Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has criticized lawmakers who have referred to Kazakhstan as “Penaltystan,” or “Aiyppulstan” in Kazakh, over what critics describe as the state’s excessive reliance on fines and administrative penalties.
Speaking at a meeting on the development of Alatau City, Kazakhstan’s planned smart city near Almaty, Tokayev argued that maintaining public order and security is essential at a time of growing international instability and military conflicts around the world.
“In today’s turbulent environment, amid military conflicts around the world, peace and stability are vital for our country,” Tokayev said. “Without them, there can be no reforms or positive changes. Therefore, law-enforcement agencies must apply strict measures and penalties for violations.”
The president then took aim at critics of the government’s law-and-order policies.
“Some individuals who dislike and hold our country in contempt, and unfortunately there are members of parliament among them, call our legal measures ‘Penaltystan’ or ‘Aiyppulstan,’” Tokayev said. “Let them continue to demonstrate the limitations of their judgment. Our people need public order and security. We will not deviate from this path and will continue to pursue the policy of ‘Law and Order’ with determination. This is what our citizens demand.”
The term “Penaltystan” is widely associated with Azat Peruashev, a member of the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, and leader of the Ak Zhol faction.
Peruashev used the phrase in 2024 during debates over amendments to Kazakhstan’s Administrative Offenses Code. At the time, he criticized what he described as disproportionately high penalties imposed on businesses for relatively minor violations.
“I am ashamed of you, gentlemen officials,” Peruashev said at the time. “Leave your comfortable offices at least once and put yourselves in the position of an entrepreneur or even a consumer. You are building some kind of ‘Penaltystan.’ The Ak Zhol faction wants to build a normal and balanced market economy.”
Earlier this year, Peruashev acknowledged that he had used an unfortunate term. Following Tokayev’s remarks, he again distanced himself from the expression, saying his characterization had been incorrect.
The exchange comes during a period of political change in Kazakhstan. As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, voters approved constitutional reforms in March that will replace the current bicameral parliament with a single-chamber Kurultai. Elections to the new body are scheduled for August.
Tokayev’s comments underline a continuing debate in Kazakhstan over law-and-order enforcement, and whether heavy administrative penalties place an undue burden on citizens and entrepreneurs.
