In BISHKEK (Reuters) – Kyrgyzstan’s parliament voted to modify the design of the national flag after criticism from President Sadyr Japarov and others that its central element resembled a sunflower, which in local culture signifies fickleness and servility.
The country’s flag, adopted in 1992 after gaining independence from the Soviet Union, features a yellow sun – also representing the tip of a traditional Kyrgyz yurt tent – with 40 rays on a red backdrop.
However, some parliament deputies in September drew attention to the wavy rays, noting that they resembled sunflower petals.
In Kyrgyz culture, the sunflower holds a negative connotation similar to a weathercock in some European languages, symbolizing a fickle and servile individual willing to change allegiance for personal gain.
These interpretations can be particularly sensitive in a country with a relatively small economy heavily reliant on larger partners. Over a million Kyrgyz, out of a population of less than seven million, work abroad.
“There has been a widespread opinion in our society that our flag looks like a sunflower, and that is one of the reasons why the country cannot get up off its knees,” President Japarov remarked last month regarding the initiative.
The law passed by Kyrgyzstan’s parliament in the first reading on Wednesday amends the design to straighten the sun rays.
(Reporting by Olga Dzyubenko; Writing by Olzhas Auyezov; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
