Kazakhstan is our common home
I had an encounter that I did not expect - a Tajik woman came up to me afterwards and proclaimed she was the only representative of that tribe. Her eyes were watered and she said she envies Kazakhstanis and appreciates the well-weighed forward - looking policy of Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Indeed, cognition comes through comparison. People still remember the time when following the slogan "building communism give priority to one language", panhuman principles were frequently ignored. In 1926 there were 190 nations living in the former Soviet Union; by the time it collapsed they were a little more than 130. The Kazakh language was on the verge of disappearance. As a result a Kazakh grandfather could not explain himself to his grandson and some part of the young generation was ashamed of speaking the mother tongue. Process of Kazakh language revitalization is accompanies by difficulties and it takes time.
What was the price of the so-called "small October" campaign of Goloschekin approved by Stalin's administration? Collectivization and Goloschekin's genocide cost the lives of 1.5 million Kazakhs. 1.3 million Kazakhs were impelled to leave the home land.
It should be noted that due to the wicked will Kazakhstan was the place of deportation of many people. The sympathy of the native population helped many survive and bear the tortures of deportation. Kazakhstan has become the second homeland for many nations. Eugene Bliznyukov, my old friend and coworker who left for Russia in the 1990s wrote me: «...I never thought that it would take that much torment to get used to the new life here. I have become convinced that homeland is the one that raised you..».
Anatoly Chesnokov, first Vice Chair of the Association of Russian, Cossack and Slavic organizations of Kazakhstan says there are more than 4 million Slavic living in Kazakhstan who do no plan on leaving, because a good legislative basis is envisaged for all ethnic groups. This is the result of the targeted state policy on support of ethnic languages and cultures. There are 88 secondary schools in Kazakhstan where subjects are taught in Uzbek, Uighur and Ukrainian languages. In 108 schools the languages of 22 ethnic groups are taught as a subject. 195 specialized linguistic centers have been opened. More than 35 ethnic magazines and newspapers are available. Four largest newspapers of the country are published in 11 languages; there are radio programs led in eight languages and TV programs that are broadcast in seven languages. The Languages Law of Kazakhstan fully answers the requirements of the OSCE Supreme Commissar for national minorities.
Early this year Nursultan Nazarbayev said: "When we proclaimed independence Kazakhs made only 42% of the total population. All the citizens regardless of nationality worked hard to make the country strong. Independence of the country is common victory of all the people of Kazakhstan. By the virtue of history Kazakhstan is a multinational country which is a strong advantage which keeps the country out of national isolation." The role of the Assembly of Kazakhstan People is hard to overestimate in this matter. Creation of the Assembly was a tool to solve many problems of inter-ethnic relations.
The first steps of sovereign Kazakhstan - closing of the Semei testing ground and refusal from nuclear weapons formed a new 'ethic standard' in the global policy. All the foreign political initiatives - integration within the CIS, EurAsEC, CICMA and the Congress of the Leaders of the World and Traditional Religions and many others - made Kazakhstan known as a post-soviet country that has avoided any inter-ethnic disturbances.
The President said that our descendants will live in the country will get out of the shadow. And this day is approaching. The presidency of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2010 is the manifestation of that which is the big achievement of the multinational population of Kazakhstan. This is a high appraisal of internal policy, openness of society, economic strength and development of democracy. Like people's writer, Senator Abish Kekilbayev said at the opening of the Kazakh Yeli monument: «Only an intelligent and close-knit community with smart leaders can do it ».