has sung songs in a couple of concerts.
These things need talent and practice, lots of practice.
Just for the context, we must mention that except for Yulia Tymoshenko of Ukraine, no world leader in recent years has dared enter the skating rink.
Except for Prince Faisal of Bahrain, no world leader has the car racing skills comparable to Berdymuhamedov.
Only Princess Anne had the riding skills in the class of Berdymuhamedov.
Very few world leaders are helicopter pilots. The last high profile example of an accomplished pilot and head of state was King Hussain of Jordan.
Whey does Berdymuhamedov do such things?
According to the Ha-Ha crowd, he is building a personality cult.
Personality cult, as we know from history, can be built by easier methods. There is no need to go through all this risk and hard work.
When Lincoln walked 13 miles, just a few weeks before being elected the President of the United States, to defend an orphan in the court, was he building a personality cult?
When Hannibal said that either we shall find a way or we shall make one, was he building a personality cult?
When Constantine embraced Christianity, a most radical step for a Roman emperor, was the aim to build a personality cult?
When Timur (Tamerlane for Ha-Ha crowd), at the age of 63, fought in the first row, sword in the right hand and axe in the left, to break into the Delhi Fort, was he hungry for personality cult?
People in the leadership role instinctively try to do the right thing at the right time. A personality cult, if it gets built at all, is usually an unintended byproduct.
There are several reasons why Berdymuhamedov goes through all this trouble and takes tremendous risks:
1. In case the Ha-Ha crowd has not noticed, a shapeless, chaotic war is raging next door in Afghanistan. So far, Turkmenistan is the only country in the neighbourhood that has not experienced any spillover of the war. As the Americans are fond of saying, go figure.
2. A big chunk of the population was not even born at the start of this century. Being a few cuts above their parents – the Indigo Children, as Russian scientists call them – they are not impressed by old fashioned sermons. They need a role model they can admire and emulate. What does the Ha-Ha crowd recommend? Should the Turkmen children follow the superior American values and look up to Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan as their role models?
3. The menace of drugs has its origin right across the border from Turkmenistan. Healthy lifestyle is not just a slogan; it is an urgent drive to protect the youth. The country is spending billions of dollars on sports facilities but that is not enough. The real challenge is to attract the young to the sports facilities and away from any negative trends. Should a president be blamed for making personal contribution in promoting a healthy lifestyle?
4. Healthcare system is one of the biggest headaches for Obama. Healthcare system in Canada is simply unrealistic for foreigners; if you happen to be a foreigner and deliver the child in a Canadian hospital, the bill could easily top $ one million, as was seen in a recent case. Half of the total budget of New York State goes on mental health facilities alone. With healthcare costs skyrocketing worldwide, Turkmenistan should logically promote a healthy lifestyle through sports to keep the population from preventable health problems. The job of a president is to lead and what is wrong if he leads by example, not by mere words. In military jargon, it is called leading from the front.
[Featured image credit: http://bluedoxblog.blogspot.com/ ]