Feckoff.net

Following the death of the Turkmen “president for life”, Saparmurat Niyazov, news reports have been mentioning some of the crazy shit he did whilst in power for the last 21 years:

• Named cities and airports after himself
• Named a meteorite after himself
• Banned news readers from wearing make up
• Banned car radios
• Renamed months of the year after himself and his family members
• Had statues of himself and his mother erected all over the country
• Dedicated a building to the free media… whilst tightly censoring the media
• Replaced most school textbooks with his own works
• Banned ballet and opera
• Banned beards and long hair on men
• Ordered construction of an ice palace despite the country’s desert climate and poor economy
• Closed all rural hospitals and libraries
• Banned computer games
• Built huge mosques and palaces in his honour around the country

Despite the country having some of the largest natural gas reserves and significant oil production, this guy has steadily ran it into the ground since gaining independence from the Soviets in 1991. Some 60% of the population is unemployed, most of them living in poverty.

Funny that he was fashioning himself as somewhat of an Islamic spiritual leader for the country, given that when he ruled the country in its Soviet days as leader of its communist party he would have been, at least publically, an atheist. What a nutter. You could really believe Borat was real if he was from Turkmenistan.

You can read lots about this guy on Wikipedia.