Syimyk Japikeev, who held the position of head of the Financial Police, expressed his apologies to the public for the misunderstanding that arose from his comments about Chingiz Aitmatov. This was reported by journalist and public figure Turat Akimov on his page on one of the social networks.
Akimov reminded of the popular wisdom: "There is no person without mistakes, just as there is no horse that has not stumbled." He noted that society reacted sharply to Japikeev's words and decided to intervene to clarify the situation.
Turat Akimov met with Syimyk Japikeev in the autumn of 2019 at Ala-Too Square during a rally against a lawsuit initiated by Shirin Aitmatova and several media outlets. At that moment, Japikeev himself approached Akimov for an introduction, but due to the noise, they could not communicate in detail, and Akimov invited him to his office.
At that time, Akimov was in his apartment near the "Vefa Center," where the first headquarters of "Chon Kazat" was located. Within the walls of that office, a deep conversation took place, during which Akimov explained to Japikeev the importance of understanding the spirit of Manas. Since then, Syimyk has become an active supporter of Manas's ideas and a prominent figure in "Chon Kazat," while Akimov soon went abroad.
Today, Akimov contacted Japikeev and asked him: "Syimyk, did you really say something negative about Chingiz Aitmatov?" To which Japikeev replied: "I meant that there are too many 'mankurts' in Kyrgyzstan, as the great writer wrote, but it seems I expressed myself incorrectly and was misunderstood. How can I condemn Chingiz-aga, if I have been to Shirin Aitmatova's house? I apologize to the people; I was wrong."
Akimov called for understanding and compassion, reminding that we all can make mistakes. "Let's show generosity and forgive someone who has realized their guilt. Let this misunderstanding remain in the past," he added.
In conclusion, Akimov noted that the perception of a writer's style is always subjective: for some, it may be close, for others — not. This should not cause offense. As a philologist, he calls for patience and hopes that Shirin-ayim will also approach this with understanding. "Let's rise above this," Akimov summarized.
