MP Doniyor Ganiyev asks leadership of the Energy Ministry to resign

“In recent years, our country has undergone many reforms, and although all the problems have not been solved yet, they are gradually being eliminated. For example, if a few years ago withdrawing money from a bank card was a big problem, now it is very easy and convenient. Reforming the currency exchange and “OVIR” systems, introducing online public services, banking system reforms… If we count, we can go on long enough. However...

Today, Uzbekistan is experiencing an energy crisis. Exactly after a very difficult 2020, the energy crisis is tormenting everyone in the winter season, which is colder than ever! This situation not only provokes strong protests and social crises but also weakens economic activity and has a negative impact on the country’s economy. Unfortunately, the problems in the energy sector are “washing away” all the positive changes that have taken place in recent years.

Now imagine – cold winter, big family, there is neither gas nor electricity! If the elderly or infants of the family are blue with cold, and the men in the family are not able to heat their home no matter how hard they try, what is the point of reforms for such people? For these people, any reforms, any laws, roughly speaking, have no meaning at all!!! THEY ARE SUFFERING FROM THE COLD. In this case, they only need one thing – ENERGY SUPPLY!

These days, 9 out of every 10 appeals to me from my constituency are about electricity and gas issues. City, regional and republican officials do not know whom to blame, they blame each other! The final answer is limited to the promise that there was an accident somewhere and everything would be fine in the coming days!

The Ministry of Energy says the sector has not been invested in for 30 years. If so, where is that 28% of the public external debt directed to the energy sector in the III quarter of 2020? Where is that $5.1 billion? What is this fund being spent on?

They said, if the Turakurgan thermal power plant in Namangan, with a total cost of $1.2 billion, is commissioned, there would be no electricity supply problems in the Valley regions. However, although the Turakurgan thermal power plant was launched last year, there has been no positive change in the power supply in the Fergana Valley.

True, I’m not an expert in this field, I probably don’t understand. But there hasn’t been a significant positive change in the industry over the last 4 years, has there been? The demand of the population is growing day by day, why don’t we act accordingly throughout the year? We talk about e-government, online services, digital economy, but there is no point if there is no energy. What reform will have an effect in this case? Why such cases are happening in the coming election year? Or is it a deliberate “sabotage” against the policy pursued by the head of state?

There are a lot of questions and no answers for a long time… Leaders who can’t answer questions are silent as a grave.

In fact, we, the deputies, are also partly to be blamed for this situation, because we have approved the leadership of the Energy Ministry. In this case, the resignation of the leaders who caused the energy crisis in the country would be the most appropriate step to take. In fact, in democratic states, in the wake of such crises, leaders resign voluntarily. But in order to do that, the leader must have some conscience. Our energy leaders’ feelings of shame are in a “crisis” like the energy supply,” Doniyor Ganiyev wrote on his Telegram channel.