Kazakhstan

[KZ] New Governmental Body to Monitor Mass Media

IRIS 1998-1:1/18

Andrei Richter

Comenius University (Bratislava)

On 31 October 1997 the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted a decree concerning the creation of the Ministry of Information and Public Accord, as well as the Statute of this Ministry. The Ministry replaced the National Agency on the Press and Mass Media Issues.

The new Ministry consists of five departments: Mass Media, Domestic Policy, Development of Languages, State Publishing Programmes and Domestic Administration. In the oblasts (regions) of Kazakhstan administrative agencies of Information and Public Accord are created, its directors will be appointed by the Minister with the agreement of the regional Governor (akim).

According to the decree of the Government, the Ministry is the "central executive body that is responsible for the formation of the united informational space in Kazakhstan and conducts State policy in the sphere of mass information and the press, national, youth, confessional, and language policies in accordance with the law". The Ministry and its regional administrative agencies become founders (in the sense of the Kazakh law "On the Press and Other Mass Media" of 28 June 1991, similar to the 1990 USSR law of the same name) of newspapers, magazines, television and radio companies, news agencies, and other mass media that are financed from the national budget.

The top priorities of the Ministry are the strengthening of internal stability; the formation of Kazakhstan patriotism and identity; provision of the informational security of the State; formation of publishing programmes intended to provide psychological and moral support to the economic and political reforms; increase of the quality and professionalism of the mass media; and analysis of compliance to the media-related laws.

The Ministry will do that, among other means, by registering mass media organisations, assisting in copyright protection, taking part in the drafting of Bills related to the mass media, placing governmental production orders with the publishers and media organisations.

The Ministry will probably take part in fulfilling the decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Formation of the United Informational Space in the Republic of Kazakhstan" adopted on 9 December 1997.