June 2020 marked one year since Kassym-Jomart Tokayev became president of Kazakhstan. During his first year in power, Tokayev ensured a smooth and stable transfer of power, which is a key condition for political and economic development of the country. The period of political transition in Kazakhstan has coincided with global changes and challenges and Tokayev had to look for new solutions while also sticking with his general strategy for Kazakhstan’s reforms and development.
As part of this strategy, he has established internal political initiatives with such slogans as: “a state that hears,” “different opinions; one nation,” “successful economic reforms are impossible without modernization of the country’s socio-political life,” “strong president; influential Parliament; accountable government.”
One of the key points of Tokayev’s presidential agenda was the creation of the National Council of Public Trust, which includes well-known politicians, public figures, economists and intellectuals. The work of the council is carried out in political, social and economic arenas, with the most urgent and acute issues of state development included on its agenda. Based on the results of several meetings with the president, the council developed and adopted a package of important political reforms with amendments to the laws on peaceful assembly, elections, political parties and enshrining in practice the principles of political pluralism.
The reforms include accession to the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. (The covenant guarantees right to life, electoral rights, rights to due process and fair trial, as well as freedom of religion, speech and assembly. And the optional protocol gives the United Nations the right to hear from victims of violations of the protocol.) Further reforms include strengthening legislation on the right to political rallies and developing a multi-party system.
In September 2020, Tokayev delivered his annual address to the nation, this time titled “Kazakhstan in the new reality: Time to act.” The speech highlighted seven key principles of the new economic course for the country: equitable distribution of benefits and responsibilities; a leading role for private entrepreneurship through support and development of SMEs; fair competition; increased productivity; complexity and technological effectiveness of the economy; development of human capital; “greening” of the economy through environmental protection; as well as adoption of well-grounded decisions by the state and responsibility for them before society.
In his address, Tokayev pointed out that a new model of government should be introduced. He highlighted that “reforms in this area should be carried out systematically. Let’s start by changing the approaches to public administration, personnel policy, decision-making systems and responsibility for their implementation.” The government will create an agency for strategic planning and reforms, which will become the central link of the entire system of state planning. He also outlined the creation of a supreme presidential council for reforms, whose decisions will be final. And he noted that a reboot of the civil service system is required and the reform of the entire quasi-public sector must be continued.
A brand-new program solely dedicated to the development of the domestic agro-industrial sector will be mapped out, according to the president. He emphasized that measures are urgently needed to increase productivity, moving away from production of raw materials to developing warehouse and transport infrastructure. He also focused on supporting entrepreneurship and paying special attention to medium-sized businesses.
“Such companies should be focused not only on the domestic, but also on foreign markets,” he stated. “Their export support should be strengthened.”
Other top priorities include balanced territorial development; the social well-being of citizens; safety and protection of children’s rights; accessible and quality education; development of a health-care system; protection of biodiversity; digitalization as a basic element of all reforms; and civil participation in governance of the state.
Tokayev pointed out that “no aspect of socio-economic development can be successfully implemented without the rule of law and guaranteeing the safety of our citizens. ‘A state that hears’ is, in fact, the concept of building a ‘fair state.’ It is not enough just to hear and see the problems of citizens; the main thing is to correctly and objectively respond to them. There is a lot of work ahead to develop new standards for serving the interests of citizens. The law enforcement and judicial systems play a key role in this. Reforms are absolutely necessary here.”
Tokayev refers often to the words of famous Kazakh poet Abai Qunanbaiuly, whose 175th birthday is being celebrated in Kazakhstan in 2020 and whose works have been translated into many languages. Earlier, Tokayev had stated that: “My concept of ‘a state that listens to the voice of the people’ was proposed in order to develop the idea of a just society.”
These days, Kazakhstan continues to confront the COVID-19 pandemic that threatens the entire global community. The government has mobilized all resources to protect the life and health of Kazakh citizens. According to the president, “the fight against coronavirus clearly demonstrated the [true nature] of people: Mutual assistance, compassion and readiness to jointly confront an unprecedented disaster. In such difficult conditions, our main task is to maintain social and economic stability, employment and incomes of the population.”
