Komil Allamjonov, chairman of the board of trustees of the public fund for support and development of national mass media, in an interview with the BBC, answered questions about the recently published book, “political appetites” and the comparison of Saida Mirziyoyeva with Gulnara Karimova.
- Why did you publish the book “Allamjonov is to be blamed” right now?
- In fact, I started writing this book a year and a half ago. It was during the pandemic, when we were all at home, that I had the idea to write a book, and I started working on it.
Why now? First, now is the year of youth. I thought it would be useful for our youth, for those who are thinking about choosing their path in life.
Besides, it’s summer now. In the summer, as you know, most school graduates enter various universities and take their first steps in life. Right now, after reading this book, familiarizing themselves with the events, circumstances from my life, white and black stripes, they will have a little experience, and this will help them find their direction. For these reasons, we published it this year, and this summer.
- There are opinions that this book is not aimed at motivating young people, but more at expanding influence in the political arena of the country. Is it possible to say that with the publication of this book, Komil Allamjonov has political appetites?
- You don’t need to look for politics in this book. There are no political motives here. This book, I repeat once again, is also not a memoir. This is motivation. Because many young people find it difficult to choose their path in life. We have experienced it ourselves. After leaving school, many find it difficult to choose their own path in life. Everyone is overwhelmed with doubts – what to do? Get knowledge at a university, master a profession or start working? Or even move to another country, live there and work?
To be honest, today in Uzbekistan, in my personal opinion, there is a need for such books to help choose the path. I want to show that by being born here one can reach different horizons in this country without any help, without moral support. If a person has a desire, an exact goal, and he works tirelessly, he can achieve great success here too.
There are no political motives here, no politics. And all the talk that there is a desire to increase the power of influence in the political arena is untrue.
- In the book you wrote that the first president used the “divide and conquer” method in the public administration system, and you came across this method in your professional activities. Tell me, has this method of political governance been eliminated in the current period, or have echoes of this political legacy been preserved to some extent?
- If we compare the previous period with the present one, there is huge difference. Now it is a completely different system. A management policy is being pursued aimed at collective, friendly work, where everyone is as one.
I believe that that period helped me gain experience. Now there is no longer “this is the command of that one, and that is another command”. But this does not mean that there are no problems. The changes began to take place only 4 years ago. It is very difficult to radically change a huge car in 4 years. Because now there is not enough staff, or at least literate people. Only educated, knowledgeable people can handle this task.
- In your book you wrote about some of the subtleties, some of the problems of the palace, when you worked closer to the higher authorities before the opening of the mass media fund. Which of those subtle problems was the biggest you faced?
- You know, living in the palace is like in one family. Every family has its own ups and downs. There are good and bad moments. But these are family matters, and I would not want to wash dirty linen in public.
- The public of Uzbekistan has already got used to the fact that the tandem “the presidential daughter Saida Mirziyoyeva and Komil Allamjonov” is present in the social and political life. Tell me, before that time, had Saida Mirziyoyeva played the role of a shield for you? Still, she is the President’s daughter.
- Of course, I believe that the appearance of Saida Mirziyoyeva in our sphere, in the press, symbolizes the attention of our President to the press and journalists.
Only in tandem with Saida Mirziyoyeva we were able to arrive at today’s achievements. We tried to bring the press to the level of the fourth power. Organization of press services in ministries and departments, protection of the press, immediate notification of the leadership about the problems of the press – this is her great merit.
- At the beginning of the conversation, we talked about political appetites. Recently, together with Saida Mirziyoyeva, you revived the “Zakovat” intellectual club. We can say that you have reorganized. But now there is an opinion among the public that “Saida Mirziyoyev and Komil Allamjonov are trying to form a stratum of their supporters through the “Zakovat” club. How would you comment on this?
- You know, club members, intellectual youth do not gather there for the sake of Komil Allamjonov or Saida Mirziyoyeva. The force that unites them is striving, craving for knowledge.
If we pursue political goals in every such action, then it will be possible to see the policy even in the fact that we will start selling seeds in the bazaar. General public will say: behold, supporters are being attracted. I would stay away from such opinions. Our main goal is to unite young people striving for knowledge, to science, to reveal them. Also, the main goal is to bring science to the trend. This is what we do on the “Zakovat” platform.
“Zakovat” is not a new project, it is already over 20 years old. On our “Milliy” TV channel the program “Zakovat” went on the air, and then, for some reason, it was removed from the air, maybe because the ratings dropped. When the program was removed from the air, the founders of the “Zakovat” club approached me and made a proposal to restore it on air.
Before talking to them, I thought that 15-20 people were involved in this club. And then I learned that only in the city of Tashkent, thousands of young people every week gather in various cafes, collect some money and organize “Zakovat”. It is the same in the regions. In addition, I saw that there is also a Russian-speaking league. About two thousand people also gather there. But there is no sponsor or leader to unite and motivate them.
After that, I got the idea that this potential can be turned into a large project, and since we have so many young people striving for knowledge, we need to find them, increase their number, and increase interest in knowledge. So I got into this business.
We are not going to generate our supporters here, and we have no other unnecessary goals.
- Recently, many actions of Saida Mirziyoyova in the socio-political sphere have been welcomed, at the same time, her initiatives on some issues are often compared with the actions of Gulnara Karimova in her time.
- You know, we often come across such criticism. Gulnara Karimova did a lot of things. And therefore, no matter what we start, Gulnara Karimova has definitely left her mark there.
But if we have new projects and ideas, we do not refrain from them, just because Gulnara Karimova was engaged in this. Then there was one period, now – another. The mistakes of that time encourage us not to repeat them along the way. In fact, her mistakes are like a lesson for us. We saw the consequences of certain shortcomings in projects. But when we have good projects that are useful for people and society, we do not abandon them just because Gulnara Karimova did the same at one time.
- As you say, can we accuse Komil Allamjonov of aiming, or at least dreaming of becoming president?
- No, I have no political ambitions. Every person who has written a book and implemented a new project does not necessarily dream of becoming president. Everyone has their own goal. For example, my goal is to attract young people to knowledge.
Today, for the development of society, young people must be either knowledgeable or skillful. If every person who has written a book or implemented such a large project as “Zakovat” has political ambitions, then, you know, everyone has a different worldview, desires and goals. I have no such ambition.
