When citizens take responsibility, reality itself changes

Hundreds of villages across the country voluntarily refuse to sell alcohol. This is a conscious choice of ordinary people. For the sake of order, health and the future of their children.

For example, in one of the villages of the Mangystau district of the region of the same name, residents voluntarily refused to sell alcohol, recently posting a video about it on social networks.

There are already similar examples in Akmola, Zhambyl, Karagandy, Atyrau and other regions.

Yes, this may seem like a drop in the ocean, given the total number of villages in the country. But something else is important: the dynamics are positive. There are more and more such settlements. People value trust, stability and peace more and inspire each other by personal example.

The initiative came from elders and public councils with the support of the prosecutor's office, police and local akimats, which ensured coordination, prevention and security.

Rural entrepreneurs deserve special gratitude. Hearing the voice of their fellow countrymen, they voluntarily removed alcohol from the shelves. Despite doubts, their income did not fall. Residents of the villages began to buy more healthy products for children instead of alcohol.

The results speak for themselves:

• in a number of villages, crime has been reduced to zero,

• domestic conflicts have disappeared,

• young people are increasingly choosing sports and awareness.

This is the living implementation of the principle of "Law and Order" — when order is built not by fear, but by trust. Not by punishment, but by choice.

As the Head of State noted, "Law and Order is the foundation of a mature democracy and the basis of a state governed by the rule of law."

We will support every initiative where the focus is on concern for the future, public harmony and respect for the law.

For information, according to official statistics, a decrease in the number of criminal offenses committed while intoxicated was recorded over the first 3 months of this year.

 

Berik Asylov, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan