President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the need to stop using the names of figures from the times of the USSR for the names of objects by the country's authorities, zakon.kz reports . At the second meeting of the National Kurultai, he called for the development of his own list of figures who contributed to the development of the country.
According to him, the biographies of Soviet figures are "purposefully mythologised to please someone's personal interests and preferences." He emphasized that onomastics (a section of linguistics responsible for proper names) is "the most important ideological tool" that is necessary to strengthen national identity.
“Onomastics is not the business of the descendants and relatives of our ancestors or famous personalities, it is the prerogative of the state. All onomastic procedures must be clearly regulated, taking into account not only regional characteristics, but also national priorities.”
Prior to this, Tokayev demanded to stop erecting monuments to famous personalities of the Soviet period in Kazakhstan. He noted that their biographies are fictional, and they talk about "heroic deeds" that these people did not actually commit. Tokayev also noted cases of erecting monuments to figures from the times of the USSR who participated in mass repressions.