From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Mon May 01 2000 - 11:32:10 EDT
Kazakh head warns against breach of media law
Excerpts from report by Kazakh Khabar TV on 29th April
[Follows report on Nazarbayev's visit today to the Abay Opera and Ballet
Theatre in Almaty]
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev made an important announcement about
the role of the mass media in formation of a democratic state. Nursultan
Nazarbayev explained that he did not criticize the mass media at his recent
meeting [19th April], but voiced his wishes. He said that the policy of
freedom of speech in the country would remain unchanged.
[Nazarbayev, in street with some unidentified officials] I am very simply
very concerned that on the way towards freedom, on the real way towards
freedom of speech, we should not overturn our cart of our country, our
state on the steep turns and bends. You [journalists] are allowed to do
anything, to criticize, voice your own opinions, speak on someone's behalf,
it is good to have different opinions.
But it is not allowed to breach the legislation on mass media and the
country's constitution. If these points are violated, the law enforcement
bodies must take tough measures.
In all other things, there will be no sliding back, nor will there be any
clampdown or u-turns in politics. Let us work together and the mass media
will be freer and freer. The state media outlets will be privatized,
however, in the process we need to understand the essence of this freedom
and democracy which we all of us need to defend.
Just look, democracy could bring the fascist [Joerg] Haider to power in
enlightened Austria. It is the democracy which brought Hitler to power in
his time in 1931, he was elected in a very democratic way. But we, a young
state which has no [democratic] traditions, must be very cautious. I am
responsible before the nation for this.
Source: Khabar TV, Almaty, in Russian 1400 gmt 29 Apr 00
BBC Mon CAU 290400/** VA/QU
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