Daniyar Ashimbayev thinks that the murder committed by the ex-Minister only proves the flawed nature of the state’s elites-breeding farm

At the age of 20 he was a typical Gilded Youth, a Vice-Minister at 26, Sector Head in the Office of the President at 27, CEO of a State Holding at 28, President’s Assistant at 29 and Minister at 36.

At the age of 36 he was arrested and put in jail for bribery.

At the age of 43, he was arrested for battering his wife to death.

Probably, they told him, when he was a child, that bribery is not good and beating girls is bad.

But then something went wrong. Why?

Pedagogic Example

First of all, that is the atmosphere of impunity that rules in our society, in general, and in ruling elites, in particular.  Our statehood keeps breeding up members of the cast pf untouchables, but not like in India, but something contrary – people who are allowed to exist outside the law, or above law.

That is the most important pedagogic example, that our ruling regime demonstrates to elites, business and people, becoming a tradition and a behavioral stereotype.  Bishimbayev is of course no longer an untouchable, but that is because he did all it took to achieve that.

Secondly, there have been numerous discussions about how new assets come to power.  In the old Soviet times, those assets were elevated from the community of economic managers and Communist Party functionaries.  Those people were the ones, who would work their levels up from the ground.  They were experienced industry workers and good organizers.

Ineffective Recruitment Process

In early 90-s of the 20^th century, the ruling regime would actively recruit people from middle class.  Later, came the turn of people from “gilded incubators”.  After those two, came bankers and businessmen.

Later, the ruling regime began to recruit graduates from various state programs, winners of HR contests and others of the kind.  Once in a while, they would recruit, and still do so, ambitious youth.

But there always were the informal channels of selection and promotion based on principles of nepotism, tribalism, family connections and clan affiliation.

Of course, even those “informal candidacies”, there are some good managers, but the final picture is such, that we acquire the one and only possible effect. 

Youngsters, who telegraphically made it into high offices, did not manage or could not mature into integral persons and qualified specialists.