NAZARBAYEV INDIGNANT AT LACK OF KAZAKH CITIZENS WORKING AS TOP MANAGERS OF FOREIGN COMPANIES OPERATING IN THE REPUBLIC

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev finds it very strange that no Kazakh citizens are working as top managers in the foreign oil companies operating in Kazakhstan.

“Lately, I have been greatly concerned about the following fact: we, so to speak, have “flushed out” Kazakhstani engineers, professional oil worker, from nearly the whole industry,” he told Friday 22 the Cabinet which discussed the social and economic development of the republic in 2009.

“No matter how hard we try, we will only find today no more than two-three specialists working at top management level.

Instead, the companies abound in economists and financiers, who came from God knows where!” Nursultan Nazarbayev remarked.

“There is not a single Kazakh citizen working as top manager in either of the large foreign oil companies operating in Kazakhstan!” the president continued.

“We should this be happening? Why, while working here in Kazakhstan, do they (foreign companies - Interfax-Kazakhstan) not train and bring up managers from the local people? You have to deal with it,” the president told all the Cabinet.

Nursultan Nazarbayev also commented on the problem of young specialists. “Supporting young specialists is also my priority, that is what we have been doing. However, we might have been too ardent when replacing the managers in our ministries with young specialists and now the ministers look like kindergartens,” the president said.

“Today the high positions in the governmental agencies are often occupied by kids who even do not know why they are there,” the president complained.

“I told long ago to get it right in KazMunayGas (the national oil and gas company - Interfax-Kazakhstan): the kids who work there even do not know what they are there for, being a source of irritation and laughter for the experienced engineers who work under them,” Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

“Of course, I do not mean to say that everybody is like that. 15-20% of the young specialists perform very well and are knowledgeable. Unfortunately, the only thing all the others can do is to show off, talk about what clan they belong to and try to find a cozier place,” the president said.

“Strange enough, but such young people are getting support in the ministries and agencies,” Nursultan Nazarbayev summed up.

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