Almaty- In Kazakhstan there is a debate about whether it was necessary to increase the salaries of members of Parliament. The population is outraged. The government and the Parliament do not understand the grievances of the citizens.
It all started a week ago, when the unknown “well-wisher” said several leading journals of Kazakhstan the new salaries of deputies of the Parliament of the country. From his information showed that from March 1 of the current year the salaries of members of the Deputy corps according to seniority and belonging to a particular parliamentary Committee has been increased by 30, and in some cases by 50 percent.
The source of Kazakhstan’s media stressed that, as in Soviet times, the salary of each people’s choice is divided into obtained in the beginning of the month advance and issued at the end of each month direct salary. Officially, the question on increase of salaries of deputies of the Parliament all refer to a government decree of 2013, which was approved by the President. Show this decision no one wants, citing his “privacy”.
Deputy salary
Before to publish this information, the Kazakh journalists decided to ask the deputies of the Parliament of the country the level of their salaries. Although none of the parliamentarians did not deny the report of an anonymous source, to call your earnings from them solved only one.
It turned out that, for example, recently became the Deputy of the lower house of Parliament from the presidential party “Nur Otan” known Kazakhstani boxer Serik Sapiyev in March 2017 initially received 180 thousand tenge (around 550 euros), and in the end of the month 370 thousand tenge (a little over 1 thousand 120 euros).
According to the member of the Majilis Committee for legislation and judicial-legal reform of Imageway Snezhana, her salary for March, a total of 680 thousand tenge (2060€), whereas on the assurances of the leader of the parliamentary faction of the party “AK Zhol” Azat Peruashev in the last month he accrued only 460 thousand tenge, or almost 1 394 thousand euros.
The population is outraged
Despite the fact that MPs seem to be some cunning trick, because according to the published declarations of income, like salaries of elected officials had in 2010-2011 (when one Euro was worth 210 tenge instead of the current 330 tenge), information about their salaries caused by the ordinary citizens of Kazakhstan a storm of discontent which does not stop until now.
“I can’t decide if these loafers mahaputra?! At least 200 thousand tenge will try to live here then see who of them will stay in their seats”, — noted in conversation with the correspondent of DW photographer Oleg Spivak.
If you have a good contract, work on the construction site can earn up to 150 thousand tenge per month
Echoes and art Director from Karaganda Anna Nevskaya. She said in an interview with DW that I am outraged by the current level of remuneration of the Kazakh Parliament members: “every month our government allocates huge sums for the maintenance and salaries of deputies, meanwhile, their level of difficulty, and sometimes professionalism, does not match their salaries”.
According to Neva, “their salaries correspond to only groundless their growing appetites.” “How else to explain the miserable living standards of socially vulnerable segments of the population, low salaries of teachers and doctors?! Indeed, in comparison with them the salaries of the deputies seem obscenely high! So who in Kazakhstan live well — the people or elected representatives?”, — asked a rhetorical question Anna Nevskaya.
The ultimate dream for Kazakhstan
It should be noted that according to Kazakh standards teachers and doctors are not the lowest salaries in the country. For example, a teacher of the highest category in a secondary school in the presence of two rates and classroom management has a month to 160 thousand tenge, equivalent to about 485 euros. A few more monthly salaries of doctor in the municipal clinic, which is in the range of about 200 thousand tenge or 606 euros.
About the same get a month, public transport drivers, skilled workers in large enterprises, as well as journalists of leading local media.
Where is more pitiable are the salaries of the army of janitors, cleaners, cashiers in supermarkets and nurses. Because the limit of their dreams is getting 65 thousand tenge per month or 196 euros, many of them are forced to limit yourself to buy, such as beef prices, which, depending on the regions of Kazakhstan range from 1 100 to 2 thousand tenge per kilogram.
Three layer’s “pie of discontent”
Meanwhile, social activist from Atyrau zhassulan Kozakov believes that the negative reaction of ordinary citizens of Kazakhstan to information about the monthly salaries of members of Parliament is not only a multiple difference of their salaries with the incomes of the main mass of the population. In his comments to DW, he noted that in this case we can speak of a “layered cake” of discontent Kazakhs significant work of the Parliament as a whole.
“There are several reasons. First and foremost, is the accumulated weariness on the part of the quality of the electoral system that emerged in connection with the development of communications. Numerous identified and made public in social networks disorders in the last parliamentary elections in 2016, even more strengthened the confidence of Kazakhstanis in the fact that the state machine leads to them cheating. And since the identity and activities of Nursultan Nazarbayev we are beyond criticism, the government and MPs have become a convenient object of ridicule and reproach,” said zhassulan Kuzekov.
The second “layer cake” of discontent, according to a public figure, is the quality of work of the Parliament, which has adopted a number of unpopular laws.
“This scandalous decision on registration of citizens in the internal migration. And the tightening of administrative penalties to unprecedented in post-Soviet countries in conditions of considerable fall of the standard of living of the majority of Kazakhs in the context of frozen wages, to prevent inflation after the government held in August 2015 massive devaluation of the tenge. Here and wait of a DePuy corps in the resolution of key problems, for example, in the question of the admissibility of foreigners owning private property in Kazakhstan”, — says Zhasulan of Kuzekov.
Finally, the “third layer” dismantle “the pie of discontent” according to social activist, was the fact that the decision on substantial increase of salaries of members of Parliament was made, while discussions on the reduction of material aid to mothers of large families.
Minister: people just do not understand
As for the members of the Deputy corps, they do not quite understand the current outrage of people about the growth of their salaries. In particular, according to Vice-speaker of the Majilis of Kazakhstan Vladimir Bozhko, the decision to raise the Deputy’s salary was made 4 years ago.
“We are the last, who was promoted from political servants. As they increased the salaries in the ministries and departments, it has been four years, four years only to us,” said Bozhko, stressing that the post of Minister of emergency situations he was getting 500 thousand tenge, in foreign currency equivalent received higher wages.
Justified salary increases to MPs, as political servants, have called on the state TV channel “Khabar” and the Minister of information and communication of Kazakhstan Dauren Abayev. In his opinion, many do not understand the complexity of the work of the deputies, seeing only the tip of the iceberg.
“They see on TV only plenary sessions, but don’t see that work being carried out by MPs — it is enormous. It is in the working committees, various commissions constant discussion, quite heated discussions. And pass the Committee, then pass the Majilis, passed the Senate — for any government official, including the Minister, is a serious challenge,” — said the Minister, citing “world practice” of higher wages for those who are responsible for the fate of their country.
