This one's an oldie, but a goodie:
A Kyrgyz businessman hands President Kurmanbek Bakiyev a list of local enterprises. Bakiyev looks for a time and asks, "To whom does this company belong?"
Businessman: "To you, sir."
Bakiyev: "And this one?"
Businessman: "To your son, Maxim Kurmanbekovitch."
Bakiyev "And this one?"
Businessman: "To you."
Bakiyev: "And this one?"
Businessman: "To Maxim Kurmanbekovitch."
This exchange continues for some time.
Suddenly Bakiyev shouts, "What is this? Doesn't anybody work in this country besides me and my son?"
David Trilling is Eurasianet’s managing editor.
Sign up for Eurasianet's free weekly newsletter. Support Eurasianet: Help keep our journalism open to all, and influenced by none.