"Andizhan drew a line of blood between yesterday and today. Uzbekistan will never be the same," Sandzhar Umarov, businessman and economist recently from the United States, said on May 25 at the 2nd Congress of Sunny Coalition of Uzbek businessmen that unanimously elected Umarov its Chairman. According to Umarov, "time of consolidation has come for the forces that want a true and not puppet democracy, freedom, respect of human rights, inviolability of private property, and a reasonable tax policy."

"Time of consolidation has come for whoever is fed up with tyranny of the executive branch of the government, helplessness of the parliament of puppets, and demagoguery of "pocket" political parties," Umarov said.

He pointed out that Sunny Coalition of businessmen formed in April 2005 was not a political party of the opposition but an alliance of all healthy forces of the Uzbek people seeking to build a free and secular civil society in the country, society where all religions and convictions commanded equal respect.

"We are convinced that the people who want what is good for Uzbekistan can be found not only among farmers tortured by the authorities' tyranny, not only among businessmen broken by unprecedented taxes, and not only among impoverished teachers and doctors. They can also be found in the new parliament of two houses, among state officials, and even in security structures," Umarov said. "Let us rise from our knees. Not a handful of officials of executive power structures and not even the president are masters of this great and wealthy but long-suffering country."

Working on a complex program of leading Uzbekistan from the socioeconomic and political crisis, Sunny Coalition defined priorities at its 2nd Congress: inviolability of private property, liberalization of tax and customs policy, peasant's ownership of land and crops, annulment of farmers' debts, demonopolization of industry and commerce, development of investments, industrial intensification.

Coalition leaders continue to insist on a constructive dialogue with the regime, asking the president to sack the government but not calling for protest actions.

"Enough of blood and violence," Umarov said. "The authorities and secular opposition in Uzbekistan should pool their efforts for the sake of long-term stabilization."