 |
|
KAZAKHSTAN
Independence declared: 19 December 1991
Population: 15 million
Capital: Astana (moved from Almaty in December 1998)
President: Nursultan A. Nazarbayev (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991)
 Country profile
Timeline
|
|
|
|
VIEWPOINTS
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union a lot of bad things have happened to me. The main thing is that I lost my job. The excuse given was that all official documents would now be written in Kazakh. I was ready to learn the language, but as far as the boss was concerned that was irrelevant. Later I found out that one of the head doctor's female relatives had been hired to replace me. Now I sit at home trying to make ends meet. For a long time my husband was out of work. Now he has to do two part-time insecure jobs to try somehow to feed the family.
Svetlana Feifer, 45, former nurse
Nothing much has changed - I've just got older. Five years ago I was unemployed. Then everything got sorted out, and I'm doing the job I was trained for. Were it not for help from my children, things would be harder. A builder's salary now is insufficient to cover expenses and costs. But the thing that is extremely annoying is the lawlessness on the streets and the chaos in state structures. The bureaucrats don't have time for anyone but themselves and lining their own pockets.
Alexander He, 55, builder
The time has arrived for resourceful and active people - like myself, for example. I work mainly on advertising projects, and there is no shortage of orders. I try to satisfy the clients, though these days a lot of people lack taste and manners. I have to make all sorts of moral compromises, but I can't afford to stick to high moral principles. I'm glad that I can feed myself and my son well, send him to a good school, have computers and not stint on leisure activities and trips. Before we had none of that. But we try not to be out on the streets after 10pm - there's crime everywhere.
Yelena Sakenova, 32, television producer
|
|
|
|
|
|
