Kazakhstan Officials and Business Leaders Discuss Single Time Zone

Kazakhstan's transition to a single time zone has encountered opposition from parliament and the business community. Majilis Speaker Yerlan Koshanov conveyed these concerns directly to the President, reports Orda.kz.

During a roundtable discussion, Majilis deputy Lukbek Tumashinov revealed that Koshanov had supported their opposition and approached the President:

I raised this issue several times with Speaker Koshanov. He fully supports us and even approached the President. Although this wasn't supposed to be discussed, he still went to the President, and it was after this that the discussion process finally moved forward, Tumashinov noted.

Meanwhile, The Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs disclosed they had warned the government about significant risks as early as December 2023.

It was immediately clear there were serious risks, and we saw no positive aspects. We were given only 10 days for review, and though we urgently distributed materials nationwide, many didn't even have time to examine them, said Zhazira Shuikebayeva, Director of Atameken's Technical Regulation Department.

The change particularly affects businesses in agriculture, construction, oil and gas, and trade sectors, where operations depend on optimal daylight usage.

Despite formally submitting their opposition to the Ministry of Trade, Atameken's concerns were dismissed: 

All they wrote was that changes wouldn't affect western regions. But this wasn't just about them! They also claimed this decision would positively impact business and the population, but provided no supporting arguments. Our opinion was simply ignored, and we were excluded from further discussions, Shuikebayeva stated.

Tumashinov argued for at least two or three time zones, citing Kazakhstan's vast territory:

Our borders are vast. How many zones should we have? Four? Maybe not. But at least three or two - not one! This must be enshrined in law to prevent one government from making a decision only to have another overturn it. Government changes, but it's the people who suffer. This is chaos!

The deputy also spoke about the government's prioritization of this issue over economic concerns:

Today, a third of the population lacks even basic necessities. Let the government focus on the economy! People's health should be the priority, then everything else. People hope for change, but if we keep postponing, nothing will change. Will this government even be around in 2-3 years? Nobody knows. But if it continues working this way, it shows they don't know how to manage the economy.

In December, the Ministry of Science announced funding for a study on the single time zone's impact on residents following the rejection of the "Turn Back Time" petition.

Critics argue that a prolonged study would only exacerbate the situation, while the business community's attempts to seek support from other state bodies have yielded no response.

Original Author: Artyom Volkov, Second article