Got a question for Kazakhstan's Defense Minister Adilbek Zhaksybekov? Well, ask him on his website -- and he just might answer.
Defense ministries in Central Asia are not known for their open, transparent operations -- in fact, as far as I can tell, Kazakhstan is the only one of the five Central Asian republics to even have a website for its ministry of defense. Yet Kazakhstan goes a step further, and opens it up for anyone to ask the defense minister a question. The website was set up in January 2010, and according to the statistics published on the site, an average of 56 questions per month have been asked, and 43 of those are published.
Most are from soldiers or their families, and have to do with daily life issues for members of the army, like pay, pensions, education and especially housing. And Zhaksybekov acknowledges that housing is a problem. To one 58-year-old who is due to retire from the military but can't get the apartment he's been promised, Zhaksybekov replies (translation by Google):
Your appeal on the issue of housing, considered.
Despite the measures taken to provide housing for members of the Armed Forces, housing remains one of the most important.
Currently, the order of Minister of Defence of the Republic of Kazakhstan established housing commissions Akmolinskiy army and admission shelter, your question will be discussed at a meeting of the above housing commission.
Often, real accountability seems lacking. One person complains that soldiers are paid so badly they "have to beg for bread by the 20th of every month." Zhaksybekov responds, as he does in many such cases, legalistically:
Standards of food rations approved by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 23 December 2005 № 1281 "On approval of rules of food supplies, equipment, and dining kitchen utensils of the Armed Forces, other troops and military formations of the Republic of Kazakhstan on peacetime".
Conscripts of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan feed Standards rations developed by the Kazakh Academy of Nutrition, and today the number and range of products in the rations are the most advanced of its kind rations of the Armed Forces of the CIS countries. Our rations for energy, food and biological value are guaranteed to meet the increased demand of the body of troops in the essential components of food, which is the guarantor of the preservation of health, high availability and readiness. Meals prepared by the military canteens in the form of hot meals three times a day, either in the form of dry rations or food, travel money (diet depends on the established schedule, the intensity of training, working conditions and the tasks).
He concludes:
The Ministry of Defense does not have information that conscripts are begging.
One mother complains that her son, a conscript, is being bullied by the professional soldiers in his unit. Zhaksybekov replies that he investigated the unit involved and found out that, no, there was in fact no bullying:
Violations of regulations governing relations between the military, as well as against military conscription 2-2010 in military unit 19981 - was not revealed.
Another person complains that his neighbors' son has broken a window in their house and that the parents, who are both in the military, refuse to make it good. Zhaksybekov says he checked and the local police say that the windows are not broken, and anyway, it wouldn't be the ministry's responsibility if they were.
Still, while follow-through may be lacking, we have to acknowledge that this is still pretty impressive. I don't know how many other militaries provide a public space like this to complain about whatever they want. I'm pretty sure the U.S. Department of Defense doesn't, for example.
Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.
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