Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov might be a longtime Twitter user, but that doesn't necessarily make him social-media savvy.
The official recently used his two Twitter accounts -- in English, and in Kazakh and Russian -- to put the call out for his thousands of followers to list their nation's biggest achievements in its 25 years of independence.
The apparent idea was to use the hashtags #25летНезависимости or #25KAZ to collect positive feedback ahead of Kazakh Independence Day, which is celebrated on December 16.
Masimov got a bit more than he bargained for from the Twitter masses, however.
The hashtags prompted a barrage of tweets revealing latent anger over corruption, the state of Kazakh democracy, the police, and the government in general.
"To deliver a healthy baby you have to pay a bribe in the maternity ward, to get a place in a kindergarten -- pay bribes again. At school? Guess what," tweeted Kairat Nyrmugambetov at @iKairat, referring to allegations of widespread bribery in schools and hospitals.
#25летНезависимости. Родить здорового ребенка — дать взятку в роддоме, ребенка пристроить в садик — снова дать взятку. В школу? Догадайтесь.
— Кайрат Нурмугамбетов (@iKairat) August 9, 2016
"A new factory for light-engine planes was built in Karaganda that hasn't produced a single plane in five years," wrote @AlmiriKarpykov from Almaty:
#25летНезависимостиВ Караганде построили завод по выпуску легкомтороных самолетов, который за пять лет не выпустил ни одного самолета.
— Дедушка Фу (@AlmiriKarpykov) August 9, 2016
Another popular response to Masimov's initiative suggested that Kazakhstan -- whose president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, has ruled the country since 1989 -- has never had a democratic presidential election.
"We've never had a chance to elect another president!" wrote Aidos kapanov at @aidoseg from Almaty.
Ни разу не смогли выбрать другого президента!#25летНезависимости
— Aidos Kapanov (@aidoseg) August 9, 2016
"We fear police more than bandits and terrorists," tweeted M. Gustav at @kasymjanym:
#25летНезависимости мы боимся полицию больше, чем бандитов и террористов
— M.Gustav (@kasymjanym) August 9, 2016
Twitter user @parfume_kz took the opportunity to complain that "free breakfast has been canceled for schoolchildren."
#25летНезависимости это отмена бесплатных завтраков для детишек в школе...
— Парфюм на разлив (@parfume_kz) August 15, 2016
"In Kazakhstan, the government has created crony socialism, whose source of existence is legalized robbery, not collective labor," wrote @sakesha.
В Казахстане создали государственный кумовской социализм, живущий за счёт легального грабежа, а не всеобщего труда #25Kaz
— Trust Laissez-faire (@Sakesha) August 11, 2016
The initiative has generated some positive tweets, of course, although many are from the state-controlled @kazinformkz news agency and Kazakh embassies abroad.
And @kazinformkz hijacked the hashtags to highlight Kazakh athletes' achievements at the Olympic Games in Rio and to report domestic news, including Masimov's trip to an Almaty dairy farm:
Карим Масимов ознакомился с работой агрохолдинга «Байсерке-Агро» (ФОТО) https://t.co/LJWW5Y5pw9 #25летНезависимости
— МИА Казинформ (@kazinformkz) August 15, 2016
-- Farangis Najibullah