An author's article by State Counselor of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erlan Karin titled "Our Ideology is the Constitution" has been published. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
He paid special attention to the consolidation of the secular nature of the state, emphasizing that the new Basic Law has finally defined this principle at the constitutional level.
As Karin noted, the new Constitution was a response to changes that have taken place in the country and society.
Earlier, during various discussions and interviews, questions were often asked: "What is the ideology of our country?", "What ideology do we adhere to?" Criticism was also often voiced that the state's ideology was not clear enough or was completely absent.
According to him, it cannot be denied that such opinions had certain grounds.
"The 1995 Constitution, written in a post-Soviet style and reflecting the spirit of the transition period, could not become a full-fledged ideological guide. It was adopted at a time when Kazakhstan was just emerging from the Soviet system and was only gaining its Independence. The main historical task then was to create the foundations of statehood. In this sense, the older generation of Constitution developers worthily fulfilled their mission, and this must be especially noted. At the same time, it must be admitted that the national identity, historical roots and own values of Kazakhstan were not sufficiently reflected in that Constitution," Karin noted.
After that, the Basic Law lacked a document that would define the directions of domestic policy in detail and explain the system of state values. As a result, it was impossible to clearly indicate which principles the state considers fundamental and which values it intends to consistently strengthen in society. Therefore, for a long time there was no unambiguous answer to questions about ideology.
"Now the world, the country, and society have changed. Completely new challenges have come to the fore, the social structure of society has changed, world processes have begun to be perceived differently, and new values have formed. That is why an objective need arose to adopt a new Constitution that meets the internal demands of society," Karin emphasized.
"The new Constitution, adopted this year at a national referendum, is the Constitution of Kazakhstan, which has formed a strong statehood, strengthened its international authority, determined its historical roots and looks to the future with confidence. This means that the post-Soviet stage of our history is finally over. The Basic Law is aimed at creating a modern political system, forming an effective state apparatus and protecting national interests," the article says.
According to the State Counselor, it is the Constitution that today is the answer to the question of state values.
"From now on, the questions 'What values do we profess?' and 'What is our ideology?' can be given a clear and confident answer by referring to the Constitution. Because the Constitution is not only a legal document, but also a document reflecting our way of life, our identity and direction of development. In other words, the Basic Law is a code of ideological values," the State Counselor wrote.
Karin emphasizes that the Constitution and state policy recognize and protect ideological and political diversity. However, the values that unite the nation must also be clearly enshrined in the Basic Law. That is why the preamble, main sections and articles of the new Constitution clearly, consistently and systematically enshrine our national essence, social values and fundamental principles of the state.