NURSULTAN (Realist English). To implement the concept of a “hearing state” — this is how its President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev defined the overall task of Kazakhstan. In such a state, the interests of the citizen are at the forefront, the authorities promptly respond to the requests of society and enter into a dialogue with it.
One of the steps towards the implementation of this concept is a number of democratic reforms announced by the head of the republic. The largest transformation concerns the basic law of the country. A referendum on amendments to the Constitution has already been scheduled for June 5. The changes should consolidate the rejection of the super-presidential model of governing the country and a return to the presidential system.
The President of Kazakhstan shows by his personal example the desire to build a “hearing state”. He resigned from the post of chairman of the ruling party “Amanat” (until March of this year — “NurOtan”). “Amanat” in Kazakh means “heritage”, “testament to the ancestors”. The action of the head of the republic symbolizes the sunset of the era of Nursultan Nazarbayev.
However, Kazakhstan still needs to learn to hear its people. People who want to know the truth about the tragic January events that affected almost every citizen. After the protests, many Kazakhstanis are still in prison. Including those who did not participate in the rallies.
So, in the detention center is the former head of the National Security Committee of Kazakhstan Karim Massimov, who refused to give the order to shoot at the protesters. Three of his deputies were also arrested. All of them have been in custody since the beginning of January.
According to human rights activists, the opinion is now increasingly expressed that the January protests were not part of the plan to carry out a coup. Accordingly, Karim Massimov and his deputies are not co-conspirators.
When will the truth about what happened at the beginning of the year be known? Will the results of an objective investigation be published? The answers to these difficult but important questions will help the republic to come to an domestic reconciliation.
