Not so long ago, blogger and politician Sanzhar Bokayev shared the results of his community work on social media – improving the living conditions of one Almaty residential complex, which were supposedly achieved thanks to his publicity.
As it later turned out, Bokayev periodically deals with "problematic" residential complexes, but oddly enough, the blogger's criticism often targets elite apartment buildings from two construction companies, RAMS and QazaqStroy.
The choice of targets raised several questions for the editorial board of FBRK, because we are talking about commercial real estate – the kind that people consciously purchase for large sums of money, having familiarised themselves with all the infrastructure and the developer's reputation. As such, there is a high probability of resolving any subsequent problems and faults through legal proceedings.
But there is another category of citizens in Kazakhstan who have no choice. State employees, large families, and low-income families – those to whom the state provides social housing – have more serious problems, yet achieving any justice for their living conditions is much more difficult.
Kazakhstanis often complain about the quality of social housing, i.e., classes three and four. But, apparently, it is not in the interest of such "people's bloggers" to take on obviously hopeless cases. Perhaps if the same Sanzhar Bokayev were to raise complaints about state housing and solve the problems of state employees, ordinary people would believe in the power of community activists.
Furthermore, attention is drawn to the fact that, at least in Almaty, there are plenty of unscrupulous developers, but Bokayev somehow focuses specifically on housing built by RAMS and QazaqStroy, which also raises certain suspicions.
It is no secret to anyone that it is not the state, but private organisations, that invest in elite housing. It is convenient to be a lawyer for the rich while promoting yourself as a public figure. However, such campaigns look more like a commission than a desire to achieve justice.
Let us also note that the editorial board of FBRK does not devalue the problems of residents in expensive residential complexes and understands that they also need protection from public figures; however, there are still more vulnerable segments of the population.
WHO IS BEHIND THE NETUTILSBORU MOVEMENT
Despite all our arguments, Bokayev's supporters began actively criticising our editorial board's work, defending him. However, it is a big mistake to think that Sanzhar Bokayev has really decided to become a so-called public and political Robin Hood. Behind all his actions stands a single organisation: the National Chamber "Atameken".
To be convinced of this, it is enough to look at who is in the active core of the "NetUtylsboru" movement and in the initiative group for creating the Namys party. Besides Sanzhar Bokayev, one of the activists of the "NetUtylsboru" movement is the current chairman of the Committee for Small and Medium Businesses of the NCE "Atameken", Berik Zairov.
Berik Zairov is also the head of the Association of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs "Union of Independent Business of Kazakhstan", whose founders include 10 individuals, including LLP "Tsp Avto", LLP "Leto Spare Parts" and entrepreneur Ilya Nurpeisov. Let us dwell on the latter in a bit more detail.
There is information that Ilya Nurpeisov was affiliated with JSC "Oil Company "KOR", whose founders include Chingis Berdygozhin – a member of the Kazakhstan Golf Federation alongside such well-known businessmen as Timur Kulibayev and Akhmetzhan Yesimov. The Berdygozhin family is quite well-known in the oil sector.
Furthermore, the deputy chairman of the "Union of Independent Business", Shyngys Temir, acts as an expert for the "NetUtylsboru" movement. Shyngys Temir worked at the NCE "Atameken" from 2014 and over these years rose from an expert in the department of legal protection for entrepreneurs to the deputy chairman of the board of the National Chamber.
Another participant in the "NetUtylsboru" movement, as well as its founder, is Vladimir Kim, who is a member of the public council of Almaty and a member of the group for creating the Namys party. The administrators of the "NetUtylsboru" group on Facebook include 12 people, among them Vladimir Kim and several employees of his LLP, Temir Shyngys, and an employee of the previously mentioned LLP "Leto Spare Parts" - Kairat Tergauzizov.
The activists of the "NetUtylsboru" movement make loud statements that have no legal basis, thereby misleading ordinary participants and sympathisers.
For example, in December 2021, activists of the "NetUtylsboru" movement stated that if radical measures for a full audit of the recycling fee system were not taken within a month, they planned to hold a national referendum. However, according to current legislation, the right to call a referendum belongs to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 2022, Sanzhar Bokayev announced the creation of the digital Namys party based on the "NetUtylsboru" movement. The initiative group for registering the party included activists from the movement. In August, Sanzhar Bokayev, Vladimir Kim and Berik Zairov held a press conference where they stated that registering the party was impossible due to the imperfections of Kazakh legislation.
The situation with the creation of the Namys party is similar to the case when Nurzhan Altayev, who is linked to Abylai Myrzakhmetov, tried to register the "El Tiregi" party based on the existing SME Association under the NCE "Atameken". In both the first and second cases, the organisations initially had no relation to political events, but both ultimately became political forces linked to the National Chamber.
In both situations, the NCE "Atameken" officially did not comment on the activities of its members who became opposition to the current government and expressed opinions discrediting it. There are assumptions that the organisations of Bokayev and Altayev operate under the protection of the NCE "Atameken", primarily addressing its political objectives.
The acute issue of the recycling fee, with the right presentation and appropriate information campaigns, consolidates a large number of people around one or several leaders. Thus, at the right time, a civil movement turns into a political force that is directed towards the side desired by the clients of this process.
And now, instead of calls to reduce the recycling fee, we hear statements about incorrect electoral legislation, about violations of candidates' rights, about a lawsuit against the president, the Majilis and the Senate.
Also, one should not forget the work biography of Sanzhar Bokayev himself. He previously worked in the team of Akhmetzhan Yesimov, after which he moved under the wing of the unofficial son-in-law of Elbasy, Kairat Sharipbayev, and according to some data, was also a freelance advisor to Dariga Nazarbayeva.
The "NetUtylsboru" movement appeared when it became obvious: a country cannot have two presidents – an elected one and a "shadow" one. At the moment, the main goal of this movement (discrediting the current government) may not yet be achieved, but it is clearly close to it.
Whether to trust Sanzhar Bokayev or not is everyone's choice. Even though the recycling fee is no longer his main area of "protest", he has created a certain image for himself. But it is important to understand that this image is a mask, and we will still see the true "face" of this so-called opposition. And we will clearly not like it.