Internet in Kazakhstan: Develop and Regulate
According to the CIA World Factbook, there are only 400.000 Internet users and 20.327 Internet hosts in Kazakhstan (2005 data). For comparison - Kazakhstan has a little over 15 million people, Belarus - a little over 10 million, 1.6 million of which are Internet users. Surely, it is still more than in other Central Asian countries. This, and one more thing that Kazakh Internet users can boast about is the increasing attention of the Government to their habitat.
Shortly after the SCO meeting, Yertysbayev promised to develop the new policy on regulation of the Internet media in Kazakhstan (see China, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan for regional examples). Indeed, the information security was one of the issues on the agenda of the SCO meeting, where it was decided to establish the expert groups in the member-states to figure out how to solve the common problem of increasing insecurity related to development of information technology, that can be used for “criminal, terrorist, military or political purposes that run counter to the maintenance of international security.” Well, Internet did prove to be a powerful instrument promoting regional cooperation in the end.
Before the new policy is developed, article 318, para.2 of Kazakh Penal Code on insulting the honor and dignity of the President in mass media is being invoked against some online journalists. Thus, Kazis Toguzbaev, has a case pending against him for writing an article named “Mafia Regime Covers the Murderers of Altynbek Sarsenbayev” on www.kub.kz. Funny enough, it says that the IP address is registered in Hong Kong. While going through the trial, Toguzbaev writes about his meetings with the investigator, where he tries to persuade him that KUB is a blog, not a media site, thus, para.2 is not applicable (in Russian).
The good news is that the “huge potential for human development” is also being recognised. E-Government, working well in Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and the US, is being created in Kazakhstan too. The trilingual website at www.e.gov.kz offers information categorised in life and business cycles. The life cycle includes childhood, education, youth, family, work and old age, and business cycle - planning, starting and liquidation. You can find information on the state organs, citizenry (which includes some of the life cycle), business (business cycle, respectively) and information for foreigners. Tons of information about programs, laws and regulations, for instance, if you plan to enter the University in Kazakhstan, read about applying, paying, possibly getting a state grant, and maybe a presidential scholarship Bolashak to study in, let’s say, Harvard. You can even call the Ministry of Environmental Protection to question about the recent spill of waste in the Caspian Sea, or email the Ministry of Justice, to inquire about the period of issuing of the new passport. Well, it might be a good idea not having to meet the officials but handle everything online, says blogger Alexander E. Lyakhov, who also works for Kazkommertsbank. However, he says, any official knows that he loses money with this e-government (no opportunity to be rewarded), so the idea is being opposed to at all levels.
on July 18th, 2006 at 7:50 am
I might point out that the website is pretty good, but living here in Kazakhstan, I hadn’t heard anything about it! Marketing would be nice.
on July 18th, 2006 at 11:57 am
to WLB: I agree, few know about it. I wonder how it really works when you do try to call and email them.
on July 18th, 2006 at 4:13 pm
Another post-Soviet state is already way ahead of all others in terms of e-governance. The Estonian government already has decreed that each and every state employee has to have his Email address and regular access to a computer with internet access. You can write to your local police officer, the tax official, your MP, and even the Prime Minister. I remember a tech-savvy Estonian MP filling in his tax declaration online during a presentation - all under the eyes of very jealous UK academics.
WRT Kazakhstan - Another interesting field where the internet is being used is transparency in accounting for national resource windfalls. The National Bank publishes all revenue accrued from oil sales online. Again, few people know about it - but maybe that’s also intentional, who knows… I’ll probably have to wait a long time before I can get my OVIR certificate online…
www.nationalbank.kz
www.nationalfund.kz
on July 20th, 2006 at 1:34 am
Yes, it seems that the site is good only for providing the information and the contact details. You cannot fill in the tax declaration or apply for any documents online - maybe, not just yet.
on July 20th, 2006 at 5:30 pm
CIA sometimes has wrong information. For example according to CIA Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have more internet users than in Kazakhstan, I personally don’t think that is accurate.
on July 21st, 2006 at 12:15 am
True, Uzbekistan has more, so Kazakhstan does not have the biggest amount of users. What other statistics can you use, I’d be happy to get an alternative source of info.
on January 31st, 2008 at 7:32 am
I just found this article, and it is a bit dated… I was wondering how Kazakhstan is doing right now in regards of an internet? Who provides the ISP and how many people use the internet these days in Kazakhstan?