Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took part in the extraordinary XX Congress of the Nur Otan party, chaired by the First President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Addressing the forum, Tokayev noted that Nur Otan party had become the main political force in the country.Despite the current difficult situation, he emphasised, Kazakhstan will consistently continue to pursue its strategic development goals.
"Kazakhstan has a sufficient margin of safety, first of all, because we have a thorough development plan, which is backed by financial resources. Thanks to support of millions of responsible citizens, we were able to maintain internal political stability, support business and ensure the fulfillment of all social obligations of the state, "the President said.
In times of crisis, he went on to say, unique opportunities open up both for the ruling party, and for the Government, and for the whole society.“To use this historic chance, we need to offer the country a new development paradigm. This will require the efforts of all power branches: the President, the Government and, of course, the legislative branch,” he said, stressing the need to give a new impetus to the systemic modernization formulated by the First President in the Five Institutional Reforms and the Plan of the Nation.
“To this end, we are adopting the electoral program “Path of Change: Decent life for all!” through to 2025. It is a detailed, realistic document. Despite the difficulties in the economy, Nur Otan, together with the Government, plans to mobilize 21 trillion tenge in the next five years to fulfill the Program. The program offers a set of specific measures aimed at social progress of the country and improving the well-being of the people.Kassym-Jomart Tokayev focused on four main priorities in pursuance of this Program.
As the first important task, he singled out the provision of equal opportunities for every citizen to realise his potential.
The President said that over the next five years, more than 3 trillion tenge will be budgeted for the annual indexation of social benefits. The size of the solidarity pension will be indexed annually too, and the increase should be two percent higher than the inflation rate.
He named the formation of a healthy intellectual nation as the second priority in the party's program. To move in this direction, taking into account new global challenges, spending on education, science, health care, culture and sports will be increased.
The third priority named is sustainable development of the economy and the regions. The President said that the world economy is plunging into a long depression. Nevertheless, he believes that the crisis is an opportunity to carry out systemic reforms to build a new economic model.The fourth priority in Nur Otan is an accountable, listening state and responsible citizens.
According to the President, progressive and sustainable development is impossible without interaction between the state and society on the principles of mutual trust and responsibility.
"The efficiency of the party's work will depend on practical solutions that improve the lives of our citizens. Not verbosity and empty promises, but real deeds are the best argument in the struggle for popular trust and political leadership. Therefore, the party will undertake the public administration system modernization. It is a strategic task," the President said.
In the speech, it was noted that the new party program is focused on building a developed civil society and an economically self-sufficient state and the President expressed confidence that the upcoming parliamentary elections will strengthen the unity and wellbeing of society.
Reported by the Kazakhstanskaya Pravda.
