CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VI (1) Contemporary-Eurasia-VI-1-engl | Page 116

CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VI (1)
television was broadcasted in Kazakh 31 .According to Article 10 of the
Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan ‘On television and radio
broadcasting,’ the weekly broadcasting time in Kazakh cannot be less
than taken all languages together 32 .
The policies of Nazarbayev regime to make the indigenous
language as the state language have also symbolic power aiming to
create a sense of domination. Kazakhs' intentions to prioritize the role
of their language in the multiethnic country seem to be a tendency to
attain official and exclusive status for their ethnicity. Although the
constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan defines that Kazakh and
Russian shall be used on equal grounds, the mastering of Kazakh is
becoming obligatory for non-Kazakh speaking people. Every citizen
of Kazakhstan who wants to work in high official positions should
learn Kazakh because since 1992 a program has been initiated by the
Kazakhstani government to translate all official documentation into
the state language 33 .
The mastering of Kazakh language is also a pledge for a good
career in Kazakhstan. The Article 41.2 of the state constitution defines
that “A citizen of the Republic shall be eligible for the of face of the
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan if he is by birth not younger
than forty and has a perfect command of the state language” 34 , and
accordingly the Article 58. 1 of the same constitution states that “The
31
In Kazakhstan, 10% of TV broadcasting is conducted in Kazakh, Electronic
Publication, (В Казахстане 10% телевещания ведется на казахском языке,
Сетевое издание, (In Russian), https://www.zakon.kz/201358-v-kazakhstane-10-
televeshhanija.html
32
Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on January 18, 2012 No. 545-IV on
broadcasting with amendments and supplements as of 01.01.2017, (Закон Pеспуб-
лики казахстан от 18 января 2012 года № 545-IV о телерадиовещании, с из-
менениями и дополнениями по состоянию на 01.01.2017 г.), (in Russian),
https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=31114820#pos=232;-108
33
The efforts to promote official documents in Kazakh are encouraged by some
state sponsored programs like “Conception of Broadening the Sphere of Use of
Kazakh Language 2006”, “The State program for the development and
functioning of languages in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2011-2020” adopted
by the Decree of the President of Republic of Kazakhstan No. 110 dated June 29,
2011 etc.
34
Section III, Article 41, point 2, Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan,
adopted
by
referendum
August
30,
1995,
http://www.akorda.kz/en/category/konstituciya
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