Dear colleagues!
On September 1, 2020, the Head of state addressed another message to the people of the country "Kazakhstan in a new reality: time for action". The message Of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev clearly shows that we are moving to the stage of an enlightened state, where the rights and freedoms of citizens are the main element and value of the state. He noted that approaches to public administration, personnel policy, decision-making system and responsibility for their implementation will be changed.
Political reform
First of all, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev decided to change approaches to public administration, personnel policy, decision-making system and responsibility for their implementation. A number of new structures will be created in the country in the near future:
- Agency for strategic planning and reforms with direct reporting to the President. It will also be called the Supreme Presidential Council for reform. The Agency will include the statistics Committee, which is currently part of the Ministry of national economy;
- Agency for protection and development of competition; monetary policy Committee under the national Bank;
-A single legitimate Institute for online petitions;
- The emergency Committee, which is currently part of the Ministry of internal Affairs, will become a separate Agency ‒ the Ministry of emergency situations (MES)
The second step of the reform, according to Tokayev, is "reducing the state apparatus and employees of the quasi-public sector." "The pandemic and the transfer of most government employees to remote work mode have shown that the state apparatus can and should be reduced. This year, they should be reduced by 10%, and next year — by another 15%. Thus, we will solve the task of reducing officials by 25% in 2021. At the expense of the saved funds, the wages of the remaining employees will be increased," the head of the Republic continued, adding that the country is in urgent need of new personnel — professional, with fresh views and initiatives.
In his message, Tokayev once again returned to the topic of coronavirus. According to him, during the quarantine, the sluggishness of the legal system created a "narrow neck" effect, since the coronavirus stress test showed that the activities of the Executive branch are excessively regulated by law. "We demand from Ministers and mayors, but their powers are limited by detailed norms of laws and regulations. This slows down the work of not only the state apparatus, but also loads the Parliament. In a rapidly changing world, slow decision — making becomes a threat to national security," the President said.
New economic course
The next Chapter of the address is economic development in the new realities. The President of Kazakhstan stated that "the long oil super cycle seems to have ended", so Kazakhstanis should be prepared for a completely new situation on the world market.
The President outlined seven main principles on which the new economic course should be based. Among them are the fair distribution of benefits and responsibilities, the leading role of private entrepreneurship in fair competition, investment in the education of a new type of person, and responsibility to society for decisions made by the state.
Serious attention is paid to small and medium-sized businesses. The head of state stressed that any illegal interference of state structures in business activities, hindering the work of businessmen should be perceived as a grave crime against the state.
Education, health, family
The President stressed the importance of providing affordable and high-quality education, strengthening the health system, and expressed concern about the family and demographic situation, security and protection of children's rights.
New paradigm of social policy
Political and economic reforms should ultimately lead to the social well-being of citizens. In General, we need a new paradigm of social policy, the President said. According to him, today there is a blurring of state responsibility and a lack of understanding of citizens ' own rights, since the sphere of social security is regulated by as many as 17 laws and dozens of by-laws. Tokayev instructed the government to start developing the Country's social code. In particular, measures will be taken in the near future to digitalize social payments. "We see what problems people face when assigning pensions and benefits. A pile of papers, walking through the torment. These processes need to be fully digitized. "Data" should run, not people, "Tokayev said, adding that high — quality Internet access for all citizens today is the same basic need as roads and electricity.
In the address, the President also instructed to develop a new concept for the development of local self-government, delegating more powers and responsibilities to local leaders. According to him, due to formalism and lack of efficiency, problems that do not find solutions on the ground, thanks to social networks become known throughout the country, and citizens sometimes turn directly to the head of state for solutions to local problems. "We need to create a single legitimate institution of online petitions for citizens to initiate reforms and proposals. Such a mechanism must be completely protected from any manipulation. The government, in cooperation with civil society, will have to develop a regulatory framework and resolve all technical issues related to this important project," Kassym-Jomart Tokayev instructed.
Concluding his speech, Tokayev stressed that the ultimate success of the reforms depends on each of the Kazakhstanis. Everyone should change and work on themselves. "The challenges of the time make us constantly develop, improve, and become stronger. Each person is a blacksmith of his own happiness, and together we create a happy future for our country.