The Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a presentation of the national expert platform “KazISS GPS: Gylym. Pikir. Sayasat. The first discussion with the participation of well-known politicians, leaders of political parties, representatives of the expert community, public figures was devoted to the Message of the Head of State and the transformation of the institutions of power in Kazakhstan. The director of KazISS Yerkin Tukumovacted as the moderator of the discussion platform.
In his welcoming speech, Yerkin Tukumov emphasized that the national expert platform “KazISS GPS” allows you to form new meanings, look for new ideas on the development of the country. “Today we are present at the opening of our national expert dialogue platform. We tried to name it in the spirit of the construction of New Kazakhstan – “KazISS GPS”. GPS – it makes sense to search for the best ideas, thoughts, meanings for the development of Kazakhstan. On the other hand, GPS is literally “Gylym. Pikir. Sayasat. It is obvious that the government and society are interested in constant dialogue, constant exchange of opinions – what kind of Kazakhstan we are building, what we must do and what we actually do to make life better, so that Kazakhstan becomes an even more successful member of the world community. Therefore, it is very important that our site becomes permanent, moreover, I consider it very important that this site meets the needs of the whole society, all citizens, even from the most distant regions of our vast homeland, so that we see different angles of view not only sitting in the capital and Almaty , but also traveled around Kazakhstan on an ongoing basis. In this regard, we plan to hold discussions in the regions to match the status of the national expert platform. We are also ready to take into account all opinions when formulating conclusions and recommendations for the country’s leadership,” said the head of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies.
Deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan “Ak Zhol” Azat Peruashev noted the importance of strengthening the institution of parliamentarism and maslikhats. “Reforms are the beginning of a long journey. We need to work on a system of checks and balances. It does not matter how many parties there will be if the system of checks and balances does not work. The issue of budget management is one of the key issues in the current Address,” Azat Peruashev noted.
In turn, Daulet Karibek, secretary of the Amanat party, said that everyone should participate in the discussion of reforms. “The reform program of the Head of State is aimed at building a favorable future for the entire nation. There are many specific issues that require deep analysis. A critical look is needed, but it should not divide society. Our indisputable values are independence and citizens,” said Daulet Karibek.
In his speech, Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, Chairman of the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, stressed that the January events pointed to the shortcomings that had accumulated in the old system. “The message of the President creates all the necessary conditions for political modernization. The key issue of all political reforms is the new status of the Parliament. In the new Kazakhstan, I see a change in the Constitution. I call for the creation of a special commission for dialogue on this issue. I also fully support the thesis of the mass participation of the people in government. Tokayev’s message is aimed at involving the people in the decision-making process and eliminating the monopoly on power. The People’s Party is in contact with the Confederation of Trade Unions. There are many active citizens in independent trade unions. The model for us is the Labor Party of Great Britain. There this party is based on trade unions. We support the emergence of many independent trade unions. If people join trade unions, they will learn a lot. First of all, questions of the budget. Everyone who is running must understand the issues of budgeting,” said Yermukhamet Yertysbayev.
Lyazzat Suleimen, Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, member of the Committee on Constitutional Legislation, Judicial System and Law Enforcement Agencies, noted the importance of holding such discussion platforms in the regions. “I support all initiatives to strengthen the positions of the Parliament, maslikhats, legislative approval. We, deputies of the Senate, recently visited the regions and met with people. The population, as an active subject of politics, raises tough questions. Local consumers are very active. For efficiency, it is necessary to conduct conversations with the public, talk with every Kazakhstani on this topic, analyze and form an understanding of these reforms in order to become a supporter,” said Lyazzat Suleimen.
Chairman of the Board of NJSC “Kazakhstan Institute of Social Development” Kazbek Maygeldinov emphasized that the President instructed to review the work of public councils. “We have a public council, we have a maslikhat, we have other councils. What is the functional difference between them? After all, when the public council was created, there were questions about how it differs from maslikhat. Of course, control is a very powerful initiative that encourages citizens to participate in the political process. However, it is necessary to distinguish between their features and functional responsibilities. Only then will citizens understand where they should enter, what opportunities they have and where their problems will be solved. Therefore, if we carry out specific explanatory work through such platforms, especially in the regions, then we will contribute to the formation of political activity and political culture,” said Kazbek Maygeldinov.
According to the director of the Institute of Parliamentarism Mansurkhan Makhambetov, it is necessary to answer the question of how the current laws and proposed reforms comply with the norms of the Constitution. “The program of political reforms of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K. Tokayev provides an opportunity for such work,” he stressed.
As Yuri Cherkasov, head of the Information and Analytical Department of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, noted, such discussion platforms do exist. “The fact that such an active dialogue is taking place is good, it is important now. The Message played a role in this. I would like to congratulate the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies on this undertaking,” said Yuri Cherkasov.
Madina Nurgaliyeva, director of the Public Policy Institute of the Amanat party, said that with the Address of the Head of State, a revival of the public sphere is expected. “We already see that new party projects are starting to become more active. For example, immediately after the Address, it was announced the creation of 2 new political parties, for example, a women’s party. Let me remind you that we have a ban on the creation of parties on regional and gender lines. And this is important from the point of view of ensuring the integrity of the state. We can differ in ideological preferences, attitudes, guidelines, but should not be divided according to some physiological characteristics. The new impetus is manifested in the activation of such areas as the environmental, national-patriotic agenda. In general, we can expect the emergence of new party projects. This is facilitated by the liberalization of the rules on the activities of parties, the simplification of the procedure for their registration, so it is quite possible to expect the emergence of new party players,” she concluded.
