At a consultation with law enforcement leaders, the Head of the state emphasized that adherence to the principle of ‘Law and Order’ should become the ideological and political guiding light for society. The President clearly stated, “A Just Kazakhstan is a country where law and order prevail.” This is a crucial postulate that forms the foundation of a new social contract. It is impossible to build a just state where the constitutional principle of equality of all citizens before the law is not upheld. The President reiterated this once again.
If we look at the history of the question of justice, equality, and the supremacy of the law, its origins date back to ancient times, during the period of antiquity. Despite the rich history of this issue, it does not lose its relevance. In each period of historical development of humanity, there has been a unique response to the question of the relationship between law and justice. However, there is a common understanding, practically applicable to all countries and cultures, which can be formulated as follows: “law is the embodiment of justice in the life of the state and society.”
This principle is not new; it has been implemented in Kazakhstan for a long time. Legal statistics as of 2023 show that over the last 5 years, the number of registered criminal offenses has decreased by 32%. For example, if there were 190,000 crimes registered in 2019, by 2023, this figure had reduced to 104,000. The number of medium severity crimes also decreased, from 137,000 in 2019 to 51,000 in 2023. As we can see, the country consistently implements a policy to establish the rule of law.
Adherence to the law is the foundation of justice, and, at the same time, it is in a just society that the law becomes a guarantee of equality and order. Justice in a legal state becomes a kind of common denominator for all social relations regulated by law. Observing the law also implies accepting responsibility. According to legal statistics as of 2023, 7.79 million administrative offenses were registered. This is significantly higher than the 2019 figure of 4.65 million. This indicates that citizens prefer to resolve conflicts through legal means, based on the law, and by turning to law enforcement agencies through all legal and official channels. Such a situation can be understood as an increase in the legal culture of citizens, which is a positive indicator of the development of the state and society.
Yermek Toktarov,
Head of the Strategic Analysis Department, KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
