Saparmurat Niyazov

Den förra (nyligen avlidna) presidententen i Turkmenistan var en helt underbar lirare... sett ur rätt perspektiv.

Det måste vara något som slår slint i skallen när man får för mycket makt. Att kunna ge uttryck för varje önskan och begär man har. Att verkligen kunna peka på något och vara säker på att få det. Finns ju en orsak till det gamla ordspråket:

Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Läste om honom på Wikipedia och jag bara måste dela med mig av valda godbitar.

Detta om några förbud som råder i Turkmenistan:

Playing video games, listening to car radios, performing opera and ballet, smoking in public, and even growing facial hair have all been banned from Turkmenistan by Niyazov's decrees. It has been speculated that the latter ban was enacted to enforce conformity of appearance^[2], or even to compensate for Turkmenbashi's inability to grow a beard.

Lite om personkulten:

All citizens are required to carry internal passports, noting place of residence--a practice carried over from the Soviet era. Movement into and out of the country, as well as within its borders, is difficult. Turkmenistan is dominated by a pervasive cult of personality extolling (recently deceased) President Niyazov as Türkmenbaşy ("Leader of all Turkmen"). His face adorns many everyday objects, from banknotes to bottles of vodka. The logo of Turkmen national television is his profile. The two books he has written are mandatory readings in schools and public servants are quizzed yearly about their knowledge of its contents. It is also common in shops and homes. Many institutions are named after his mother. All watches and clocks made must bear his portrait printed on the dial-face. A giant 15-meter (50 feet) tall gold-plated statue of him stands on a rotating pedestal in Ashgabat, so it will always face into the sun and shine light onto the city. President Niyazov recently proclaimed that anyone who reads his book Ruhnama three times will "become more intelligent, will recognise the divine being and will go straight to heaven

Det måste vara en helt fantastisk bok han skrev...

Och slutligen om pressfriheten:

Each broadcast begins with a pledge that the broadcaster's tongue will shrivel if he slanders the country, flag, or president.

Helt underbart!

Diktatorer är ett underbart ämne att underhålla sig med - om man slipper bo i ett land som har en.