BARMY LEADER BANS GOLD TEETH AND BEARDS
Apr 15 2004
By Jon Kelly
HE has banned beards, gold teeth and circuses, renamed months of the year after himself and his mum and created a public holiday to celebrate melons.
He is Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan's president-for life and the world's craziest dictator.
With his bizarre obsessions, the man who calls himself Turkmenbashi - father of the Turkmens - makes Idi Amin look like John Major.
His more extravagant follies include erecting a giant gold statue of himself in the middle of the capital, Ashgabat, which revolves so that the sun is always behind it, blinding onlookers.
Now the 64-year-old has begun a crackdown on gold teeth, which he says are unsightly. He told his female subjects in a speech last month: "Whatever some young fellows tell you, white teeth look better."
He then reprimanded his subjects, saying: "I watched young dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw. Those of you whose teeth have fallen out have not gnawed on bones. This is my advice."
So preoccupied is he with teeth that the Health Minister is a dentist. But his gold teeth directive is only the latest in a long line of bizarre edicts.
Circuses and ballet were outlawed in 2001, after he declared them "unnecessary".
And last year he ordered his subjects to build the world's biggest shoe to symbolise the great strides made by his regime. Made from the hide of 30 cows, it is 5.3 metres long.
Niyazov also commissioned the world's biggest hand-made carpet, which is 300 metres square and called The 21st Century: The Epoch Of The Great Saparmurat Niyazov.
At his command, airports, seaports, a meteorite, yoghurt and perfumes are all now named after him.
He has been quick to stifle opposition in this remote former Soviet republic, whose main exports are sulphur, carpets and melons.
One of Niyazov's particular dislikes is long hair on men, which he believes gives the "wrong impression".
Two months ago, barbers went on duty at all airports and border crossings with orders to give long-haired foreign visitors a short back and sides on arrival. He has also banned beards. Turkmens worried about getting old must have been relieved when Niyazov decreed that adolescence lasts until 25, youth goes on until 37 and old age doesn't start til 85.
The focus of Niyazov's eccentricity is his obsession with his dead mother, Gurbansoltanedzhe, who died in an earthquake in the capital in 1948. To show his devotion, he named the month of April after her and has rebranded bread using her name. For good measure, the whole of 2003 was officially dedicated to her.
The rest of the calendar has also been tweaked, with January renamed after himself and September named Rukhnama after the spiritual handbook he wrote for his subjects.
And Monday is now Main Day, Tuesday Young Day, Wednesday Favourable Day, Thursday Blessed Day, Saturday Spirituality Day and Sunday Rest Day. Friday is unchanged. He now plans to announce an eight-month year, with each month lasting 45 days.
A string of new public holidays now exist, too, including A Drop of Water Is A Grain Of Gold Day on April 6, the Day Of Neutrality on December 1, and Horse Day on April 27.
But most popular of all is Melon Day on July 10, instituted last year.
"This godsend has a glorious history," Turkmen TV announced. "Our great leader, who has a great love of his nation, has brought the name of the tasty melons to the level of a national holiday."
He is careful his subjects see their beloved leader in peak condition. When Niyazov started to go bald after a heart operation in 1997 he began taking Chinese herbal remedies to save them from what the "unpleasantness" of a bald leader. He also banned his ministers, who are forced to go on 22-mile walks, from smoking anywhere near him.
Niyazov also regards himself as a philosopher, and every schoolchild and government official must study his book, the Rukhnama, once a week. All Turkmens must also recite the oath of loyalty: "At the moment of my betrayal to my motherland, to her sacred banner, to the Great Turkmenbashi, let my breath stop."
In the classroom, Niyazov has banned all Western influences.
Born in 1940, the married father-of-two became Turkmenistan's Communist party chief in 1985. After independence in 1991 he was elected President and has clung to power ever since.
In 1999 he was made President for Life when 2,000 handpicked members of his People's Council "asked" him during a televised meeting. At first he declined but changed his mind after hearing deafening applause.
But for his five million subjects, 35 per cent of whom live below the poverty line, their bizarre autocrat is no laughing matter.
There are an estimated 20,000 dissidents locked away in labour camps. Members of the People's Assembly have sworn that enemies of Turkmenbashi will be "drawn and quartered," and their organs left in the desert.
The country's notorious human rights record led the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe to declare the lack of press freedom in Turkmenistan "unprecedented" in the organisation's history.
Niyazov has been accused of discrimination against minority groups and mismanaging the economy, leaving his nation trapped in poverty despite vast reserves of natural gas.
OTHER DERANGED DESPOTSCALIGULA - Roman Emperor, AD 37-41
WAS obsessed with his horse Incitatus, which was attended to by 18 servants. He tried to make it a senator and ordered silence in an entire neighbourhood to prevent the animal from being disturbed.
NERO - Roman Emperor, 54-86 AD
TRIED to kill his mother countless times, eventually succeeding. Suffered overpowering body odour. Would often sing in public and banned anyone from leaving the room while he did so.
OLIVER CROMWELL - Lord Protector, 1653-58 BRITAIN'S only dictator, Cromwell was a real killjoy. He banned Christmas, jailed people for swearing, and ordered that any boy caught playing football on a Sunday be whipped.
IDI AMIN - ran Uganda, 1971-79
AKA His Excellency Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa and Uganda, King of Scotland, master of beasts of the land and fish of the sea.
KIM JONG II - President of Nth Korea since 1997
OBSESSED with films, Kim kidnapped movie director Shin Sang-ok from the South in 1978, force-fed him grass and made him do a Marxist version of Godzilla - Pulgasari.
courtesy of the mirror.co.uk
i am not from the UK but i think the mirror is like one of those supermarket gossip newspapers like the national enquirer, so i dunno how factual any of these are. someone can elaborate on the legitimacy if they can, but then again even well respected media lie to the public so take it for whatever you like
Apr 15 2004
By Jon Kelly
HE has banned beards, gold teeth and circuses, renamed months of the year after himself and his mum and created a public holiday to celebrate melons.
He is Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan's president-for life and the world's craziest dictator.
With his bizarre obsessions, the man who calls himself Turkmenbashi - father of the Turkmens - makes Idi Amin look like John Major.
His more extravagant follies include erecting a giant gold statue of himself in the middle of the capital, Ashgabat, which revolves so that the sun is always behind it, blinding onlookers.
Now the 64-year-old has begun a crackdown on gold teeth, which he says are unsightly. He told his female subjects in a speech last month: "Whatever some young fellows tell you, white teeth look better."
He then reprimanded his subjects, saying: "I watched young dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw. Those of you whose teeth have fallen out have not gnawed on bones. This is my advice."
So preoccupied is he with teeth that the Health Minister is a dentist. But his gold teeth directive is only the latest in a long line of bizarre edicts.
Circuses and ballet were outlawed in 2001, after he declared them "unnecessary".
And last year he ordered his subjects to build the world's biggest shoe to symbolise the great strides made by his regime. Made from the hide of 30 cows, it is 5.3 metres long.
Niyazov also commissioned the world's biggest hand-made carpet, which is 300 metres square and called The 21st Century: The Epoch Of The Great Saparmurat Niyazov.
At his command, airports, seaports, a meteorite, yoghurt and perfumes are all now named after him.
He has been quick to stifle opposition in this remote former Soviet republic, whose main exports are sulphur, carpets and melons.
One of Niyazov's particular dislikes is long hair on men, which he believes gives the "wrong impression".
Two months ago, barbers went on duty at all airports and border crossings with orders to give long-haired foreign visitors a short back and sides on arrival. He has also banned beards. Turkmens worried about getting old must have been relieved when Niyazov decreed that adolescence lasts until 25, youth goes on until 37 and old age doesn't start til 85.
The focus of Niyazov's eccentricity is his obsession with his dead mother, Gurbansoltanedzhe, who died in an earthquake in the capital in 1948. To show his devotion, he named the month of April after her and has rebranded bread using her name. For good measure, the whole of 2003 was officially dedicated to her.
The rest of the calendar has also been tweaked, with January renamed after himself and September named Rukhnama after the spiritual handbook he wrote for his subjects.
And Monday is now Main Day, Tuesday Young Day, Wednesday Favourable Day, Thursday Blessed Day, Saturday Spirituality Day and Sunday Rest Day. Friday is unchanged. He now plans to announce an eight-month year, with each month lasting 45 days.
A string of new public holidays now exist, too, including A Drop of Water Is A Grain Of Gold Day on April 6, the Day Of Neutrality on December 1, and Horse Day on April 27.
But most popular of all is Melon Day on July 10, instituted last year.
"This godsend has a glorious history," Turkmen TV announced. "Our great leader, who has a great love of his nation, has brought the name of the tasty melons to the level of a national holiday."
He is careful his subjects see their beloved leader in peak condition. When Niyazov started to go bald after a heart operation in 1997 he began taking Chinese herbal remedies to save them from what the "unpleasantness" of a bald leader. He also banned his ministers, who are forced to go on 22-mile walks, from smoking anywhere near him.
Niyazov also regards himself as a philosopher, and every schoolchild and government official must study his book, the Rukhnama, once a week. All Turkmens must also recite the oath of loyalty: "At the moment of my betrayal to my motherland, to her sacred banner, to the Great Turkmenbashi, let my breath stop."
In the classroom, Niyazov has banned all Western influences.
Born in 1940, the married father-of-two became Turkmenistan's Communist party chief in 1985. After independence in 1991 he was elected President and has clung to power ever since.
In 1999 he was made President for Life when 2,000 handpicked members of his People's Council "asked" him during a televised meeting. At first he declined but changed his mind after hearing deafening applause.
But for his five million subjects, 35 per cent of whom live below the poverty line, their bizarre autocrat is no laughing matter.
There are an estimated 20,000 dissidents locked away in labour camps. Members of the People's Assembly have sworn that enemies of Turkmenbashi will be "drawn and quartered," and their organs left in the desert.
The country's notorious human rights record led the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe to declare the lack of press freedom in Turkmenistan "unprecedented" in the organisation's history.
Niyazov has been accused of discrimination against minority groups and mismanaging the economy, leaving his nation trapped in poverty despite vast reserves of natural gas.
OTHER DERANGED DESPOTSCALIGULA - Roman Emperor, AD 37-41
WAS obsessed with his horse Incitatus, which was attended to by 18 servants. He tried to make it a senator and ordered silence in an entire neighbourhood to prevent the animal from being disturbed.
NERO - Roman Emperor, 54-86 AD
TRIED to kill his mother countless times, eventually succeeding. Suffered overpowering body odour. Would often sing in public and banned anyone from leaving the room while he did so.
OLIVER CROMWELL - Lord Protector, 1653-58 BRITAIN'S only dictator, Cromwell was a real killjoy. He banned Christmas, jailed people for swearing, and ordered that any boy caught playing football on a Sunday be whipped.
IDI AMIN - ran Uganda, 1971-79
AKA His Excellency Field Marshal Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa and Uganda, King of Scotland, master of beasts of the land and fish of the sea.
KIM JONG II - President of Nth Korea since 1997
OBSESSED with films, Kim kidnapped movie director Shin Sang-ok from the South in 1978, force-fed him grass and made him do a Marxist version of Godzilla - Pulgasari.
courtesy of the mirror.co.uk
i am not from the UK but i think the mirror is like one of those supermarket gossip newspapers like the national enquirer, so i dunno how factual any of these are. someone can elaborate on the legitimacy if they can, but then again even well respected media lie to the public so take it for whatever you like
