Deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh Will Try to "Taxi"

Last week, a television project called "Parliament Taxi" was launched in Kyrgyzstan. The idea is that once a week, one of the deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh will get behind the wheel of a taxi and drive citizens to their desired destination in Bishkek for free. During the ride, passengers will have the opportunity to communicate with their elected representative and share their problems.

The first to take on the role of taxi driver was Uzarbek Zhilkybaev, a deputy from the SDPK party. His "clients" were two elderly women who had come from the Leilek district of the Batken region to visit relatives living in the village of Prigorodnoye near Bishkek. The parliamentary taxi headed from the center of the capital to that location. A report on this trip was aired on Kyrgyz television channels.

According to the initiator and host of the project, Ibraim Nurakun uulu, the program is primarily aimed at strengthening the ties between the Jogorku Kenesh and the voters, and conveying the voice of the people to the deputies.

- My initiative is not intended to promote any particular deputy or party. In future episodes, we will have all willing elected representatives take the wheel of a car as taxi drivers, - Ibraim Nurakun uulu stated on social media. - A deputy behind the wheel of an improvised taxi will not lose an entire working day: for this purpose, we will use a maximum of one hour of their lunch break.