Democracy in Kazakhstan should develop taking into account the traditions and characteristics of the local people, like it used to develop in other Asian countries, the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, said during the Youth Forum.
"Lee Kuan Yew (the founder of Singapore) was criticized for autocracy and absence of democracy in the country. He insisted that Asian society has its own peculiarities, values, traditions and culture. On our path to democracy, we must take into account these moments. It will only work that way," RIA Novosti cited him.
The president also cited the example of Japan, where democratic values are based on the centuries-old traditions of this society. "The eastern Asian countries have built their democracy on the writings of Confucius. Many successful countries are absolute monarchies, for example the Arab countries. Their economy is booming and citizens are living happily," Nazarbayev concluded.
The editor-in-chief of Mir Yevrazii magazine, Eduard Poletayev, noted that "the national policy in Kazakhstan is conducted taking into account the realities of a multi-ethnic state." "The needs of different ethnic groups, of which there are more than 130 in the country, were taken into account in the political, economic and social spheres of life. So we can't say that the political or economic life of the nations and other ethnic groups was limited," he said.
A political analyst Pyotr Svoik agreed that the current political system of Kazakhstan is consistent with the national traditions of this country, noting that the state uses modern management techniques in addition to traditional one.
"Nazarbayev in his election program formulated constitutional reform with gradual transfer of powers from the president to parliament. This is evidence of plans to strengthen Kazakh parties and its transformation into a truly political support of parliamentarism. The country needs it," Peter Svoik concluded.
