Kassym-Zhomart Tokaev: As a forward-thinking nation, we should only look ahead

Kassym-Zhomart Tokaev: As a forward-thinking nation, we should only look ahead.
The interview given by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the newspaper "Egemen Kazakhstan" was a wide-ranging interview that gave a report on the work done in the past years in the country and gave directions for the coming year. As the head of state noted: "2023 was a year full of important events for our country. We have completed the main political reforms. The Constitutional Court has started its work. Majilis and maslikhat deputies of all levels were elected according to the new rules. For the first time, we elected district and regional mayors. Elections of mayors of villages and cities of district significance continued. Last year, about 700 village akims were elected. We started to create a fair and competitive economic system. We have been actively involved in economic diversification and elimination of monopoly, infrastructure modernization, business support, and investment attraction. The accumulated problems in the social sphere began to be solved gradually. Educational centers, including "comfortable schools", are growing in all parts of the country. Health facilities are being built in the villages. The Social Code was adopted to comprehensively support citizens from socially vulnerable groups. A special fee has been introduced for citizens working in harmful working conditions. The employees of the institutions responsible for nature protection were to be paid overtime in relation to the danger to their life and health."
In his interview, the President expressed his views on a number of questionable aspects of the "Black January" event. The President tells about it as follows: "After I was elected as the President in 2019, our country turned to democratization of the political system, giving freedom to public life, freeing the economy from monopoly. Public representatives, active citizens, and experts participated in the development of reforms and their implementation. Many initiatives were taken up and elaborated on in various areas of dialogue, including at the meetings of the National Council of Public Trust, which was specially created on my proposal.
This group of high-ranking officials had enormous influence on both the power structures and the criminal world. Therefore, he decided to seize power by force. According to the investigation, they started preparations around the middle of 2021. Then the Government made an ill-conceived, legalless decision to sharply increase the price of liquefied gas. In Mangistau region, people who followed the provocateurs marched.
The demonstrations first started in Mangistau region. Soon it spread to other regions. Although the central authorities and akimats tried to regulate the situation, the situation inside the country became tense. The organizers of the agitation did not give up on the negotiations and dialogue to reach a common agreement.
The first clashes broke out in many areas. All this turned out to be a "wannabe" for the villains, who tried to further escalate the situation with specially trained persons. Even in such a difficult situation, the law enforcement agencies did not use force and remained calm. This is the second wave. The third wave began when criminal gangs whose leaders did not care about the compromised group and had ties to terrorists, including foreign terrorists, began to rampage. Using special technology, provocateurs and thugs, they turned peaceful demonstrations into mass riots. The situation at that time was very complicated, our country was on the verge of destruction. In order to prevent this, I personally watched all the activities day and night and every hour. Information was received through the Ministry of Internal Affairs that the residence of Akorda is about to be attacked, and trucks will be used for it. I have been offered many times to shake my head, leave the residence, or even go abroad. But I was strongly against it. In one of my televised statements, I made it clear that I would stay at my job no matter what. I was in Akorda for two weeks, I held emergency meetings day and night. In those turbulent days, it was the most important task to save our state, to restore the rule of law and order in the country."
K.K. During the interview, Tokaev described in detail what the country's economic direction will be in the coming years. "First of all, it is necessary to solve a number of concrete tasks that pave the way for the development of our country. One such task is the implementation of large-scale industrial projects. In the September Address, the Government was tasked with identifying such projects and developing an Infrastructure Development Plan. These projects are being worked out together with large business representatives, institutional investors and experts. Work in the second direction includes measures to implement systematic reforms that will establish the "order of the game" in all spheres of the economy. Also, the "New Budget Code" is one of the most important documents. We must change our attitude towards "treasury funds" and spend them effectively, properly and sparingly. At the same time, new laws regulating public procurement and public-private partnership play a significant role. These documents also ensure transparency of public procurement. It also contributes to the formation of funds necessary for the development of the economy. It is necessary to pay a lot of attention to increasing the efficiency of the quasi-state sector. Now measures to modernize this sector are defined and implemented».
Kozhabek K.M.
Doctor of Philosophy, Senior Lecturer of the Department of Customs, Finance and Environmental Law of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University