New rearrangements in the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan are caused by a number of systematic factors of further development of the country. First of all, it is caused by the necessity to stabilize the socio-economic situation in the country. Therefore a key emphasis in the work of the new cabinet will be the implementation of new measures aimed to stimulate the growth of the national economy. Apparently, a new course of actions on this area will be developed in the near future.
Given the escalation of religious extremism and terrorism in recent years, the question of safety and effective response is very crucial right now. It is important to remember that there is still a yellow level of terrorist threat in Kazakhstan after the July events in Almaty. In this regard, the rearrangements are aimed to level possible terrorist threats and attacks. Appointment of Karim Masimov, who have proven himself as an efficient leader and crisis manager, on the position of a chairman of NSC will significantly enhance the level of committee’s work in this direction.
It should be noted that the majority of ministers have retained their positions in the new Government, since changes mainly affected the Prime Minister, his deputies, as well as the heads of some departments. This suggests a high confidence in the Cabinet of Ministers and in particular in the state policy that is being implemented.
Special responsibility falls on new structures, in particular, on Nurlan Yermekbayev, who became the head of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Civil Society.
Most probably, the work of the new department will also be aimed at ensuring safety of the country, the preservation and strengthening of stability in the religious sphere of Kazakhstan, creating a favorable and constructive environment for cooperation between the state and religious structures, as well as strengthening relations with civil sector, especially non-government organizations. The work there will be quite difficult, given the specificity of the religious sphere in general and the difficult situation in the world.
This ministry will be given the functions of the Ministry of Culture and Sports in the areas of interaction with religious associations, ensuring the rights of citizens to freedom of religion, as well as the interaction between the state and civil sector. From the Ministry of Education and Science the authority in the sphere of youth policy will be transferred.
It is obvious that due to a structural rearrangement of the Ministry for Civil Service Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan into the Agency for Civil Service Affairs and Anti-Corruption, the work against theft will increase. Especially since the new office will be led by Kairat Kozhamzharov, the previous head of the National Anticorruption Bureau, which, in turn, moved under the authority of the new agency.
It appears that the activities of the new Agency and Ministry of Religious Affairs and Civil society will be as open as possible and aimed to increase the feedback of the population. This is indicated, for example, by the initiative of Kairat Kozhamzharov to create a dialogue platform that will allow to establish an operational link with the public and will be an accessible instrument for interaction. At the same time one of the emphases in the work will be to monitor the provision of public services in the country.
Along with that, changes in the Government continued the gradual introduction of new young staff, specialists with the foreign education and good management experience into the system of state administration. In particular, the head of the Ministry of Justice is Marat Beketayev, who graduated from London School of Economics and Political Science. Among other young ministers with the foreign education – Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kuandyk Bishimbayev.
Earlier, President Nursultan Nazarbayev said that it is time for the new generation of leaders. Therefore, it is obvious that the personnel renewal of the administrative apparatus will gradually continue.
In general, rearrangements in Government launched a new political season in the country, outlining main priorities for the further economic and political development of Kazakhstan in the nearest future.
Alisher Tastenov