To all interested mass media
of the Republic of Kazakhstan
from Ye. K. Balfanbayev,
President of Alina Group
OPEN LETTER
I, Yerlik Balfanbayev, founder of the multi-industry holding Alina Group, appeal to all Kazakhstan mass media so that no one has any speculation or distortion about me, my business and my civic position.
I've been in the business for 32 years, so the interviews I gave can be counted on the fingers of one hand. My closed position in relations with the mass media is connected only with the fact that I am a man of action and results, and to a lesser extent – a man of words. However, the massive public outcry around my request to reconcile the mentions of my name and my Company prompts me to highlight a number of questions that, to my surprise, were not asked by any media that caught up the discussion of my finances.
I was 25, when I started the business. I was driven by a sincere desire to create material valubles for the Country that gave me upbringing, education and opportunities. At the beginning of my career I did not realize what kind of business would become my vocation. In 1996, AlinEX appeared, which was created not primarily for profit, but in order to make “European-style renovation” accessible to every Kazakhstani. The brand success is not in numerous awards for quality, but in the fact that repairs in 8 of 10 apartments of Kazakhstanis are made with the products that we make.
Based on the idea of the usefulness of our products, we began to create new and new brands that still set the bar for quality for other players.
Within all 32 years of existence of Alina Group, we regularly pay all due taxes, as well as salaries to employees transparent for the state. For the Company – it is another way to help the Country 100% with its activities. Everything that the holding earned was invested and is invested exclusively in the development of projects within and for the Country. Our ideas are aimed at ordinary people in the real sector of economic activities, our production facilities have become city-forming in several regions, and our products have become favorites. These products are not made by me, but by ordinary Kazakhstanis for themselves and their near and dear ones.
My request for reconcilement of publications of my name and the Company name in the ratings is connected only with the desire to prevent distortion of facts. For example, in the publication of 2015 it was mentioned that we received funds from the state. In fact, all the money that the Company received was provided at interest from second-tier banks as loans, and there was never any talk of any gratuitous support.
It is strange for me to read “oligarch” about myself, when an oligarchy is a type of autocracy in which the state power is in the hands of an irremovable small group of people to which I never belonged and I don’t belong now.
My Company has never had any relation to the governmental authorities. I am not a public person, simply because publicity is not my mission. And I will never go into politics or government, because I want to do business and contribute to the economy of Kazakhstan. I am a private entrepreneur who creates benefits for the people in the form of products and services that are also known outside the Country.
In my opinion, certain ratings mix entrepreneurs with different philosophies, sometimes directly opposite, and give rise to the discussed headlines “businessmen who have enriched themselves by dishonest ways should share”. Every tenge that I earned, I earned in an honest way. The source of my capital is not by any means of luck, participation in government purchases or rent-seeking behaviour, but in honest and hard work, which I do every day, like any worker in my quarries and factories.
My business has never been under the patronage of the authorities and “grey cardinals”, as many try to speculate. Yes, it is possible to create a big business in our Country, if you work openly, transparently and if you are fundamentally honest with every employee, customer and government not once a year, but constantly. And my life example confirms this.
I also want to answer a question that for some reason have not ever been asked by anybody of the media representatives. Why did Alina Group not contribute funds to “Kazakhstan Khalkyna” Fund? While some media are wondering, whether it is nihilism or greed, I will answer as it is. There are several reasons:
In conclusion, I would like to address the media representatives, as the fourth power of any secular state. In my opinion, the impact on public consciousness can be more efficient, if the efforts and talents of the Mass media and Business are directed at finding answers that really concern the civil society:
Combining the efforts of the Mass media and Business will help the State to implement reforms and restore order in the Country as soon as practically possible.
Faithfully yours,
Yerlik Balfanbayev