Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliev commented on the proposal by Mazhilis member Lukbek Tumashinov to return to daylight saving and standard time.
According to Informburo.kz, during a session of the Mazhilis, the deputy said he receives many questions from residents of the East Kazakhstan Region regarding the single time zone.
“We listened carefully to your response (to the petition). It caused public outrage, and you know the reason yourself. I want to suggest a solution to this issue – in the past, we had summer and winter time. We need to adapt somehow. Why are we provoking people’s anger? Will this bring honour to the government and deputies tomorrow?” – the Mazhilis member asked.
In turn, the minister replied that decisions affecting health are only made after scientific research. At the same time, he stated that the deputy’s proposal deserves attention.
“Such a practice existed. The deputy’s proposal deserves attention and could be considered. But at the same time, I will emphasise that following the petition, the commission decided – in order to determine the effects and formalise them systematically into a scientific conclusion, time is needed,” – said the head of the ministry.
It is noted that the authorities will only be able to consider options for changing the time after research, which could take 3 years.