“Most of the officials who undermine democracy do not have sufficient knowledge of the Constitution” — Bobur Bekmurodov

“Most officials who undermine democracy do not have sufficient knowledge of the Constitution” — Bobur Bekmurodov

In Uzbekistan, civil servants must be tested on the Constitution.

On August 21 of this year, a press conference was held in Tashkent on the semi-annual implementation of the “Uzbekistan 2030” strategy. In a conversation at the end of the event, Bobur Bekmurodov answered a question about how well the Constitution is working in the country. According to the deputy, the spirit of freedom and the civic space have expanded in the republic in recent years. The doubling of the number of media outlets is an example of this. However, there are also officials who do not know the basic law, and they are undermining democracy.

It must be said that many independent media outlets have been established, and free thought and speech have emerged. At the same time, if analyzed, most of the officials undermining democracy do not have sufficient knowledge and skills regarding the Constitution. That is why we in the “Yuksalish” movement always say that civil servants, first of all, before entering the civil service, must undergo certification and be tested on the Constitution. Because recently there were discussions on improvement and beautification. What lies at their core? Such cases are occurring as a result of ignorance of the Constitution, the inviolability of property, and elementary rules of human rights, said the parliamentary representative.

Bobur Bekmurodov noted that problems related to ignorance of and compliance with the Constitution are also common in law enforcement agencies.

“Law enforcement agencies must certainly know the limits of human rights, at least to the extent defined in the Constitution. Analyzing these processes, we can say that the problem is mostly occurring as a result of lack of education, that is, a lack of constitutional knowledge,” the deputy said.

Bobur Bekmurodov emphasized that democratic processes in the country are continuing systematically. He highlighted the growing role of the parliament in this regard. He mentioned that the participation of public organizations in the adoption of laws and decisions is increasing.

“We can see that democratic reforms are being carried out systematically through the contribution of the media to the country's development with free thought and free criticism,” says the head of the “Yuksalish” movement.

According to the deputy, no matter what grade is given to the process related to the implementation of the Constitution, it will not be enough. That is, it is incorrect to give a specific grade.

“We should not fall into euphoria saying that we are doing great and all our laws are working. At the same time, I believe we should not forget the path we have traveled and what has been achieved,” he said.

Bobur Bekmurodov said that a survey could be conducted among khokims (governors), officials of ministries, and other structures regarding how well they know the Constitution.

“This is a good thought, a good idea. Of course, we can conduct this. We can check and study constitutional knowledge among officials, especially local officials, in an anonymous form,” the deputy said.

For reference, the newly revised Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan came into force on May 1, 2023. The basic law was updated by 65 percent based on a referendum. Until then, since 1992, the Constitution had been amended a total of 15 times. As a result of the update, the number of articles in the basic law increased from 128 to 155, and the norms increased from 275 to 434.