“Somebody has to do it!”

On July 7, at a meeting of the “International Press Club” in Tashkent, the issue of the constant involvement of teachers in various kinds of forced labor not related to their direct professional duties was raised.

Questions put by journalists were answered by Svetlana Ortikova and Bakhodir Tojiev, members of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis (Parliament) of Uzbekistan.

According to the website qalampir.uz, journalist Barchinoy Juraeva stated that the obligation to clean streets and carry out agricultural work concerned all public institutions, and that it could be seen everywhere. Senator Bakhodir Tojiev replied that “he had never heard a single complaint from teachers regarding forced labor”.

Senator Svetlana Artykova added a bit of propaganda about the need for public work, because “nobody from outside would come to clean our streets”.

This begs the question why additional unpaid work should be performed by workers from such important sectors as education and medicine?

If the state is not able to provide streetcleaners and public maintenance staff and farmers cannot hire voluntary cotton pickers, then why not distribute public works among the senators?

Artist Tuz is sure that fresh air and physical labor on the streets and fields would benefit members of the Senate and Parliament of our country.