CENTRAL ASIA

From the editors: Kazhegeldin is just one of them

Attacks to Akezhan Kazhegeldin have become usual, especially recently, in Kazakhstan. THE GLOBE also participated in the campaign, taking a great interest in wrangling with Eurasia site that belongs to the former Prime Minister. We literally overstepped the limits, having forgotten �What the newspaper strives for?�

It seems that we participated in the common choir. We wanted to say an easy thing: in fact, Akezhan Kazhegeldin is similar to present top functionaries (possibly, not all of them!). We were going to say that being the PM he had headed privatization, in the result of which a lot of dubious companies had come to the country.

Of course, he is not the only guilty person! Did many things change since that time? The last very equivocal decision: the introduction of oil export quotes (22 million tons of oil to be kept in reserve in Kazakhstan). Bitter tongues say that taking into consideration the real demand for oil inside the country, that is not over 16 to 18 million tons, the difference of 4 to 6 million tons will be just stolen. Everyone seems interested in this. Do you know, how much is it, at current world oil prices? Obviously, daring do such a thing, the President may obviously lose oil specialists� support. There are rumors that the quote will be banned soon. Thus, corruption has not gone.

Is it good that Kazhegeldin exists? He directly attacks both the President and his subordinates. We tried to show that he widely uses KNB methods in his activity. He is holding a serious campaign in the West. He finances (though almost for sure, he attracts other people�s money) the opposition press (e.g. Eurasia-site). He tries to unite the opposition. He gets involved with a number of shady companies. He seems to have a material compromising Nursultan Nazarbaev. The authorities, in their own turn, have significant materials against him.

Is it good that he is so? We do not have another one. Can another one be?

By the way, as Lev Chorny was dismissed from Trans-World Group, it may happen so that Kazhegeldin lost an important partner. Anyhow, Alexander Mashkevich�s smiling face could prove this in the last week, as he is the major business opponent in Kazakhstan. Simultaneously, the information of the criminal case against the Kazakhstani former Prime Minister in Belgium is being received and declared.

Are they trying to get rid of him?

I am not talking of this. We wanted to say in the newspaper what we said: Akezhan Kazhegeldin is contradictory. He is not a democrat, as the West states. Neither he is a thief and the only guilty man, as the authorities try to present him here.


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