No `tok' in Electric Lady Land 4
I AM a patient man, but this story was getting ridiculous. As I told you in previous weeks, Elektrorazpredelenie Stolichno EAD, the local low-voltage distributor of electricity and its army of graduates from the Joseph Stalin Academy of Public Relations and Charm have decided to "work to rule" on all new electric installations. In my case this meant that although my company was ready to move into our new offices on February 25, we had to renovate with borrowed electricity from our wonderful new neighbours and three weeks since our request we hadn't even seen an inspector yet. Although my company has paid every electricity bill promptly since we opened six years ago, these people treated us as if we were beggars who came to urinate in the middle of their office.
On Friday February 18, after almost four weeks of us waiting, Elektrorazpredelenie Stolichno EAD decided to supply electricity to my company. The whole process was almost delayed by a week if it had not been thanks to the personal intervention of a more than wonderful member of their staff who went beyond her call of duty to make sure that this was done immediately and not according to their Czech inspired rule book. As my new friend Brian K. Schjertzer of the NEC pointed out in his letter of last week, it is the Czech company CEZ that controls our local electricity and not the fine folks at NEC, The National Electricity Company, whom we miss dearly.
I must say that although I appreciate his intervention, it seemed a little overkill for my bestest German friend, our beloved Prime Minister, Tsar, Ruler and Benefactor, the always alert Simeon Borisov Koburggotski (aka Simeon Saxe-Coburg), King of all (well most) Bulgarians and fearless leader of the National Movement Simeon II to fire his Energy Minister over this controversy. But then of course in that great Gotha style of non-management the `Herr on the Hill' promoted Milko Kovachev to Minister of Economy and kicks out one of the only really useful people in his Cabinet, the charming and very capable Lydia Shuleva.

Ahmed rules OK!
I loved the story that former Agriculture Minister Mehmed Dikme, one of the three ministers that were sacked in the Government's latest reshuffle, surprised the Nation by declaring that he had voluntarily resigned: "I tendered the resignation myself, not under pressure from Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg or Ahmed Dogan", Dikme, member of the predominantly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms, of which Dogan is the leader.
On Monday Saxe-Coburg debated the replacement of Mehmed Dikme by his deputy Nihat Kabil, a move he reportedly was forced to make under pressure from Dogan as a punishment for meddling with his policy. Dikme expressed gratitude to Saxe-Coburg, calling him his "step father" and vowed loyalty to the MRF and its leader, with whom he enjoys "excellent relations".
I do understand that Dikme had to go, after all, you do not oppose the greatest Turkish Leader this country has had since Ata Turk lifted the Turkish Yoke. The style of leadership Dogan displays is what is to be expected from an opportunistic minority party leader in the current disarrayed political landscape.

Bulgarian kids sold to German paedophiles
The story about this horrible subject, a documentary made by ARD German Television brought back some memories of local stories, reports and TV-programmes on this subject. In 1996 the website of Human Rights Watch published a detailed report about the physical and sexual abuse of Roma street children in Sofia by gangs of skinheads and by the police. I cannot find any reports of any police follow up or indeed convictions: http://www.hrw.org/summaries/s.bulgaria969.html. "Children reported that police have often engaged in physical and sometimes sexual harassment of street children, both on the street and in police station lock-ups." In that same period, a brave Bulgarian TV journalist followed this up by interviewing Roma children near the central railway station. The children told in detail how they were abused by local law enforcement. I asked around, and although many of my friends remember the story, no one remembers any accounts of investigations or convictions.
Also read: "Police sexual abuse of Romani Boy": http://lists.errc.org/rr_nr3_2003/snap8.shtml. The Amnesty International Report for 2004 also makes interesting reading: http://web.amnesty.org/report2004/bgr-summary-eng.
I agree that the German paedophiles involved in this current scandal should be brought to justice, but it has to be said that some serious changes have to be made in this country to close the "bazaar" where these animals shop. First of all the fear for the Judicial System that is so prevalent among the Roma has to be replaced by trust.


Please send your comments or questions to koosjan@gmail.com or visit my website at www.webfactorybulgaria.com.