ALMATY, August 16
(THE GLOBE)
According to the initiative of the Minister of Energy, Industry and Trade of Kazakhstan, from October 1 the obligatory marking of products in the state language will be introduced. One authorised expert announced to THE GLOBE that this initiative would result in a significant reduction of import volume to Kazakhstan and an increase of prices. This will negatively influence the revenues to the budget (customs duties are 30%, while profits from sale are about 20%). In the result this will strike the population�s strata having a small income.
Besides, according to the specialist, this will create an additional source of corruption.
At the same time, according to the representative �Phillips Electronics�, this innovation has not done any significant corrections to the plans of the company in Kazakhstan, despite some additional expenses.
Maira Sarybai remarked that the only problem is connected with an insufficient term, due to which a letter with a request to prolong the date of introduction had been sent to the concerned Ministry.
The manager of �Daeko�, an official representative of �Daewoo� in Kazakhstan emphasised that measure had not influenced the company�s policy, though at first the stoppage of products� import for one-two months would be possible.
According to evaluations of an independent analyst, the introduction of the obligatory marking is for the sake of big wholesalers and is supposed to get rid of small ones, as the later do not have enough money to remake the marking. The reduction of the number of mall wholesalers will also influence prices increasing them, as it is easier for a small number of importers to come to an agreement.
THE GLOBE will illuminate the further development of the situation
The attentive reader must have noticed that we were on vacations. As not everyone has been on vacations this year, I am not going to irritate you talking about the beauty of Issyk-Kul, fine weather, mountains and honey� Yes, frankly speaking, I am obviously not talented enough to strike you, but I can make you upset. I will talk about another thing.
Yes, dear Reader, I want to talk about television. When I was in Kyrgyzstan, I twice saw a video film, a non-commercial advertisement. It seems that it was the advertisement of the Development Fund. For us it is not important, whose the advertisement was, but what about. Here the plot is.
A young family (both of them are Russian, it will be meaningful further) are in a car. Unexpectedly, (let the Reader forgive me) she is going to give a birth. They are faraway from a hospital and both are young. By the way, this is happening in the suburbs of Issyk-Kul (if you do not know, this is a great lake, a pearl of Kyrgyzstan). On the shore of the lake they met an old Kyrgyz woman, who helped them. The young father tries to express his gratitude to the old woman, and she replies: �You should not thank me. Thank Issyk-Kul, which gives life.�
This is the plot. We may interpret this as an advertisement of Issyk-Kul, but I would like to attract your attention to another thought (a message to Russians and Kyrgyzs): live together in peace on this land.
It seems that I have seen nothing similar to this in the Kazakh television. No-thing. Instead of this, every day we watch men with characteristic faces with wide cheek-bones, who are loading something for their country in the advertisement of one of the biggest Kazakhstan companies.
I do not think, that Russians in the neighbouring Kyrgyzstan have no problems regarding their future in the country. But the character of the message is obvious to me. This advertisement is well-known in Kyrgyzstan. When recently I began to reproduce its content to a Russian visited Bishkek, he stopped me when I was completing the second sentence. He also watched it.
The will of people initiated the creation of this advertisement is evident to me. And I want to saw a political will behind this creation. But, maybe, this is from the series �It�s good everywhere, except in our place.�
You know, once I lived in Sanct Petersburg. There in the beginning of 1990-s, when different nationalistic organisations such as Pamyat bloomed, I carefully watched Jews. Because I knew: if Jews were pursued, I would be the next. Here in Kazakhstan I attentively watch Russians. Frankly speaking, I do not like what is happening in the republic.
by Nurlan Ablyazov
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