Intensification of the bourgeois dictatorship in Kazakhstan

Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan made an evaluation of the political situation in their country.
 
ICP, 27 June 2018
 
On June 18, the Political Council of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan (SMK) issued an evaluation of the political situation prevailing in their country. The statement puts forward that the ongoing market reforms strengthening the positions of the restored capitalism are accompanied by an intensification of reaction and the curtailment of all democratic rights.
 
The SMK pays attention to a possible imbalance of forces in the region with the emergence of new elements of political instability due to the increased interference by various imperialist centers. Among these elements, the prominent ones are the United States and the EU, the former carrying out a program of cooperation with the five republics of the former Soviet Central Asia for assisting their "democratic reforms" and for the US military access in the Caspian Sea while the latter signs a bilateral agreement with Kazakhstan on economic cooperation in order to provide great privileges for European mining companies. According to the SMK, these developments may lead to a political crisis in the unification of the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) military bloc.
 
As to the developments in Kazakh politics, the SMK states an "intensification of the bourgeois dictatorship" with the constitutional reforms designed to grant full concentration of the power in the hands of the incumbent president. Meanwhile, an active national-populist campaign of decommunization is held, leading to discussions for the introduction of the Latin alphabet in place of the Cyrillic alphabet, to massive changes in public namings for erasing Soviet and Russian names, to physical attacks against the monuments dedicated to Red Army soldiers and to the consolidation of ultra-right nationalists who advocate the banning of the communist ideology. According to the SMK's analysis, this whole campaign is designed to distract people from the anti-popular policies for privatizing the health care system and education, for raising the retirement age, for increasing prices and reducing salaries and benefits. In addition, this campaign also conceives an artificial political support base among the population and especially among the youth.
 
Despite the destruction of all opposition and the former Communist Party of Kazakhstan and despite the liquidation of 600 trade unions since 2014, it is stated that the government is striving for adopting a "multi-party system" by establishing pseudo trade unions and clone political parties for substituting those liquidated by the court. Under difficult conditions, the SMK and members of the liquidated Communist Party are conducting campaigns against the privatization of the health care system and the raise in the retirement age for women, for amending the Labor Code and giving workers the right to strike. The SMK adds their gratitude for the international solidarity which forced the authorities to concessions in liberation of several political prisoners.
 
See the link for full statement in English and Russian.