Shal, ket!

"Şal, ket!" (Kazakh: Шал, кет!) is a Kazakh political slogan against President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.[1] Speculated as originating around 2006, it translates from Kazakh as "Old man, leave!".[2]

History

Origins

Journalist Daniar Moldabekov reports that the term was initially coined as "Nazarbayev, leave!" (Kazakh: Назарбаев, кет!) by Alibek Jumabaev of the For a Just Kazakhstan electoral alliance, who was jailed for the phrase and unrest in 2006.[2]

The phrase in its popular form is widely known as being originated by Ermek Narymbai,[3][4] who is sometimes credited for its original form as well. Narymbai claimed to have said the phrase back in 2010. Vladimir Kozlov of the Alga! movement claimed the phrase was much older.[2]

Zhanar Sekerbayeva also claims to be the originator of the current phrase, though credits Narymbai as the original version's creator. Thus, its origins are disputed.[2]

2022 Kazakh unrest

The phrase continued to be used even after the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev and the beginning of the presidency of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as Nazarbayev continued to have political power in the country.[1]

"Old man, leave!" was a notable component of the anti-government 2022 Kazakh unrest.[5] This was noted in foreign media as well, like The Guardian[6] and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b Lillis, Joanna (12 June 2019). "Kazakhstan's financial capital in lockdown as scores of protesters detained". eurasianet.org. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d Moldabekov, Daniar (2 June 2025). "Кто придумал «Шал, кет!» Краткая история легендарного лозунга". respublika.kz.media (in Russian). Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  3. ^ "Суд решил освободить автора лозунга «Шал, кет» Ермека Нарымбай в Конаеве" (in Russian). 13 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  4. ^ "Ермек Нарымбай: автор «Шал, кет!»" (in Russian). 29 August 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  5. ^ Тойкен, Сания (10 November 2022). "«Шал, кет!» было лозунгом запроса на изменения. А что изменилось с января? Интервью с социологом" (in Russian). Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  6. ^ Walker, Shaun (5 January 2022). "Poverty, inequality and corruption: why Kazakhstan's former leader is no longer untouchable". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  7. ^ Abishev, Gaziz (12 April 2023). "Has Kazakhstan Become More Democratic Following Recent Elections?". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.