Which world leader recently closed all hospitals except those in the capital and closed all rural libraries on the grounds that peasants can't read?

gtho4

President of Turkmenistan orders all hospitals and libraries - save for the ones in the capital - closed. "What do we need so many hospitals for?" President of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov asked the latest conference of representatives of regional and district administrations. "Whoever is sick can travel to Ashkhabad." Diagnostic centers alone will be left in the regions. What patients are recommended medical treatment there will have to make a trip to the capital. There is a catch here. Travel to Ashkhabad from a lot of townships takes at least 5 hours. Moreover, not every Turkmen can afford the trip. The Turkmenbashi fired 15,000 doctors in 2004 alone. The layoff resulted in a dramatic shortage of qualified personnel. The country has been short of medicines for years. Niyazov decided to do away with natural parks as well. "What are they for?" he demanded. "Too many natural parks were established in the Soviet era. We do not need them. Let the people use them as pastures for cattle - it will be better this way," PRIMA human rights news agency quoted the Turkmenbashi as saying. Hospitals and natural parks done away with, the president got down to libraries. The Turkmenbashi was merciless. "Who needs them? Population in rural areas is illiterate anyway." As of now, Turkmenistan will only retain the Central Library in Ashkhabad and libraries at colleges and universities. All the rest will be history soon. http://enews.ferghana.ru/4printer.php?id=838 Mar 16 05, 1:41 AM

kaylofgorons

Doesn't sound like much of a "world" leader. Mar 16 05, 12:06 PM

bloomsby

The description that springs to mind is "tin-pot dictator". Mar 16 05, 5:10 PM

gmackematix

Like that man in charge of Equatorial Guinea, he is one of the tin-pottiest who should be in charge of his own padded cell but not over 4.5 million people. Little things like that don't stop other leaders such as Jean Chretien of Canada negotiating oil deals with him though. Mar 16 05, 7:20 PM