Upon the latest announcement of the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, we have arrived at the conclusion that the party led by Azat Peruashev is not only laughable and non-effective but casts a shadow at the Kazakh «double-president» political system as such. Let us explain why we think so.
Commenting on President Kossym-Jimart Tokayev’s statement that the country needs the institute of parliamentary opposition, we have suggested to «revive» the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan and the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan. With that, we underscored that they are but the classic «satellite-parties» that are controlled by Akorda and carry out its political will. Therefore, expressing criticism on the non-topical issues is the most what they are allowed to do today.
Nonetheless, we expressed hope that the situation may be changed quite rapidly if Akorda and the Library:
1) sanction a more harsh, open and hard-hitting criticism of the authorities and individual officials including Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev himself;
2) significantly increase the back-door financing of the parties, primarily through the business that is dependent on the authorities;
3) allow the parties’ media and internet-resources to pursue a more aggressive and, therefore, attractive to the citizens information policy;
4) allow to raise internal political stinks capable of attracting attention of a significant part of the citizens;
5) and perhaps, to a certain extent, renew the parties’ top-management as well as the composition of their parliamentary factions via using the legislative mechanisms.
After the publication, on January 5, 2020, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan published a press-release titled «Ak Zhol Revives Legislation Proposal on Parliamentary Opposition». Sadly, this document serves as an excellent testimony to the fact that the current leadership of this «civic association» is incapable of «reviving» it not to mention turning it into a real political party.
To confirm our observation, let us quote the key passages from this landmark (in our opinion) party document (text in bold by kz. Expert) and then comment on it.
«In order to fulfill the request of President K. Tokayev on institutionalizing the status of parliamentary opposition, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party is developing and will soon introduce the legislation on the parliamentary opposition prepared by the party in 2013 and highly praised by the OSCE».
«During the period of 2013 — 2014, we had been unable to put the legislature draft into practice, however, it remained on the Al Zhol DPK agenda and on the official website of the party.
«We at the DPK are certain that the request of President K. Tokayev on institutionalizing the status of parliamentary opposition has created the legal basis for the practical solution of the problem».
«The DPK’s leader Azat Peruashev who initiated the development of the legislation draft in 2013 is in charge of reviving the document».
«Here is a brief info on the document: the legislature draft introduces the concept of «parliamentary opposition» — the political parties represented in the Parliament that are openly opposed to the parliamentary majority (including legislature voting) and are not represented in the acting government.
The legislature draft suggests determining the rights of parliamentary opposition. Among other things, they include the following:
— nominate the Deputy Head of the Mazhilis and the presidents of the committees from among their own members as well as to give the opposition the post of the President of the Committee for the Monitoring of the Execution of the Central Government Budget;
— initiate parliamentary hearings and investigations related to the instances of corruption, violations of the law, man-induced disasters and other high-profile events;
— introduce alternative legislatures to the governmental laws;
— the guaranteed right for a representative of the parliamentary opposition to speak at parliamentary sessions;
— the right to carry out protests, demonstrations and marches on a notification basis;
— the right to have equal media coverage (including contract with the government for information services) with the party of power and others as well as equal budgetary financing».
«The legislature introduces the guarantees for the opposition deputies to execute their authorities unimpededly and to defend them against the deprivation of parliamentary immunity and mandate only with the approval of their own faction etc.».
«We at the Ak Zhol Democratic Party believe that, if put into practice, this law would ensure the further democratization of the Republic and the people’s control of the power as it is stipulated by «The 100 Concrete Steps» nation’s development plan approved by the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev».
The cited press-release clearly reflects the following:
- first, the quality of this political party that, let us be frank and unequivocal, is at the abysmal level.
- second, the level of its political leader is just as abysmal as well. Apart from that, Azat Peruashev is trying to seek the limelight everywhere he should and should not to,
- third, the clear interest of the party’s leadership and the members of its faction in the Parliament in not so much defending the needs of its members as in increasing their own material welfare and influence.
Why do we think so?
Let us start with the bombastic declarations that the said party is fulfilling the request (!) of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on the initialization of the status of parliamentary opposition and that the parliamentary approval of this legislature will serve as a step in the further democratization of the country and the people’s control of the authorities as stipulated by «The 100 Concrete Steps» nation’s development plan approved by the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The thing is that, if the Ak Zhol DPK has chosen to become an opposition (albeit a pseudo-opposition) party, it cannot use this kind of rhetoric in principle. This rhetoric is quite acceptable and useful for a satellite party but looks self-incriminating and laughable for a civic association that is allegedly planning to oppose the authorities.
As the Odessa Jews say in such cases, you should either take off your baptism cross off or put on your underwear.
The party’s initiatives related to determining the rights of the opposition and capturing them in the legislature look equally silly. The thing is that, today, no one and nothing precludes the deputies of a faction to nominate the Deputy Head of the Mazhilis and the presidents of the committees, initiate parliamentary hearings and investigations related to the instances of corruption and other high-profile events, introduce alternative legislatures against the governmental initiatives. The fact that the representatives of the Ak Zhol DPK never exercise this right is another matter.
But what we find particularly astounding (surprising, shocking — underline as necessary) is the intention to include the right «to carry out protests, demonstrations and marches on a notification basis» into the legislature draft on parliamentary opposition. Could it be that the Ak Zhol DPK is going to do all that within the walls of the Kazakh Parliament — protesting, demonstrating and marching?
As for the demand to provide the parliamentary opposition (in other words, themselves) with the right to have equal media coverage (including the governmental contract for information services) with the party of power and others as well as equal budgetary financing, it can only be characterized as a childish dream and opening one’s mouth too wide in the hope that something can be gained from that.
However, even these benevolent intentions fade in comparison with the desire of the party’s leadership to receive the guarantees for the opposition deputies to «execute their authorities unimpededly» and «to defend them against the deprivation of parliamentary immunity and mandate». One must agree that, if the deputies from the Ak Zhol and the CPPK factions receive such privileges, these parties will have to literally form the digital and live lines from those who want to become their members and then make it to the Parliament. On the other hand, for ruling party Nur Otan, such a stipulation would be much more dangerous. The deputies representing it in the Parliament will die on a massive scale — from envy.
Obviously, the Ak Zhol party’s legislature will be approved by the Kazakh Parliament only after a cardinal revision. But if Akorda and the Library really want for this party to start playing the role of the opposition, they need to preoccupy themselves with the cardinal renewal of its leadership. Especially since the Mazhilis elections and the elections to local executive bodies of all levels are coming.
In its current state, the Ak Zhol DPK led by Mr. Peruashev is not only laughable, useless and non-effective; it also damages the reputation of Kazakhstan’s political system.
